The Phone Shelf

iPhone 18 Pro specs and price: what $1,199 buys

The iPhone 18 Pro costs $1,199 for 256GB and adds a 4x telephoto over the iPhone 17. Specs, prices and eSIM-only details from Apple, compared on paper.

Published by Yuriy Andreyev

Published October 25, 2026

Close-up of the back of a black iPhone 18 Pro lying on a woven placemat, showing its camera plateau with three lenses
Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped) (license)

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for 256GB, which is $300 more than the iPhone 17 at $899. For that, Apple lists a third rear camera (a 48MP 4x telephoto), the A20 Pro chip, an aluminum unibody and longer battery life: up to 36 hours of video playback against 30 hours on the iPhone 17. Apple publishes no update period for it.

We have not held this phone, so this page covers published specs only.

Price and storage

Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro on September 9, 2026 and it reached US stores on September 18, 2026. It launched at $1,199, and the maker listed the same price on October 15, 2026. Unlike the iPhone 17, it has not had a price increase.

Storage options are wide. Apple lists four sizes:

  • 256GB at $1,199
  • 512GB at $1,399
  • 1TB at $1,799
  • 2TB at $2,399

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, the larger model, costs $100 more at each size: $1,299, $1,499, $1,899 and $2,499. The iPhone 17 is cheaper still. It launched at $799 in September 2025, and Apple raised it by $100 on September 9, 2026. Apple's current $899 for 256GB includes a $30 connectivity discount that requires activation with AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon. Unlocked without activation it is $929.

Size and weight

The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The iPhone 17 has the same 6.3-inch size and 120Hz rate. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is the big one at 6.9 inches.

Weight is where the Pro costs you. The iPhone 18 Pro weighs 211 g, which is 34 g more than the iPhone 17 at 177 g. The Pro Max weighs 249 g. Apple builds the Pro in aluminum, and all three phones carry an IP68 rating.

A 34 g difference is roughly the weight of a few AA batteries. If you carry your phone in a pocket all day, it is worth thinking about. If you choose a Pro for the cameras, it may not matter.

Cameras

Cameras are the main reason to pay the $300. Apple lists these rear cameras for the iPhone 18 Pro:

  • a 48MP Fusion Main with variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4.0
  • a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide
  • a 48MP Fusion Telephoto at 4x (100 mm)

The iPhone 17 lists only the Fusion Main and the Fusion Ultra Wide, both 48MP, and no telephoto. The iPhone 18 Pro Max has the same three-camera setup as the Pro.

On paper, then, the extra $300 buys the telephoto and the variable aperture on the main camera. We cannot say how the pictures look, because we have not used the phone. If you rarely zoom, the iPhone 17 covers the two cameras you probably use most.

Chip and battery

The iPhone 18 Pro uses the A20 Pro, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the same chip. The iPhone 17 has the A19. Apple does not publish RAM or battery capacity in mAh for any of them, so we cannot compare those numbers.

Apple does publish battery life. For the iPhone 18 Pro it says up to 36 hours of video playback and up to 24 hours of typical use. The Pro Max is rated up to 45 hours of video and up to 30 hours of typical use. The iPhone 17 is rated up to 30 hours of video playback.

Apple also says the US eSIM-only models have a larger battery, worth about 2 more hours of video playback than SIM-based models sold elsewhere.

Charging

Apple states no maximum wired wattage. It says the iPhone 18 Pro reaches up to 50% in about 15 minutes with a 60W or stronger adapter. The iPhone 17 reaches up to 50% in 20 minutes with a 40W or stronger adapter. Wireless charging via MagSafe or Qi2 goes up to 25W on both.

That makes the Pro faster to charge on paper, but only if you buy a strong adapter. Check what is in the box before you count on it.

SIM and carriers

The US iPhone 18 Pro is eSIM only. It supports dual eSIM and has no physical SIM slot. The iPhone 17 is also eSIM only. Apple also lists a new C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro.

Apple lists support for AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. If you have not set up an eSIM before, our eSIM guide walks through what to check first.

Software updates

Apple publishes no fixed update period for the iPhone 18 Pro. It ships with iOS 27. Apple's iOS 27 compatibility list still includes the iPhone 11 from 2019, which is history, not a promise.

Samsung and Google both put numbers on their flagships. For example, Samsung promises seven years for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Our guide to how long phones get updates lists every brand's commitment.

Compared with its neighbors

SpeciPhone 18 ProiPhone 18 Pro MaxiPhone 17
Launch price$1,199$1,299$799
Released in USSeptember 2026September 2026September 2025
Screen6.3-inch OLED 120 Hz6.9-inch OLED 120 Hz6.3-inch OLED 120 Hz
ChipA20 ProA20 ProA19
Storage256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB256 / 512 GB
Batterynot publishednot publishednot published
Rear cameras48MP Fusion Main (variable aperture f/1.48-f/4.0), 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 48MP Fusion Telephoto (4x, 100 mm)48MP Fusion Main (variable aperture f/1.48-f/4.0), 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 48MP Fusion Telephoto (4x, 100 mm)48MP Fusion Main, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide
Weight211 g249 g177 g
Water resistanceIP68IP68IP68
Updates promisedno fixed promiseno fixed promiseno fixed promise
US carriers (maker and carrier listings)AT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-MobileAT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile

Is it worth it?

On paper, the case for the iPhone 18 Pro is the telephoto, the aperture, the faster charging and the longer battery rating. The case against is the price and the extra 34 g.

If you want the cheaper route, read iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17, where we weigh the $300 difference in more detail. If you are still choosing among Apple's phones, which iPhone to buy covers the whole lineup.

Sources

Phones in this article

Also covering these phones

More phones

All phones