iPhone 18 Pro: What's New, Reviews and Price
Variable aperture camera, Apple's first 2nm chip, a 36-hour battery and a $100 price hike. What changed, what reviewers say, and the Pakistan cost.
Apple's September keynote opened with Tim Cook walking on stage, waving off the applause, saying "No, no, no, not me," and pointing at John Ternus: "That's your guy."
It was the smoothest handover of power the world has seen this year, and it is exactly how every Pakistani uncle passes you the aux cable at a family function the moment the song goes wrong.
Ternus then introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The first proper reviews landed today, the phones go on sale on Friday, 18 September, and the internet has already brought back its favourite unit of currency: the kidney.
Here is everything that changed, what it costs, what the critics think, and whether you should care — with as few kidneys harmed as possible.
The 30-second version
| Price | $1,199 (Pro) · $1,299 (Pro Max) — $100 more than last year |
| Screens | 6.3″ and 6.9″, 120Hz ProMotion, 3,000 nits outdoors, always-on |
| Chip | A20 Pro, 2nm — Apple's first |
| The headline | Variable aperture camera, f/1.48 to f/4 |
| Battery | Up to 36 hours video (Pro) · 45 hours (Pro Max) |
| Charging | 50% in about 15 minutes wired |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and — new — 2TB |
| Colours | Black, Silver, Glacier, Burgundy |
| On sale | 18 September |
Video: Introducing the new iPhone 18 Pro by Apple. Embedded with credit.
What is actually new
1. The camera now has blades. Six of them.
The main 48MP camera drops last year's fixed f/1.78 aperture for a physical, variable aperture that moves between f/1.48 and f/4.0, using six laser-cut blades. Your phone now owns more precision blades than your kitchen, and it handles them more responsibly than your cousin handles the Eid qurbani knife.
Why it matters: at f/1.48 it lets in more light (Apple and reviewers point to roughly 50% better low-light results); at f/4 it keeps more of a group photo in focus instead of blurring half the family. For fifteen years phone cameras have faked background blur with software. This one does it the way a real camera lens does.
There are also Pro Controls for manually setting aperture, shutter speed and white balance, and you can now add Cinematic blur to a video after you have shot it, at up to 60fps.
2. The first 2nm chip in a phone
The A20 Pro is built on a 2-nanometre process. Apple claims a GPU up to 40% faster, 50% more memory bandwidth, and double the AI processing power of last year's A19 Pro. Reviewers are calling these the fastest phones money can buy, which is also, conveniently, the only way to buy them.
A new vapour chamber with roughly three times the surface area means Apple claims up to 40% better sustained performance — so it should stay fast in a long PUBG session instead of turning into a hand warmer. In a Karachi June, nobody needs a hand warmer.
3. The battery is the real upgrade
This is where the reviewers agree most. TechRadar went as far as saying the game-changing feature is not the camera, not Siri, and not the chip — it is the battery life.
Apple claims up to 36 hours of video on the Pro (up from 33 on the 17 Pro) and 45 hours on the Pro Max. It comfortably outlasts a Lahore load-shedding schedule, which is the only benchmark that has ever mattered in this country.
One detail specific to Pakistan: those headline figures are for eSIM-only models, which gain about two extra hours because they have no SIM tray. Units sold outside the US are likely to keep the tray, so expect roughly 34 hours on the Pro — which is exactly what Tom's Guide measured. You lose two hours of video but save yourself a trip to the franchise to convert to eSIM. Fair trade.
4. Charging that respects your time
50% in about 15 minutes wired, or 50% in 30 minutes wirelessly. On the Pro Max, five minutes of charging buys about seven hours of video. That is roughly the time it takes to say "bas 2 minute" and actually mean it for once.
5. A Dynamic Island that finally multitasks
The island is smaller and now shows three Live Activities at once. Foodpanda rider, Careem captain and the cricket score — all visible together, like a Pakistani family WhatsApp group, except everyone is actually relevant.
6. 2TB storage, for the first time
Enough space to hold every "Good Morning" flower image your family group has ever forwarded. Almost. Apple has not published how many petunias that is, and frankly nobody should count.
7. New colours
Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy. Burgundy is the one people are posting. In Pakistan it will be known within a week as "shaadi wala maroon", and at least one aunty will ask whether you matched it to the jora on purpose.
8. Faster connectivity
A new C2 modem with faster uploads and 15% less energy use, plus Apple's N1 wireless chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6. Useful, now that Jazz and Zong are actually lighting up 5G in the major cities.
What did not change — and why some reviewers are grumpy
Not everyone is impressed, and it is worth hearing them out before you part with a kidney.
Digital Trends ran a piece headlined "Come on, Apple. The iPhone 18 Pro deserved better." Their case: the design carries over from last year's 17 Pro, Apple skipped the silicon-carbon battery chemistry Android rivals are already using, and the whole Pro line feels held back so the spotlight could stay on the foldable iPhone Duo. Geeky Gadgets summed it up as "incremental updates and a price hike." And today The Motley Fool argued that iPhone 18 Pro demand is already a question mark for Apple's stock.
So, in short: if you already own a 17 Pro, the 18 Pro looks almost exactly like your phone, costs $100 more, and has a nicer camera. Which is also a fair description of every relationship where someone buys a new jacket.
