iPhone 18 Pro review: camera, speed, and the surprise I did not expect

I’ll admit it: I didn’t expect much from the iPhone 18 Pro this year. After the sizeable step the iPhone 17 Pro already took last year, I figured Apple would mostly be turning a few dials this time instead of bringing something genuinely new. I’ve now been using the phone for a while, and I have to seriously revise my own expectations. This is one of the biggest jumps I’ve experienced in years, especially when it comes to the camera and speed. As a user I’m thoroughly happy with it, and that’s not something I would have predicted beforehand.

What is the iPhone 18 Pro?

Apple released the iPhone 18 Pro on September 18, 2026, alongside the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max. My unit is the regular Pro, with the 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display, in Glacier, a light blue tone that looks even better in person than in the product photos. The iPhone 18 Pro is also available in Silver, Black and Burgundy, and for the first time there’s a 2TB storage option alongside the familiar 256GB, 512GB and 1TB tiers. Under the hood sits the new A20 Pro chip, the first chip in an iPhone built on a 2-nanometer process. That sounds technical, but the effect is immediately noticeable: this phone feels faster and smoother than anything I’ve used from Apple before.

Camera: the variable aperture changes everything

The camera is where the iPhone 18 Pro surprised me most. The 48-megapixel main camera now has a variable aperture that switches between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0. Last year’s 17 Pro still had a fixed aperture, so this is genuinely a new step for Apple. In practice it means you get real control over how the background falls out of focus, instead of the software simulating that afterwards. Through the new Pro Controls you can even adjust that aperture manually, which suddenly brings the phone a lot closer to a “real” camera.

The ultra-wide (48 megapixels, f/2.2) and telephoto (48 megapixels, with 4x optical zoom and up to 8x optical-quality zoom thanks to sensor cropping) cameras have also moved up to 48 megapixels. The result is sharp, detail-rich photos at every focal length, even if you want to crop afterwards. Two features I use unexpectedly often: Reframe, which lets you adjust the framing of a photo after you’ve taken it without losing quality, and the new post-shot Cinematic mode for video, which lets you apply the depth-of-field effect after recording instead of only beforehand. With 4K video at 120fps and Dolby Vision support, there’s also more than enough image quality on tap for both personal use and business presentations.

Speed: the A20 Pro chip

On paper, Apple promises up to 20 percent faster CPU performance and up to 40 percent faster graphics compared to the A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro, thanks to the new 2-nanometer process and a dual 16-core Neural Engine for AI tasks. Independent testing, including by Tom’s Guide, backs that up, with measurements showing over 25 percent higher single-core scores, nearly 30 percent higher multi-core scores, and up to a third faster graphics performance in demanding benchmarks. As an IT professional I’m always sceptical of marketing figures like these, but in daily use I simply feel it: apps open faster, heavy photo and video edits happen instantly, and everything stays fluid even with several demanding apps open at once. Exactly the kind of difference I hadn’t expected between the 17 Pro and the 18 Pro.

Battery life and charging

Apple promises around 24 hours of typical use on the iPhone 18 Pro, about three hours more than the 17 Pro, and up to 45 hours of video playback on the larger Pro Max. In my own use, with plenty of email, messaging, browsing and regular work video calls, that comfortably gets me through a full working day, even a busy one. Charging goes through 60W fast charging, which gets you an extra 30 percent battery in around 15 minutes. That’s a difference I really notice, especially on days when I’m travelling between clients.

Siri, Apple Intelligence and other new features

On the software side, iOS 27 brings several Apple Intelligence improvements, including more accurate dictation via an on-device model and a new Reference Image feature: alongside every edited photo, your phone keeps a RAW reference file, so you can later check whether and how a photo was edited. Useful for someone like me who occasionally shares work photos and wants to be able to demonstrate their authenticity. The revamped Siri can also use your camera to estimate a meal’s nutritional value, for example, and suggests films and shows that genuinely match your taste.

That said, Siri isn’t perfect, and it’s worth saying so. On specific requests, such as a dietary preference that deviates from the default pattern, the system still regularly misses the nuance, and I’ve noticed myself that tricky proper names are occasionally mispronounced. For most everyday tasks it works fine, but anyone hoping for a flawless AI assistant should temper their expectations a little.

Price and value for money

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at 1,479 euros in the Netherlands for the 256GB version, rising to 2,979 euros for the new 2TB model. That’s roughly 150 euros more than the equivalent 17 Pro models last year, and at the top storage tier the difference grows to as much as 400 euros. That’s a serious investment, no question. But given the leap in camera, speed and battery life, I think the higher price is justified this year, certainly for anyone who uses the phone intensively for both work and personal life, as I do.

Conclusion

So I was surprised, despite myself. Where I expected a minor in-between update, I got a phone that’s clearly a generation ahead of the iPhone 17 Pro in camera and speed. The price is steep and Siri is still a bit immature on some points, but as a complete package this is the best iPhone I’ve used so far.

Score: 9/10. An iPhone that, against my own expectations, genuinely surprised me.

Wondering whether switching to the iPhone 18 Pro makes sense for you or your business, whether for work-related camera use or simply more speed and battery life? At Analyst ICT we’re happy to help you think through the best choice for your situation.

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