iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro: 35+ Upgrades Compared

[MacRumors]

Apple yesterday announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, succeeding the iPhone 17 Pro that launched last September. The new models are built around the A20 Pro chip, a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, a redesigned vapor chamber, and a smaller Dynamic Island.

Last year's iPhone 17 Pro brought one of the biggest design changes to the lineup in years, switching from a titanium frame and glass back to an aluminum unibody with Ceramic Shield 2. With that overhaul out of the way, this year's update is more about what's inside the phone than a new look, focused on the chip, camera, and battery rather than another redesign. The iPhone 18 Pro Max, which shares nearly all of these changes, also gets a battery capacity increase of its own, delivering the largest jump in battery life in the iPhone's history.

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for 256GB, up from the iPhone 17 Pro's $1,099 starting price. Our guide breaks down every difference between the two generations to help you decide whether the upgrade is worth it. Here's everything that differs between the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro:

Chip, Performance, and Connectivity

iPhone 17 Pro (2025)	iPhone 18 Pro (2026)
A19 Pro chip	A20 Pro chip
Built with TSMC's N3P process (3nm)	Built with TSMC's N2 process (2nm), Apple's first 2nm smartphone chip
6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores
	50% more memory bandwidth than A19 Pro
6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators	7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, up to 40% faster than A19 Pro
16-core Neural Engine	Dual 16-core Neural Engine (32 total cores)
Vapor chamber cooling	Next-generation vapor chamber with 3x more surface area than iPhone 17 Pro's, up to 40% higher sustained performance
	New chip packaging that places silicon die beside memory, allowing it to attach directly to the vapor chamber
Qualcomm X80 modem	Apple C2 modem

Rear Camera

iPhone 17 Pro (2025)	iPhone 18 Pro (2026)
Fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture on the 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera	Variable-aperture 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with four stops: ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0, using six laser-cut blades
	API available for developers to control the aperture range within their own apps
	Faster Night mode, tied to the new variable-aperture lens
	Pro controls in the Camera app: manual lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and histogram
	New sensor and computational imaging pipeline on the Fusion Main camera, delivering around 50% better low-light performance and more detail in the back of group photos
Photographic Styles 2, adjusting tone and color	Photographic Styles 3, adding texture and grain controls alongside tone and color
	Smart focus tracking
Cinematic mode recording up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps	Cinematic mode recording up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps
	Cinematic mode effects can be applied after capture, on video shot at up to 60 fps
	Improved low-light video
	Time-lapse video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby Vision
	Apple Reference Image (Fusion Main only), an opt-in feature that signs sensor data so a photo's authenticity can later be verified
Audio Mix	Audio Mix with new algorithms for higher-quality voices, and the ability to isolate music

Front Camera

iPhone 17 Pro (2025)	iPhone 18 Pro (2026)
Photographic Styles 2, adjusting tone and color	Photographic Styles 3, adding texture and grain controls alongside tone and color
	Smart focus tracking
	Cinematic mode effects can be applied after capture
	Improved low-light video
	Time-lapse video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby Vision

Weight and Design

iPhone 17 Pro (2025)	iPhone 18 Pro (2026)
iPhone 17 Pro: Weighs 7.27 ounces (206 grams) iPhone 17 Pro Max: Weighs 8.22 ounces (233 grams)	iPhone 18 Pro: Weighs 7.44 ounces (211 grams) iPhone 18 Pro Max: Weighs 8.78 ounces (249 grams)
Dynamic Island supports up to two simultaneous Live Activities	Smaller Dynamic Island, supports up to three simultaneous Live Activities
Available in Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange	Available in Silver, Black, Glacier, and Burgundy

Battery and Charging
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Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro: 35+ Upgrades Compared

 

[jgbr]

The PM is the heaviest it's ever been.

 

[Astuces iOS]

Big laugh to the camera upgrade which is nothing… Y’all tell me what a variable aperture on a phone will do for you ! Can we even call it “camera upgrade” it’s more like a “lens and OS” upgrade lol

And god damn let’s stop saying the word “mp” it’s useless in here…

 

[svish]

Besides the chip upgrade, it is overall a small update when compared to the 17 Pro/Pro Max. No reason to upgrade from 17 Pro series. Very happy with my Orange 17 Pro Max and not planning on buying the new 18 Pro Max.

 

[spazzcat]

Big laugh to the camera upgrade which is nothing… Y’all tell me what a variable aperture on a phone will do for you ! Can we even call it “camera upgrade” it’s more like a “lens and OS” upgrade lol

And god damn let’s stop saying the word “mp” it’s useless in here…

I disagree, you clearly have never used a SLR.

