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iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Seems like the 5G via satellite is almost worth upgrading from a 16PM.
There's times when I have little to no service and need to text, call, or look something up.
 
A removal (of touch sensitivity and haptic feedback), Redesigned Rear Ceramic Shield and Thicker Design?
Say no more and take my money!
 
CarAnalogy said:
Nothing about more RAM so I’m good with this 17 Pro Max.
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With one exception, Apple has increased RAM in the "Pro" models every 2 years for the last 4 increases. The RAM increased last year with the 17 Pros, and so we'd normally expect RAM to increase not this year but in fall 2027 with the 19 Pro models. However, with the current RAM situation, who knows what will happen (except that this year is guaranteed to NOT get RAM increases, if for no other reason than it's too expensive).
 
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emlarsen said:
Can’t wait to trade in this iPhone Air. The worst iPhone I’ve ever purchased.
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Hopefully, Apple will accept trade-ins. Remember that Apple didn't allow trade-ins for the poorly selling Vision Pro, and so there's now precedent for not accepting trade-ins on poorly selling products.
 
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Don't forgot the most important stat line of them all:
  • 18.2% increase in price
For the first time since the 5s, I think I'm probably good this year. Ultra will be tempting, but the price will be astronomical, and the thing will likely have some issues in the first generation.
 
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TLewis said:
Bleh. The only real improvements are the variable aperture camera and the larger battery in the Pro Max. If you don't need those features, paying less for a 17 Pro/Pro Max now makes a lot of sense.
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That's what I did last week. Coming from the 14 Pro, I'm happy with the decision.
 
MacRumors said:


It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more.

iPhone-18-Pro-Deep-Red-Feature.jpg

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a foldable "iPhone Ultra" in the first half of September, and the devices should be released in the second half of the month. The regular iPhone 18, a lower-end iPhone 18e, and a second-generation iPhone Air will reportedly be announced around March 2027.

Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of July:
  • Smaller Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that Face ID's flood illuminator will be moved under the screen on the iPhone 18 Pro models, paving the way for a smaller Dynamic Island on the devices.
  • LTPO+ Displays: The next Pro models are expected to have the same overall design as the iPhone 17 Pro models, including 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras. However, the displays will reportedly use so-called LTPO+ display technology, which should contribute to longer battery life.
  • Variable Aperture: The main 48-megapixel Fusion camera on both iPhone 18 Pro models is rumored to have a variable aperture, which would allow users to control the amount of light that passes through the camera's lens and reaches the sensor. This would provide greater control over depth of field. However, given that iPhones have smaller image sensors due to smartphone size constraints, it is unclear exactly how meaningful this improvement would be.
  • A20 Pro Chip: Apple's next-generation A20 Pro chip is expected to use TSMC's first-generation 2nm process, whereas the A19 Pro chip is 3nm. With a 2nm architecture and a new packaging design, the A20 Pro chip should deliver solid year-over-year performance and power efficiency gains.
  • C2 Modem: Apple's custom C1 cellular modem for 5G and LTE debuted in the iPhone 16e last year, and that was followed by a C1X chip in the iPhone Air. Apple says the C1X modem is up to twice as fast as the C1 modem, and the most power-efficient modem in an iPhone ever. The improvements should continue with Apple's third-generation C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro models.
  • 5G via Satellite: With the C2 modem, the iPhone 18 Pro models will reportedly support 5G via satellite for web browsing without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity.
  • N2 Chip: Most of the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air are equipped with an Apple-designed N1 chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Apple says the N1 chip also improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to have Apple's next-generation N2 chip, but it is not yet known what improvements would come with this upgrade.
  • Dark Cherry: The special color for the iPhone 18 Pro models will reportedly be Dark Cherry, alongside Light Blue, Dark Gray, and Silver. The existing Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue colors are expected to be discontinued.
  • Simplified Camera Control: Apple is expected to simplify the Camera Control button on the iPhone 18 Pro models, by removing touch sensitivity and haptic feedback. The redesigned button will only have pressure sensitivity.
  • Redesigned Rear Ceramic Shield: The rear Ceramic Shield area for MagSafe is rumored to feature a more frosted and seamless appearance on the iPhone 18 Pro models compared to the current two-tone design.
  • Larger Battery (iPhone 18 Pro Max): According to alleged Chinese regulatory database filings, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have nearly a 10% larger battery compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
  • Thicker Design (iPhone 18 Pro Max): It has been rumored that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be thicker than both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 18 Pro.
Bookmark our iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro roundups to stay up to date with more rumors.

