iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: All the differences explained
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iPhone 18 Pro in the new Burgundy color
Apple has just unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro, and with all the official information, it's time for an early comparison against last year's iPhone 17 Pro. We will update this article with real world impressions after we test the iPhone 18 Pro in a couple of weeks.
So what's new in the iPhone 18 Pro? The big highlight is the new main camera with variable aperture, better low light photos and videos, much faster chipset, especially for gaming and slightly improved battery life. Oh, and the new model is now $100 more expensive, sadly.
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro differences:
| iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|
| Similar design, same 6.3-inch size | 6.3-inch size with camera plateau design |
| Slightly heavier (211g), but otherwise same dimensions | 206 g weight |
| Bigger battery, 36 hours video playback | 33 hours video playback |
| Smaller Face ID cutout | Face ID in its usual form |
| 3 Live Activities in Dynamic Island | 2 Live Activities |
| A20 Pro chip, 2nm | A19 Pro chip |
| Variable aperture main lens | Fixed aperture (f/1.78) main camera |
| Photographic Styles 3 | Photographic Styles 2 |
| Pro camera controls | - |
| Improved low light video | - |
| Four new colorways, including Burgundy and Glacier | Three colors with signature being Cosmic Orange |
| Faster charging 50% in 15 minutes with 60W charger | 50% in 20 minutes with 40W charger |
| $1,200 starting price (+$100) | $1,100 starting price |
Table of Contents:
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Design and Size
No major changes
The iPhone 18 Pro is coming in four new colors | Image by Apple
Last year, the iPhone 17 Pro introduced a new design with the massive camera plateau on the back of the phone and a switch to an aluminum frame, which is better at dissipating heat than titanium. And the iPhone 18 Pro is not changing that, it even has the exact same dimensions as the 17 Pro, so I wouldn't be surprised if your old cases fit on the new model.
What's new is the colors. First, the glass plate on the back now matches the color of the aluminum frame. The signature colors are a sophisticated Burgundy red one and a fresh-looking Glacier blue one. You also get a true deep black colorway, finally, and the usual silver is also in the lineup.
Display size is unchanged at 6.3 inches, but the iPhone 18 Pro has a smaller Face ID module, so it's less of a distraction when you watch full-screen videos.
Image by Apple
Apple has tweaked the software so it can now show you three live activities, instead of two, which is a nice little change.
There were rumors about the Camera Control on the 18 Pro cutting support for gestures, but those turned out fake—the 18 Pro has the exact same Camera Control as previous iPhones.
Display Differences
Image by Apple
The iPhone 16 Pro and 17 Pro featured a 6.3 inch screen (up from 6.1 inches on the 15 Pro series), and with super slim borders around that screen, there is not much room for further improvement before the phone becomes bigger. So the iPhone 18 Pro has the same 6.3-inch screen size with the same support for ProMotion of up to 120Hz.
Performance and Software
Faster and with more AI
Image by Apple
The iPhone 18 Pro features the new Apple A20 Pro chip, but with no change in RAM (12GB on all models) or storage configurations (256GB base model, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB options).
The new A20 Pro chip is particularly exciting because it's a jump in technology generations. It uses TSMC's 2nm node, a jump over the 3nm used for previous iPhones.
A new 6-core CPU (with 2 large super cores and 4 efficiency cores) is now 20% faster, and Apple claims it's the fastest of any smartphone.
But the big leap happens in GPU. You now have a 7-core GPU with a whopping 40% jump in graphics performance in just a year. That is massive, especially for those who like playing heavy games like Genshin Impact on an iPhone.
With a bigger area for the vapor chamber, cooling has also improved, and the 18 Pro can sustain its high performance in gaming longer.
Image by Apple
The iPhone 18 Pro arrives with the new iOS 27 software, of course, but that is also coming to many previously released iPhones too, including the 17 Pro.
Image by Apple
We have a deep dive into all the new iOS 27 features here, so check that out to get the full software picture.
