Apple Unveils iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Raises Prices as Ternus Takes First Launch

According to Chinese tech outlet ifanr, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at 9,999 yuan in China with 256GB of storage, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at 10,999 yuan, both 1,000 yuan higher than the previous generation at the same storage tier. Preorders open at 8 p.m. on Sept. 12, and the phones go on sale Sept. 18. CNBC reported that the U.S. price for the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, a $100 increase. Apple raised prices for Macs and iPads in June in response to a global shortage of memory and other components, a situation former CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal was "unsustainable."

The absence of a non-Pro iPhone 18 from the fall event is a shift investors and analysts had expected. CNBC reported that analysts foresee Apple releasing its mainline iPhone in the spring, when the company has previously announced lower-cost models such as the iPhone SE and iPhone 16e. IDC vice president Francisco Jeronimo said the split launch could give Apple more stability by balancing revenue through the year. Bank of America analyst Wamsi Mohan wrote that the strategy could support product mix and average selling prices, but also "creates some risk that price-sensitive consumers defer upgrades until the lower-priced models arrive." In the first half of 2026, IDC estimated that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max accounted for 54% of iPhone sales, while the regular iPhone 17 accounted for 26%.

On cameras, 9to5Mac reported that both iPhone 18 Pro models include a mechanical variable aperture that can switch among f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0, with automatic and full manual control. The widest aperture is nearly one stop brighter than the f/1.78 lens on the iPhone 17 Pro, which 9to5Mac said should help low-light photos and night shots. The publication cautioned that iPhone sensors remain much smaller than those in DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, so depth-of-field gains may be limited and may rely partly on computational photography. The new Pro camera system also adds manual shutter speed control for stills and video, white balance control, the ability to apply Cinematic mode effects to standard video after capture, Cinematic video at up to 60 frames per second, and an AI-powered smart focus mode that can track a subject even when someone passes between the camera and the person, according to 9to5Mac.

ifanr reported that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max keep the 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch sizes, aluminum unibody design and camera plateau from the previous generation, but add Burgundy, Glacier Blue, Silver and Black color options. The Dynamic Island is about 20% narrower horizontally, allowing the system to show one more live activity at the top of the screen. The displays retain ProMotion adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. The phones use the A20 Pro chip built on TSMC's 2nm process, with CPU and GPU performance up 20% and 40% respectively, and a new packaging design that places the bare silicon next to memory, improving heat conduction and increasing memory bandwidth by 50%, according to ifanr. A new VC vapor chamber triples the cooling area, and Apple claims sustained performance up to 40% higher than the iPhone 17 Pro. The devices also include Apple's in-house C2 cellular modem. Battery life is rated at 36 hours of video playback for the iPhone 18 Pro and 43 hours for the Pro Max, with 50% charge in 15 minutes. The Pro weighs 211 grams and the Pro Max 249 grams, both 8.75mm thick, increases of 7 grams and 18 grams from the prior models.

At the end of the event, Apple introduced the foldable iPhone Duo, which CNBC reported will start at $1,999, in line with competing foldables from companies such as Huawei. Apple software engineering senior vice president Craig Federighi said the company redesigned much of iOS to take advantage of the two screens, moving buttons and controls, and users can multitask with two apps at once and use Apple's Pencil stylus. The Duo is powered by the C2 modem, Apple's second-generation in-house modem. Apple hardware chief Johny Srouji said in the keynote video that C2 is 50% faster than its predecessor and runs at 15% lower energy. Ternus said at the launch, "For a device that plays such a central role in your life, a larger display would open up entirely new possibilities. We think the best way to achieve that is with a foldable design."

Ternus replaced Cook as CEO on Sept. 1, becoming only the second Apple CEO since Steve Jobs resigned in 2011. Cook has warned that supply constraints will persist, and Apple said during its July earnings call that the issue would become even bigger in the September quarter. Counterpoint Research vice president Neil Shah told CNBC that releasing only two new models instead of four could significantly simplify what Apple must secure from its supply chain, adding that "high memory pricing is not helping Apple launch multiple iPhones at the same time."