Article Link: iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features
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Least significant upgrade. And no orange color. Not upgrading first time in 10 years.

Ultra is an odd form factor. No single hand operation - no sale. Going to be a failure. Apple flip phone would sell much better.
 
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  • Simplified Camera Control: Apple is expected to simplify the Camera Control button on the iPhone 18 Pro models, by removing touch sensitivity and haptic feedback. The redesigned button will only have pressure sensitivity.
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First they introduce a touch bar for the iPhone as a feature and now they market the removal of uses as a feature.

Camera control was the reason why I bought an iPhone 15 Pro Max over a 16 Pro Max after giving up my iPhone 14 Pro Max. IMO they need to remove it completely or else I'm hanging onto my 15PM for as long as I can. I'm glad I bought a 1TB model.
 
This will be a nice upgrade from my 15 Pro Max. Kind of dreading what the inevitable price hike pushes the cost up to.
 
winxmac said:
The updated price on September 2026 will be the determining factor whether to go with the iPhone 18 Pro or wait for the 20th anniversary iPhone model.

512GB should be the minimum now that on-device LLM is going to be part of Apple OS.
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I will get the Pro Max regardless of price…
 
TLewis said:
Hopefully, Apple will accept trade-ins. Remember that Apple didn't allow trade-ins for the poorly selling Vision Pro, and so there's now precedent for not accepting trade-ins on poorly selling products.
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I’ve been on the yearly upgrade program since the 6 so I’m set.
 
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Der_mit_dem_langen said:
The local LLM won’t be larger than the ram allows. I don’t see why Apple would increase the base storage. Also, iCloud is not expensive.
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I honestly think Apple should just offer 256GB and 1 or 2TB’s. I have a 512GB 17 Pro Max but I just think if you go higher than base you probably don’t mind the cost. That or 512GB and 2TB on the pro phones
 
Love how "Thicker" is a new feature.
Fat and heavy already, now even fatter and heavier.
Hardly a compelling set of features to justify the inevitable price hike too.
Im on Android at present, contemplating returning. Price will be the deciding factor for sure...
 
CarAnalogy said:
Nothing about more RAM so I’m good with this 17 Pro Max.

I already limit battery to 80% and get around more than fine, 10% more battery is nice but it’s heavy enough as it is.
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I thought the 80% thing has been tested and…it’s not a thing.
 
rchaser said:
I thought the 80% thing has been tested and…it’s not a thing.
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So far so good for me. Well over 100 cycles and it still says 100% battery health.

And for my usage, 80% is still bigger than my last phone's entire battery and it still seems more efficient in terms of battery drain so that same mAh lasts longer.
 
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CarAnalogy said:
So far so good for me. Well over 100 cycles and it still says 100% battery health.

And for my usage, 80% is still bigger than my last phone's entire battery and it still seems more efficient in terms of battery drain so that same mAh lasts longer.
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I’m 807 cycles and 85% maximum capacity. I charge to 100%.

Grok says this is better than average. 15 pro max. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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IMO there is exactly zero reason that I will upgrade from my Titanium Blue 15 Pro Max to a 18.

My 15 PM still has 100% battery health.
It last me at minimum 2 days with 3-3 1/2 hour sot each day.
It’s incredibly fast, no matter what I throws at it it just chews right through it.
It takes really good pictures and the video filming is awesome.
The size and weight is perfect.
And the best part is that it’s already payed for🙂
 
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