No surprises there, Apple has revealed the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models at this morning’s event in California with the core features being camera upgrades and a focus on Ai capabilities.

Available in Australia on September 18 the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are the first iPhones to suffer the price pressures of the global tech industries shortage and demand for memory as AI data centres demand more components from the supply chain.

This year’s Pro iPhones will start at $2,099 a jump of $100 on last year’s $1,999 starting price for the iPhone 17 Pro. The 18 Pro Max starts at $2,299, also up $100 on last year.

The saving grace for Apple is the huge reliance on payment plans for devices at this level with 36 month payment options very common, the impact for many will “seem” inconsequential – Apple is likely relying on that very fact for it’s sales performance. 

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will come in four colours: Deep Black, Silver, Glacier (Blue) and Burgundy. That Burgundy looks to be the hero colour for the year, like Orange was with iPhone 17 Pro.

Key features outlined at the keynote announcement inside Steve Jobs Theatre at Apple Park include a huge leap in performance from the Pro level camera

A New 48 megapixel fusion main camera will be part of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and that lens will feature a variable aperture.  This is a crazy bit of engineering to close out the lens and restrict light using a physical set of blades around the lens to achieve this variable aperture.

Battery life is critical too, with a 50% in 15 minute charge time, and 24 hour use on the Pro and over 30 hours on Pro Max.

The new A20 Pro chip is all about performance, lifting greatly from the iPhone 17 Pro models.

For the first time ever, Apple also appears to be splitting their iPhone lineup with the entry level iPhone 18 not revealed today, instead it’s expected to be announced early in 2027 alongside a refreshed iPhone Air and an updated entry level iPhone 18e.

Trevor Long travelled to the USA as a guest of Apple