What reviewers are saying
| Reviewer | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Tom's Guide | "Fastest phones ever, variable aperture camera soars" |
| Engadget | "The standard setter" |
| TechRadar | The battery life is the real game-changer |
| Digital Trends | "The iPhone 18 Pro deserved better" |
| Geeky Gadgets | "Incremental updates and a price hike" |
The consensus is clear: the best iPhone Apple has made, and the least dramatic upgrade in two years. Both things are true at once, like your chacha's opinions.
Prices
In the US (Apple's official pricing)
| Storage | iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| 256GB | $1,199 | $1,299 |
| 512GB | — | $1,499 |
| 1TB | — | $1,899 |
| 2TB | — | $2,499 |
Apple has confirmed the Pro starts at $1,199 with the same four storage options; the Pro Max's full price ladder is above. The 2TB Pro Max at $2,499 is, depending on the exchange rate on the day, somewhere between "a used Mehran" and "why".
In Pakistan
At roughly Rs 280 to the dollar, before a single rupee of tax:
| Device value | Realistic landed cost | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro | ~Rs 336,000 | ~Rs 540,000 – 580,000 |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | ~Rs 364,000 | ~Rs 570,000 – 620,000 |
Treat these as estimates. FBR has not published a valuation ruling for the 18 series, so every price you see floating around this week — including ours — is an educated guess. For scale, our own tables put PTA registration on an iPhone 17 Pro at about Rs 193,500 on passport and Rs 210,300 on CNIC, and the 18 Pro will land near that or above. Run your exact model on the PTA tax calculator.
This is the moment the Tom and Jerry meme doing the rounds — Tom holding a giant mallet, gleefully waiting — stops being a joke about Apple fans and starts being a documentary about customs.
Pakistani channel VideoWaliSarkar went through the local pricing question the day after the launch:
Video: iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo Launch | Price in Pakistan? by VideoWaliSarkar. Embedded with credit.
Should you upgrade?
You have an iPhone 17 Pro. No. The design is the same, the gains are real but modest, and the internet is already making memes about you — the "iPhone 17 buyer regret" genre went viral within hours of the keynote. Keep your phone. Keep your dignity. Keep your kidney.
You have an iPhone 15 Pro or 16 Pro. Worth a serious look. Battery life alone is a noticeable jump, the camera is a proper step up, and trade-in values will never be higher than this month.
You have an iPhone 14 or older. Yes, if the budget exists. Almost everything will feel faster, the battery will feel like witchcraft, and you get the full new Siri experience.
You mainly care about the camera. This is the year. The variable aperture is the most meaningful iPhone camera change in a long time.
You mainly care about your bank balance. Buy last year's model, because this is precisely the week it gets cheaper.
The smart Pakistani move this week
Every iPhone launch in Pakistan follows the same plot: the first units arrive at eye-watering prices, "PTA approved" suddenly means three different things, and the previous model quietly becomes the best deal in the market.
- Wait for real stock and a real PTA number before buying an 18 Pro. Early units are the most expensive they will ever be.
- Look at the 17 Pro instead. Brand-new, PTA-approved iPhone 17 Pro stock is listed on Harib right now around Rs 5,35,000, and a 1TB 17 Pro Max around Rs 4,75,000 — prices that soften as the 18 lands. See every iPhone listed, highest price first, or just the brand-new ones.
- "PTA approved" must mean already registered. Not "PTA-able", not "will be done". Check the IMEI on DIRBS yourself before paying.
- Selling your old iPhone to fund it? This is the best month of the year to do it. List it here — sellers can already pick the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max by name.
If you want the foldable too, or everything else announced at the event, we covered the iPhone Duo, Apple Watch and AirPods in our launch breakdown.
Quick answers
When does the iPhone 18 Pro go on sale? 18 September 2026, in more than 65 countries, with 20 more following on 25 September.
How much is the iPhone 18 Pro? $1,199 for 256GB; the Pro Max is $1,299. Both are $100 more than last year.
What is the iPhone 18 Pro price in Pakistan? Roughly Rs 540,000–580,000 once PTA is paid — an estimate until FBR publishes a valuation.
What is new in the iPhone 18 Pro? A variable-aperture 48MP camera, the 2nm A20 Pro chip, longer battery life, 50% charge in 15 minutes, a Dynamic Island that shows three activities, 2TB storage and new colours.
Is the iPhone 18 Pro worth upgrading from the 17 Pro? For most people, no. From a 15 Pro or older, much more likely.
How long does the iPhone 18 Pro battery last? Apple claims up to 36 hours of video on eSIM-only models, about two hours less with a SIM tray. The Pro Max claims 45 hours.
Does the iPhone 18 Pro have a SIM tray? US models are eSIM-only; models for many other markets are expected to keep the tray.
What colours does the iPhone 18 Pro come in? Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy.
One last thing
An iPhone launch is the one week of the year when Pakistan's entire electronics market loses its mind together — prices get quoted with a confidence nobody can back up, the WhatsApp forwards start, and somebody's cousin knows a guy who knows a guy.
That is exactly why Harib exists: transparent prices you can compare, sellers whose history you can actually see, and a community of people — buyers, tech obsessives and the honest shopkeepers who have been doing this for years — who would rather the real numbers were public.
Buy smart this week. The phone will still be amazing next month. Your kidney will still be yours. harib.com.pk
US prices and specifications are from Apple's announcement on 9 September 2026 and first reviews published 16 September 2026. Pakistani figures are estimates: FBR has not issued a valuation ruling for the iPhone 18 series, so PTA amounts will change. Harib listing prices are live at the time of writing and change as items sell. All videos belong to their creators and are embedded with credit. No kidneys were harmed in the making of this article.
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