The iPhone 18 Pro is coming this fall, and three new features could be one of the top upgrade motivators for Apple’s latest flagship model.
#1: New camera improvements
Mark Gurman recently said that the iPhone 18 Pro will include “some of the biggest camera hardware upgrades in the history of the lineup.”
Rumors so far point to at least a few distinctive features:
- Variable Aperture Main Camera
- wide aperture telephoto camera
- Redesigned camera control buttons
Variable aperture might be Apple’s biggest upgrade. Hopefully this will enable users to adjust the depth of field to suit the type of shot they’re taking. My colleague Ben explains:
You can have a shallow DoF when you want to separate the subject from the background, a medium DoF when you want separation while still making sure the background is recognizable, or a deep DoF when you want everything in the shot to be in focus.
A wider aperture for the telephoto camera will enable better low-light performance with the iPhone’s 4x and 8x zoom options. And Apple’s new design of camera controls may prove that less is more.
#2: Best battery life ever
The iPhone 17 Pro came with impressive battery benefits, but rumors indicate that Apple will increase battery life even further on the iPhone 18 Pro.
Battery improvements are expected to be due to three changes:
- physically larger battery
- A20 Pro chip offers efficiency gains
- C2 modem is also more power efficient
Earlier this year, a leak had revealed that the iPhone 18 Pro Max would have a moderately larger battery. But battery life should also benefit from the A20 Pro chip’s 2nm process and the switch from a Qualcomm 5G modem to an Apple-designed C2 modem.
All this together will give the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max the best battery life ever on an iPhone.
#3: Design update including new flagship color
History has shown that when an iPhone looks different from year to year, there are gains in sales. And while the iPhone 18 Pro will likely have a similar look to its predecessor, there are three notable design updates coming.
Apple is expected to follow up the iPhone 17 Pro’s popular Cosmic Orange finish with a unique new flagship color. The leakers said it’s a mix of burgundy, coffee and deep purple; Others have called it dark red or dark cherry.
There may also be a space grey/black color this year, which could be a hit among those who were unhappy with the iPhone 17 Pro leaving out any such options.
The iPhone 18 Pro will also be different from last year’s model as it will have a more color-aligned back glass with aluminum. This way, the two finishes blend more seamlessly instead of creating a two-tone look.
Finally, the dynamic island of the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to shrink by about 35%. This will give the new iPhone more usable screen real estate than previous models.
Which new features of the iPhone 18 Pro might inspire an upgrade for you this year? Let us know in the comments.
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