Apple iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have been launched. While the first few lines are narrated by Tim Cook, John Ternus took the centrestage for the first time as Apple’s new CEO to show off the new smartphones at the ‘Surprise and Shine’ event held at Apple Park in Cupertino, California. Both Pro models debuted with the company’s first-ever foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. As widely anticipated, the iPhone 18 Pro lineup runs on the latest A20 Pro chip, which the company says is its most powerful silicon to date, and ships with iOS 27 straight-out-of-the-box. The new models arrived packed with a fresh set of features, including camera upgrades, new colours and a range of artificial intelligence (AI) tools available under Apple Intelligence.
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max: Price in India and availability
In the US, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for the base 256GB storage option, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max begins at $1,299, also for the 256GB variant. Buyers can choose between Burgundy, Glacier, Black and Silver colour options.Indian pricing places the iPhone 18 Pro starting at Rs 1,64,900, with the iPhone 18 Pro Max starting at Rs 1,79,900.iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage capacities. A TechWoven Case with MagSafe will be available for Rs 6,900 in black, chambray blue, taupe, olive, mulberry and burgundy. A Clear Case with MagSafe will be available for Rs 5,900, and a Silicone Case with MagSafe will be available for Rs 5,900 in black, navy blue, crisp blue, olive, burgundy, and magenta. A FineWoven Wallet with MagSafe will be available for Rs 6,900 in black, navy blue, wildflower blue, olive, magenta, and burgundy.Pre-orders for both Pro models open on September 12, with global sales kicking off on September 18.
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max: Features and specifications
Both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models debut a familiar unibody design introduced in iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, featuring what Apple calls a “full-width camera plateau” running across the back. Another first for Apple’s flagship lineup is the colour-matched frame and a smaller Dynamic Island.Display-wise, the iPhone 18 Pro comes with a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR screen supporting ProMotion at up to 120Hz, while the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max gets a 6.9-inch panel with identical specifications. Powering both devices is the new A20 Pro chipset, working alongside the next-generation vapour chamber cooling system which is larger than the previous model. Apple describes it as its most capable iPhone processor yet, claiming up to 20% faster performance compared to earlier generations. The chip features a six-core CPU paired with a six-core GPU, with each GPU core equipped with dedicated neural accelerators.“iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max give users access to Siri AI, rolling out in beta with iOS 27. Siri AI is an entirely new version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence that is profoundly more personal, capable, and conversational. Both models bring powerful AI capabilities together with personal context to become an intelligent personal hub with privacy and security at its core,” the company added.On the camera front, both Pro models come with the “biggest camera upgrade in years”. There is a triple rear camera setup, consisting of a 48MP Fusion Main sensor with variable aperture and a custom-designed lens, improving the night mode photography such as Astrophotography.
“Six laser-cut blades smoothly transition between different apertures, making it incredibly easy to capture the best shot by automatically adjusting for depth of field and lighting. Combined with a new sensor that improves image quality, the result is better low-light photography, crisper detail in the back of group photos, and more unique shots,” the company said.The camera system also gets Pro controls, allowing users to have control over their photos as well as videos. There are Photography Styles for different styles of photos. Both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max ship with iOS 27 pre-installed.Apple also notes that both Pro models pack in larger batteries, thanks to the A20 Pro chip’s improved power efficiency helps stretch battery life further. The company specifically claims the iPhone 18 Pro Max delivers the best battery life ever seen on an iPhone.“iPhone 18 Pro models deliver a massive leap in battery life with new battery designs that leverage powerful silicon efficiencies. eSIM-only models deliver up to 36 hours of video playback on iPhone 18 Pro and up to 45 hours of video playback on iPhone 18 Pro Max. iPhone 18 Pro can also charge up to 50 percent in around 15 minutes, or wirelessly charge up to 50 percent in 30 minutes. On iPhone 18 Pro Max, five minutes of wired charging provides around seven hours of video playback, and based on a new battery usage model that leverages real-world data, it provides up to 30 hours of usage on a full charge,” Apple claims.
