iPhone 18 Pro: Three rumored upgrades could tempt iPhone 17 Pro owners

Battery life has often topped iPhone users' wishlists, and last year's iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max brought significant improvements. For the iPhone 18 Pro, efficiency gains are rumored to come from an LTPO+ display, a 2nm A20 Pro chip and possibly an Apple-designed C2 cellular modem. Recent leaks also point to larger physical batteries in this year's Pro models, especially the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

On the camera front, Mark Gurman has said the iPhone 18 Pro will bring 'the biggest leap in camera hardware' in years. Rumors indicate the main and telephoto cameras will be the focus, with a new variable aperture for the main camera and a larger aperture for the telephoto. Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital recently said the camera bump will be 2mm thicker than last year because of an 'enlarged main camera module,' adding to expectations of significant changes.

Design is the third likely motivator. While Apple is not expected to overhaul the look and feel of the iPhone 17 Pro, it reportedly has three design updates for the iPhone 18 Pro: new color options, a smaller Dynamic Island and a unified rear glass and aluminum appearance. Rumored colors include Dark Cherry, Light Blue and Silver, possibly also Black or Space Gray. The Dynamic Island is expected to shrink by about 35%, and the two-tone rear color scheme from last year's model appears likely to give way to a more uniform look.

For many people, a year-over-year upgrade is less compelling if the new phone looks basically identical to the current model, 9to5Mac notes. Specific final details on the camera have not yet emerged, but all signs point to Apple preparing some especially noteworthy camera upgrades, the report said.