First lookTechNewsAppleiPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: Our first hands-on impressionsWe’ve held Apple’s newest Pro phones.We’ve held Apple’s newest Pro phones.by Allison Johnson and Jay PetersSep 9, 2026, 7:26 PM UTCShareGiftThe 18 Pro in burgundy is ready for fall. Photo by Allison Johnson / The VergePart OfAll the news from Apple’s ‘Surprise and shine’ eventsee all updates We’ve just gotten our hands on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max at Apple Park following the company’s “Surprise and shine” presentation.The new phones look quite similar to the previous iPhone 17 Pro lineup, keeping the same general design, aluminum body, and screen sizes. The 18 Pro lineup comes in four colors — black, silver, “glacier” (which is blue), and burgundy — and they now have color-matched glass on the back that blends in more seamlessly with the body.Photo by Allison Johnson / The VergeAnother major new feature is the variable-aperture lens for the main camera and new “pro” controls to help give you more options when taking photos. Apple has also added pro controls to the native camera app; at last our national nightmare is over.
You can set the aperture to adjust automatically or use one of four selectable stops: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0. There are also manual controls for shutter speed, white balance, and focus — the latter comes with peaking in the preview to help determine what’s in focus, which is a nice touch. The Dynamic Island is also smaller, and Apple says you can now use it to look at three Live Activities at once. I can confirm, yes, this works.PreviousNext1/6Photo by Allison Johnson / The VergeThe iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be available to preorder starting September 12th ahead of a September 18th release date.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Allison JohnsonJay PetersAppleApple Event 2026iPhoneNewsTechApple has a new AppleCare One subscription for families.Jay Peters4 minutes agoRead the Apple document explaining how new listening features still protect your privacyStevie Bonifield29 minutes agoHow the new Apple Watches compare to the last-gen modelsBrad Bourque31 minutes agoMost PopularThe iPhone Duo is Apple’s first foldableiPhone 18 live blog: On the ground at Apple’s biggest eventApple announces the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro MaxHands-on with the foldable iPhone DuoLG TVs caught spying even when offline or on standbyAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad
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