Apple Launches iPhone 18 Pro as iPhone 17 Pro Production Ends
- The iPhone 18 Pro features a new 2nm A20 Pro chip.
- Apple has officially discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro.
- The 18 Pro introduces a variable aperture camera from f/1.48 to f/4.0.
- Storage options for the iPhone 18 Pro now reach up to 2TB.
- iPhone Duo production faces supply chain and shipping delays.
Apple has officially released the iPhone 18 Pro in the market, while the production of the iPhone 17 Pro has ceased, leading to dwindling inventory. The iPhone 18 Pro has a starting price of $1,199, which is $100 more than the launch price of the iPhone 17 Pro.
The iPhone 17 Pro launched at $1,099 for the 256GB model in the U.S.. Regarding contract costs, the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max has a total cost of ownership of £1075.00, which is £141 less than the Apple iPhone 18 Pro.
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max contract starts from £34.00 per month with a £199.00 upfront payment. Monthly payments for this contract will increase to £36.50 on 1 April 2027 and to £39.00 on 1 April 2028.
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is available SIM-free starting from £929.00. Both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 18 Pro feature an IP68 water resistance rating, allowing submersion up to 6 meters for 30 minutes. Both devices maintain a screen sharpness of approximately 458 pixels per inch.
A20 Pro chip delivers 40% better sustained performance
Apple has introduced the iPhone 18 Pro featuring the 2nm A20 Pro chip, replacing the 3nm A19 Pro processor found in the iPhone 17 Pro. The A20 Pro chip in the iPhone 18 Pro includes a six-core CPU and a seven-core GPU.
In comparison, the A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Pro features a six-core GPU. Apple claims the iPhone 18 Pro provides up to 40% better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro.
The A20 Pro chip contains a Neural Engine with double the number of cores compared to the A19 Pro to process AI tasks. Regarding display technology, the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max uses an LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED panel, while the Apple iPhone 18 Pro utilizes a Super Retina XDR OLED panel.
Variable aperture camera offers advanced manual controls
The iPhone 18 Pro introduces a main camera with a variable aperture ranging from f/1.48 to f/4.0. This replaces the fixed f/1.78 aperture found on the iPhone 17 Pro.
The 48MP Fusion Main camera can move between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0 settings. Gizmochina reported that the device allows users to manually adjust shutter speed, aperture, and white balance.
The camera interface now includes a histogram for exposure monitoring. Both the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro feature a 4x 100 mm f/2.8 telephoto lens with 8x optical quality zoom.
Design remains consistent with 6.3-inch display and new Dynamic Island
The iPhone 18 Pro maintains a 6.3-inch display size, which is unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro. Both models use a 6.3-inch LTPO OLED panel with a resolution of 1206x2622 pixels and a density of 460 ppi.
These displays feature a 120Hz refresh rate and an anti-reflective coating. GSMArena measured the brightness of the iPhone 17 Pro at 1012 nits, compared to 971 nits for the iPhone 18 Pro.
The iPhone 18 Pro measures 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm. While some reports indicate dimensions of 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.8 mm, the consistent size allows the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro to share cases.
The iPhone 18 Pro weighs 211g, which is 5g heavier than the 206g iPhone 17 Pro. It is 22g lighter than the 233g iPhone 17 Pro Max, which features a larger 6.9-inch display.
The Dynamic Island has been redesigned to be narrower and can display three Live Activities at once. This updated functionality allows the Dynamic Island to display three Live Activities at once.
Battery life and audio quality see incremental improvements
The iPhone 18 Pro supports faster wired charging than the iPhone 17 Pro. It reaches 50 percent capacity in 15 minutes using a 60W adapter, while the iPhone 17 Pro takes 20 minutes with a 40W adapter.
Battery life sees incremental improvements in the latest model. The iPhone 18 Pro is rated for 36 hours of video playback and 33 hours of streamed video, exceeding the 33 hours and 30 hours provided by the iPhone 17 Pro.
Audio performance has also been upgraded for the new model. The iPhone 18 Pro provides louder speaker volume than the iPhone 17 Pro while maintaining audio detail.
Storage capacity expands to 2TB with new Burgundy Red option
Both the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro come with 12GB of RAM as their default configuration. The iPhone 18 Pro offers storage capacities reaching 2TB, while the iPhone 17 Pro is capped at 1TB.
Pricing for the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for 256GB, $1,399 for 512GB, $1,799 for 1TB, and $2,399 for 2TB. Smartphonechecker.co.uk reported that both the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Apple iPhone 18 Pro offer storage options of 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
The iPhone 18 Pro is available in four color options: Black, Silver, Glacier, and the lead color Burgundy. The iPhone 17 Pro is limited to Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue.
Supply chain constraints impact iPhone Duo availability
Apple has instructed store employees to discourage customers who did not pre-order from visiting stores on the October 23 launch day. Staff will warn visitors that there is no stock available for walk-in purchases. Customers with in-store pickup reservations are told to check back on October 24 for availability.
In India, all pre-orders placed on October 19 will ship on January 23, 2027. Retailer Croma promises October 29 shipping for the 256GB model currently in stock.
The pre-order window opened on October 16 with delivery dates ranging from the launch to November, and some as late as January 2027. Flagship stores will feature a spotlight table on launch day to display the device.
Final assembly yields were slightly above 60 percent in mid-September due to strict quality standards. Original Equipment Manufacturers have asked Apple to relax these standards to improve production output. Both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 18 Pro feature 48-megapixel rear and front-facing cameras.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Apple iPhone 18 Pro 與 iPhone 17 Pro 比較分析 | Techritual 香港 (techritual.com)
- iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Is the Upgrade Worth It? (gizmochina.com)
- 2026年苹果手机选购指南：iPhone 17 Pro、18 Pro与17深度评测_机型_屏幕_影像 (sohu.com)
- iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: có đáng nâng cấp? (trangcongnghe.com.vn)
- iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Specs, Price, Camera (digitbin.com)
- Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro: Key Differences and UK Prices (smartphonechecker.co.uk)
- Apple May Not Entertain Walk-in Purchases for iPhone Duo on October 23 Due to Stock Shortage: Report (gadgets360.com)
Add NewsPulse Time as a preferred source on Google