Apple unveils iPhone 18 Pro with variable aperture

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, adding a variable-aperture main camera and a new A20 Pro chip.

The launch also brings Siri AI to Apple's top-end iPhone range through iOS 27, adding artificial intelligence features alongside upgrades to battery life, imaging and thermal design.

At the centre of the update is a 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, a first for the iPhone. The system uses six laser-cut blades to switch between aperture settings, with both automatic and manual controls available in the Camera app.

Users can adjust aperture, shutter speed and white balance through new Pro controls, while a histogram helps monitor exposure across a scene. A new imaging pipeline sharpens detail, and updated Photographic Styles add texture and grain controls.

Apple has also expanded its video tools. Cinematic effects can be applied after capture on footage shot at up to 60 frames per second, while Time-lapse mode now supports 4K and Dolby Vision HDR.

Audio Mix has been updated with new voice processing and the option to isolate music, signalling Apple's continued push toward creators as well as mainstream premium smartphone buyers.

In a statement accompanying the launch, Greg Joswiak, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple, highlighted the focus of the new line-up.

"With iPhone 18 Pro, we've made advancements to the areas our users care about most: camera, performance, battery, and intelligence. And we didn't just make incremental improvements in these areas - we took huge leaps forward to create the best Pro iPhone we've ever made," Joswiak said.

He also pointed to the camera changes as a defining feature of the devices.

"iPhone 18 Pro makes it easy for anyone to capture stunning photos and videos using variable aperture, while providing more versatility for creators and more control for pros. Paired with impactful upgrades to Photographic Styles and powerful video capabilities, iPhone 18 Pro unlocks entirely new ways for users to express themselves," he said.

Authenticity tools

Apple is also introducing Apple Reference Image, a feature designed to help users verify whether an image has been altered. In a new Reference mode, the camera captures signed sensor data to create what Apple describes as an unalterable reference image.

That reference file can be viewed alongside the main image in the Photos app, allowing users to compare the two. The feature is intended to support image authenticity and will be available through software interfaces across iOS, iPadOS and macOS for third-party apps.

The move places Apple more directly in the debate over manipulated and AI-generated imagery. Metadata and planned support for the SynthID standard will also help identify images generated or edited with AI.

Chip and cooling

Performance upgrades are led by the A20 Pro, built on a 2-nanometre process. The chip includes a 6-core CPU, a 7-core GPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine, with Apple claiming a marked increase in memory bandwidth and graphics performance over the previous generation.

Both models also include Apple's N1 wireless networking chip for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, as well as a new C2 cellular modem system. According to Apple, C2 improves upload speeds and reduces energy use compared with the earlier modem generation.

Thermal management is also a bigger part of the pitch. Apple says custom chip packaging and a redesigned vapour chamber with three times more surface area than the previous generation improve sustained performance by up to 40 per cent.

Battery gains

Battery life is another headline change, particularly for the larger model. Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro supports up to 34 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max reaches up to 43 hours, which it describes as the best battery life yet on a Pro model.

The iPhone 18 Pro can charge to 50 per cent in about 15 minutes with wired charging, or to the same level in 30 minutes wirelessly. On the iPhone 18 Pro Max, five minutes of wired charging can provide about seven hours of video playback, according to Apple.

AI integration

The devices ship with iOS 27 and Apple Intelligence features, including Siri AI in beta. The updated assistant can draw on personal context across messages, emails and photos, respond to content visible on screen and answer a broad range of questions.

Siri mode in the Camera app is designed to let users ask about what is in front of them and take related actions. Users can also write with Siri by describing what they need, while photo-editing tools such as Spatial Reframing, Extend and an updated Clean Up are part of the wider software package.

Other hardware changes include a smaller Dynamic Island that can now display three Live Activities at once. The phones will be sold in black, silver, glacier and burgundy, with storage options ranging from 256GB to 2TB.

Both models will go on sale in more than 65 countries and regions, including the UK, the US, China, Japan, India and Australia, Apple says.

According to Apple, the new handsets also include 40 per cent recycled content overall, including fully recycled cobalt in the battery and 85 per cent recycled aluminium in the enclosure.