Camera
Variable aperture
Image by Apple
The big camera plateau does not change on the iPhone 18 Pro, but the camera you use the most gets a big upgrade this year.
First, let's make it clear - the iPhone 18 Pro has three cameras on its back, a main one, an ultra-wide one and a 4X telephoto one — same configuration as the 17 Pro.
The ultra-wide and telephoto ones are expected to remain unchanged in terms of hardware, only the main one is getting an upgrade.
The iPhone 18 Pro is the first iPhone to use variable aperture, while previous iPhones have all used fixed apertures (the iPhone 17 Pro has f/1.78 aperture). A variable aperture means you can manually control how much light hits the lens. A wider aperture results in more light and more blurred backgrounds, while a narrower aperture does the opposite. The mechanical aperture in the iPhone 18 Pro is adjusted automatically, but you can use the new manual Pro mode if you like and go as low as f/1.48 and up to f/4.0.
Apple is also bringing new Photographic Styles, version 3, with added support for grain and texture control. This allows you to get more creative, filmic, grainy looks to your images, and I'm all for it.
Video quality in low light also improves with the wider aperture main camera, which is great.
Apple will also now allow you to add a Cinematic effect (blurring the backgroun) to an existing video captured with the regular video mode.
Battery Life and Charging
Small changes in size, but software might make a bigger difference
iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max leaked battery sizes | Image by Screenshot from 3G certification database
While the iPhone 18 Pro Max brings a big change in battery size, the smaller 18 Pro model is not such a huge leap forward. Apple does not disclose battery specifics, but leaks gave out the battery numbers, and we once again have two slightly different battery sizes based on the region and eSIM/physical SIM support.
As always, though, it's not just about the physical size of the battery. Apple's official number say we now get 36 hours of video streaming on the 18 Pro, a nearly 10% increase over the 33 hours on the 17 Pro. Not bad.
Charging speeds are surprisingly a bit faster too, with added support for 60W chargers, while the previous generation maxed out at 40 watts. That means the iPhone 18 Pro gets 50% charge in just 15 minutes with a compatible charger.
Specs Comparison
And here is a look at the iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro specs:
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro | Apple iPhone 17 Pro |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 150 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm (~13.49 mm with camera bump) | 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm (~13.13 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 211.0 g | 206.0 g |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 6.3-inch | 6.3-inch |
| Type | |
| OLED, Variable 1-120Hz | OLED, Variable 1-120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Apple A20 Pro (2 nm) | Apple A19 Pro (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB (LPDDR5X)/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 12GB/2TB |
12GB (LPDDR5)/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB |
| OS | |
| iOS (27.x) | iOS (26.x) |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 4288 mAh | 4252 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 60.0W Wireless: 25.0W | Wired: 40.0W Wireless: 25.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP (ToF 3D depth sensing, Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX905 Aperture size: F1.5/F4.0 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.28" Pixel size: 1.22 μm | 48 MP (Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.28" Pixel size: 1.22 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 48 MP (Ultra-wide, Sensor-shift OIS) Sensor name: Sony IMX972 Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 0.7 μm | 48 MP (Ultra-wide, Sensor-shift OIS) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 48 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX973 Optical zoom: 4.0x Aperture size: F2.8 Focal Length: 100 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 0.7 μm | 48 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Optical zoom: 4.0x Aperture size: F2.8 Focal Length: 100 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
| Front | |
| 18 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR) | 18 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR) |
See the full
Apple iPhone 18 Pro vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Summary
If you already own the iPhone 17 Pro, this is well, an upgrade, but not a particularly huge one.
As usual, Apple has focused most upgrades around the new camera, with better low-light performance, full manual control, and improvements to video. The new processor is also nice for gamers, but serious gaming is still mostly done on devices other than phones. You also get slight improvements in battery life (modest in these smaller Pro models) and charging speeds.
I should say that next year, in 2027, we expect to see the 20th anniversary iPhone, which is rumored to come with a bigger redesign and more groundbreaking new technology, so you might want to wait it out too.
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