GoKawiilis an editor covering deals and gaming hardware. He joined in 2018, and after a two-year stint at Polygon, he rejoined The Verge in May 2025.
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Apple’s release cadence for the latest iPhones is unusual. It’ll start with the 18 Pro models, then with the foldable iPhone Duo releasing in October for $1,999. It hasn’t confirmed when its base iPhone 18 model will launch. So this post is focused just on the new the 18 Pro and the 18 Pro Max.
Both phones are launching on September 18th, with preorders opening Saturday, September 12th. The 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, which is $100 more than last year’s phone. The 6.9-inch iPhone 18 Pro Max goes up to $1,299, another $100 jump.
With the iPhone 18 Pro being Apple’s 2026 flagship phone, it makes sense to compare it to its two predecessors to see how things have evolved. The biggest differences between the two sizes of this year’s Pro phone are the same as always: the physical dimensions, the battery size, and the size and resolution of the screen. The specs are otherwise identical. But compared to previous Pros, the most meaningful updates come with the cameras, performance, and speed for chewing through AI-related tasks.
By holding off on unveiling its base iPhone 18 until a later date, Apple is making deciding on a new phone this fall a little easier — that is, if you’re someone who typically buys the pricey Pro variant. Whether you’re ready to upgrade or not, we’ve got the specs below to make it simple to compare the specs of the most popular high-end phones of 2026.
iPhone 18 Pro spec comparison Category iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 18 Pro iPhone 18 Pro Max Operating system at launch iOS 18 iOS 26 iOS 27 iOS 27 Apple Intelligence support Yes Yes Yes Yes Display 6.3-inch (2622 x 1206) OLED 6.3-inch (2622 x 1206) OLED 6.3-inch (2622 x 1206) OLED 6.9-inch (2868 x 1320) OLED Display refresh rate 120Hz 120Hz 120Hz 120Hz Peak brightness 2,000 nits 3,000 nits 3,000 nits 3,000 nits Minimum brightness 1 nit 1 nit 1 nit 1 nit Always-on display Yes Yes Yes Yes Glass display Ceramic Shield Ceramic Shield 2 Ceramic Shield 2 Ceramic Shield 2 Build Titanium frame Ceramic Shield back, aluminum unibody Ceramic Shield back, aluminum unibody Ceramic Shield back, aluminum unibody Dimensions 149.6 x 71.5 x 8.25mm 150.0mm x 71.9mm x 8.75mm 150.0mm x 71.9mm x 8.75mm 163.4mm x 78.0mm x 8.75mm Weight 199 grams 206 grams 211 grams 249 grams Battery capacity Up to 27 hours of video playback Up to 33 hours of video playback Up to 36 hours of video playback Up to 45 hours of video playback Wireless charging Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 22W) Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 25W) Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 25W) Yes, MagSafe / Qi2 (up to 25W) Fast charge-capable Yes; up to 50 percent in 30 minutes Yes; up to 50 percent in 20 minutes Yes; up to 50 percent in 15 minutes Yes; up to 50 percent in 15 minutes Processor A18 Pro A19 Pro A20 Pro A20 Pro Processor cores 6-core CPU / 6-core GPU / 16-core neural engine 6-core CPU / 6-core GPU / 16-core neural engine 6-core CPU / 7-core GPU / 32-core neural engine 6-core CPU / 6-core GPU / 32-core neural engine RAM 8GB Not shared Not shared Not shared Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB Ports USB-C charging and data port USB-C charging and data port USB-C charging and data port USB-C charging and data port USB speeds USB 3 (up to 10Gbps) USB 3 (up to 10Gbps) USB 3 (up to 10Gbps) USB 3 (up to 10Gbps) Rear cameras 48-megapixel main, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 12-megapixel telephoto 48-megapixel main, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 48-megapixel telephoto 48-megapixel main with variable aperture, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 48-megapixel telephoto 48-megapixel main with variable aperture, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 48-megapixel telephoto Highest optical magnification 5x 8x 8x 8x Macro mode Yes Yes Yes Yes Front camera 12MP 18MP 18MP 18MP Video recording Up to 4K at 120fps (ProRes with external recording) Up to 4K at 120fps (ProRes with external recording) Up to 4K at 120fps Dolby Vision (ProRes with external recording) Up to 4K at 120fps Dolby Vision (ProRes with external recording) Biometrics Face ID Face ID Face ID Face ID SIM support Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Dual eSIM (no physical SIM) Action Button Yes Yes Yes Yes Camera Control button Yes Yes Yes Yes Dynamic Island Yes Yes Yes Yes Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth version 5.3 6.0 6.0 6.0 Satellite SOS feature Yes Yes Yes Yes Messages via satellite Yes Yes Yes Yes Crash Detection Yes Yes Yes Yes Apple Pay Yes Yes Yes Yes IP rating IP68 IP68 IP68 IP68 Starting price $999 $1,099 $1,199 $1,299 Availability September 20th, 2024 September 19th, 2025 September 18th, 2026 September 18th, 2026 Colors Black titanium, white titanium, natural titanium, desert titanium Cosmic orange, deep blue, silver Black, silver, burgundy, glacier Black, silver, burgundy, glacier