The iPhone 18 Pro retains its 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max continues with a 6.9-inch screen.

The overall design has not changed dramatically from the iPhone 17 Pro, but Apple has introduced several important refinements aimed at delivering a more distinctive experience with the new generation.

A20 Pro 2nm: The biggest leap is inside

The most notable upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is the A20 Pro chip, manufactured using a 2nm process.

The new chip provides a key foundation for Apple to continue improving performance while keeping power consumption under better control.

The A20 Pro features a six-core CPU, including two new high-performance “super cores” that are up to 20% faster, alongside four efficiency cores.

According to Apple, the new high-performance cores deliver desktop-class performance and are the fastest ever used in a smartphone.

The new GPU features a seven-core design and delivers up to 40% faster graphics performance. This enables the devices to run third-party large language models (LLMs) directly on the device.

The A20 Pro also features new Neural Accelerators capable of performing 8-bit floating-point computations twice as fast.

The chip has two Neural Engines with a total of 32 cores, while memory bandwidth has increased by 50%. These upgrades are paired with an entirely new thermal management system designed to significantly improve heat control.

More importantly, the new chip is designed for more than conventional smartphone tasks. As Apple continues to expand Apple Intelligence, on-device AI processing power is becoming an increasingly important factor for its premium iPhones.

The A20 Pro is therefore expected to handle complex AI workloads faster while reducing reliance on cloud servers.

Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 18 Pro will support 16 languages. Initially, the AI-integrated Siri will operate in English, with Vietnamese and other languages to be supported later.

A smaller, more capable Dynamic Island

The iPhone 18 Pro features a smaller Dynamic Island that can display three Live Activities simultaneously.

Apple has moved some components of the Face ID system beneath the display, reducing the amount of space occupied at the top of the screen.

The change marks another significant step toward an iPhone with an almost uninterrupted full-screen design.

While Apple has yet to achieve a completely cutout-free display, the smaller Dynamic Island provides more usable screen space and a less cluttered viewing experience.

Variable-aperture camera brings greater creative control

Both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max feature an all-new 48MP Fusion main camera with a variable aperture and six-blade shutter, offering a level of creative control previously unavailable on an iPhone.

Unlike the fixed apertures used on many previous iPhone generations, the variable-aperture system on the iPhone 18 Pro can adjust the amount of light reaching the sensor.

This gives the iPhone greater flexibility across different lighting conditions while providing more control over depth of field.

A new camera feature called “Pro Controls” also allows users to adjust white balance, view a histogram, and manually control aperture and shutter speed to create images that Apple says were previously not possible on an iPhone.

Bigger batteries and better thermal management

Battery life has also improved on the iPhone 18 Pro, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max delivers what Apple says is the biggest battery-life increase ever for an iPhone.

Under typical use, the iPhone 18 Pro can last up to 24 hours on a single charge, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max can reach 30 hours.

Wired charging is faster as well. The iPhones can reach 50% charge in around 15 minutes, while five minutes of wired charging provides enough power for up to six hours of video playback.

The iPhone 18 Pro may not represent a revolution in exterior design, but it is one of the more substantial iPhone generations in terms of underlying technology. The 2nm A20 Pro chip, smaller Dynamic Island and variable-aperture camera combine to deliver a notable package of upgrades.

Hai Phong