While there are no major surprises, the teardown shows that Apple has expanded the cooling system, slightly increased battery capacity and redesigned components to shrink the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro.

iPhone 18 Pro gets a significantly larger cooling system

In September 2025, teardown videos of the iPhone 17 Pro drew attention after revealing that Apple had introduced a vapor chamber cooling system to its Pro iPhones for the first time.

A year later, YouTube channel REWA Technology has taken apart the iPhone 18 Pro to examine what Apple changed for the new generation.

Alongside details Apple did not discuss at its launch event, including new materials and some changes to the cable system, the most notable findings involve the A20 Pro processor and cooling system.

The teardown shows that Apple repositioned the A20 Pro chip so that the processor makes direct contact with the vapor chamber cooling system.

Notably, the vapor chamber itself is also larger than the one used in the previous generation.

Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of iPhone marketing, had previously discussed the iPhone 18 Pro’s redesigned cooling system. The teardown provides a closer visual look at the changes Apple announced.

Putting the A20 Pro in direct contact with a larger vapor chamber is expected to allow heat generated by the processor to transfer more efficiently into the cooling system.

That could be particularly important as the A20 Pro is manufactured using a new process and is increasingly expected to handle demanding workloads on the iPhone.

iPhone 18 Pro also gets a slightly bigger battery

Another change uncovered inside the iPhone 18 Pro is a slightly larger battery.

According to the teardown of the version with a physical SIM card slot, the new battery is approximately 1.7% larger than the one in the iPhone 17 Pro.

The increase is relatively modest but is consistent with Apple’s claims of improved battery life on the new generation.

Previous real-world testing by technology journalist Joanna Stern also indicated some improvement in the iPhone 18 Pro’s battery life.

Increasing battery size while simultaneously adding or upgrading other internal components suggests Apple has continued to optimize how space is used inside the device.

However, a 1.7% increase in battery size does not necessarily translate into a corresponding increase in battery life. Actual usage time also depends on factors including processor efficiency, the display, modem and iOS power management.

Dynamic Island gets significantly smaller

Another visible change on the iPhone 18 Pro is the Dynamic Island.

After several generations with largely the same design, Apple has reduced its size on the latest iPhone.

“Apple really made an effort to shrink the Dynamic Island,” the teardown video noted.

One important change is that the cutout for the infrared camera has been moved to the corner of the display.

The redesign could represent another step in Apple’s efforts to reduce the amount of screen space occupied by the front-facing camera and Face ID hardware.

While the iPhone has not yet reached a completely cutout-free display design, the smaller Dynamic Island provides more usable screen space and gives the iPhone 18 Pro a cleaner appearance.

iPhone 18 Pro could be more difficult to repair

REWA Technology’s video focuses primarily on the disassembly and repairability of the iPhone 18 Pro, while highlighting several internal design differences from the previous generation.

According to the teardown, some of the changes could make repairing the iPhone 18 Pro more complicated.

Most notably, moving the infrared camera is described as creating “a new challenge for third-party replacement display manufacturers.”

That could have implications for the aftermarket parts industry, particularly as iPhone displays increasingly integrate components associated with Face ID and the front-facing camera system.

More detailed teardowns are expected to emerge soon, providing a clearer picture of how extensively Apple has redesigned the iPhone 18 Pro’s internal architecture.

Meanwhile, the first preordered iPhone 18 Pro units have begun reaching customers.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are also now officially available at Apple Stores, marking the beginning of the new iPhone generation’s commercial lifecycle.

Hai Phong