iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: what changed

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are not a radical redesign: Engadget's comparison calls them an incremental “S”-generation update, though its review still named them a “standard setter”.

Design and display: mostly unchanged

Apple kept the aluminium unibody and dimensions of the iPhone 17 Pro (5.91 x 2.83 x 0.34 inches for the Pro, 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.34 for the Pro Max), but the phones got heavier: the iPhone 18 Pro by 2.4 percent (7.44 vs 7.27 ounces) and the Pro Max by about 6.9 percent (8.78 vs 8.22). Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, Ceramic Shield on the back and IP68 carry over; new colours are Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy.

The 6.3- and 6.9-inch OLEDs keep 460 PPI, 120Hz variable refresh, always-on mode and 3,000 nits outdoors. The visible change is a smaller Dynamic Island: brighter pixels let infrared light through so Face ID works beneath the display, and it now supports three Live Activities instead of two.

A variable aperture for the main camera

The biggest upgrade is the 48-megapixel main camera, which swaps the iPhone 17 Pro's fixed f/1.78 aperture for a variable one: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0. A narrow aperture keeps more of the scene sharp, a wide one gathers more light; manual aperture, shutter and white balance controls are new.

Rear-camera Cinematic mode now records 4K at 60 fps, up from 4K/30, while the front camera stays at 4K/30. Apple Reference Image saves sensor-signed RAW data alongside the processed photo, but needs a special mode; Photographic Styles 3 adds texture and grain controls.

2nm A20 Pro and longer battery life

The A20 Pro replaces the A19 Pro on a 2-nanometre process, with 50 percent more memory bandwidth per Apple. It keeps a six-core CPU with integrated Neural Accelerators, gains a seventh GPU core (up to 40 percent faster graphics claimed) and doubles AI processing with a 32-core dual Neural Engine. Apple also attaches the chip directly to a next-generation vapor chamber.

Battery ratings rise across the board: the iPhone 18 Pro goes from 33 to 36 hours of video playback and 30 to 33 hours of streaming, while the Pro Max reaches 45 and 40 hours, up from 39 and 35. Both charge to 50 percent in about 15 minutes with a 60-watt adapter, versus 20 before; MagSafe and Qi2 stay at 25 watts.

Should you upgrade?

Engadget's verdict: iPhone 17 Pro owners should probably keep their current phone, while users of older iPhones may find the upgrade worthwhile if the price fits their budget.