 

[fj_doebz]

Those 35+ upgrades are all a wee bit of a stretch.

 

[CEmajr]

The improved low light performance will come in handy. Glad I skipped the 17 Pro.

 

[thelion7]

Besides the chip upgrade, it is overall a small update when compared to the 17 Pro/Pro Max. No reason to upgrade from 17 Pro series. Very happy with my Orange 17 Pro Max and not planning on buying the new 18 Pro Max.

Agree, going from a 16/16 pro or lower maybe just for the performance gains alone and potential for more Apple Intelligence features down the road.

As I feel the 16 series is already loosing out on two features for Apple Intelligence.

More realistic Siri voice and customisation and more importantly for my preferences advanced dictation as the current dictation model sucks for anyone in the UK who doesn’t speak stereotypical kings English and a posh accent. 😂

 

[Jeremy3292]

35 upgrades LOLOLOL it has a new processor for $100 more

 

[gtmead09]

I didn't see a reason to upgrade but the hmmmm moment is the fact that my 17 Pro is worth $785 in trade in. That means for $414 + tax I get a brand new phone and my value holds higher next year. I'm torn on what to do but may upgrade just due to the math.

 

[aries81]

Hmm...yea I'll keep my 17 Pro.

 

[aries81]

I didn't see a reason to upgrade but the hmmmm moment is the fact that my 17 Pro is worth $785 in trade in. That means for $414 + tax I get a brand new phone and my value holds higher next year. I'm torn on what to do but may upgrade just due to the math.

Yea that's the only thing that made me look into upgrading but the overall specs don't give me that much more tbh.

 

[rotvaldi]

No 8k video yet I am impressed

 

[Astuces iOS]

I disagree, you clearly have never used a SLR.

No I haven't since I'm born too late for that... I have one at home for fun tho ! But I use mirrorless !

 

[PixelPanics]

The PM is the heaviest it's ever been.

Not really the 16 pro max was 220 grams

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

So in summary, an extremely minor upgrade.

 

[Neo11111]

"Pro controls in the Camera app: manual lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and histogram" Typical Apple .... on older iPhone Pro on 3rd part app works like charm.... NEXT year they will discover Process Zero mode...

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I didn't see a reason to upgrade but the hmmmm moment is the fact that my 17 Pro is worth $785 in trade in. That means for $414 + tax I get a brand new phone and my value holds higher next year. I'm torn on what to do but may upgrade just due to the math.

Unfortunately, Apple is blind when it comes to trade-in values of iPhones with more storage. Apple gives $885 for an iPhone 17 Pro Max regardless of whether it has 256GB or 2TB (which cost almost $1000 more).

That's beyond unfair. And I would bet that if Apple resells my iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB in their refurb store, they would not be pricing it like the 256GB model.

 

[QCassidy352]

Those 35+ upgrades are all a wee bit of a stretch.

Yeah, it really boils down to five things:
Faster chip, better main camera, longer battery life, faster charging, smaller Dynamic Island. And most users won’t notice most of them.

I did Apple’s side by side comparison of the new 18 pro and my 16 pro, and even across 2 years, the changes are minimal, other than battery life, which has improved a lot (though even the 16 pro is no slouch).

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I disagree, you clearly have never used a SLR.

Does your SLR lens only have 4 stops? Mine have many, many more. Seems very limiting having only 4 stops in a lens.

 

[neuropsychguy]

The 18 Pro is a decent upgrade from the 17 Pro and is a large upgrade from the 16 Pro or older phones.

 

[HQuest]

It upgraded my bank account in $1299!
(taxes included with my upgrade)

 

[MacATDBB]

f 1.48 seems pretty impressive, especially if it can stay sharp at full frame rather than just in a cropped photo.

 

[Yuuuki]

I wonder how much of a difference the battery it is between the 17 Pro and 18 Pro. In real life usage I mean.

 

[spamabyss]

Big laugh to the camera upgrade which is nothing… Y’all tell me what a variable aperture on a phone will do for you ! Can we even call it “camera upgrade” it’s more like a “lens and OS” upgrade lol

And god damn let’s stop saying the word “mp” it’s useless in here…

I'm not sure about this one. Contrary to what I expected, the aperture didn't only become variable but also wider, which allows for 45% more light entering the camera at it's widest compared to before. And while the variable aperture might not make a huge difference for photography, it could really be a big change for video, allowing to use much more natural shutter speeds. Whichever way it's going to be, the showcased video capabilities and sample photos of the keynote surely all where extremely impressive. Let's see how much of that will show up in real world tests. It might make quite a big difference after all...