Apple launches iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max with A20 Pro chip and new C2 modem

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its “Surprise and Shine” event on Wednesday, introducing its latest generation of premium smartphones with significant upgrades to processing power, connectivity and battery performance. The new Pro models are powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chipset and also feature the company’s new in-house C2 cellular modem, reducing its dependence on third-party modem technology.

The A20 Pro is the headline hardware upgrade and succeeds the A19 Pro used in last year’s models. Apple has focused on higher performance and efficiency with the new silicon, particularly for artificial intelligence workloads, computational photography and demanding applications. The phones run iOS 27 and continue to support Apple Intelligence features. The Pro series also comes with 12GB of RAM and starts with 256GB of storage.

Familiar design, new colours

Rather than carrying out another major redesign, Apple has largely retained the visual language introduced with the iPhone 17 Pro generation. The phones continue with an aluminium construction, vapour-chamber thermal system and the wide rear camera plateau. Apple is offering the new models in Deep Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy finishes, with colour-matched rear glass.

The iPhone 18 Pro retains a 6.3-inch display, while the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max gets a 6.9-inch panel. Both continue with premium OLED displays and ProMotion technology. Apple has also retained the 18-megapixel Center Stage front camera introduced with the previous generation, allowing users to capture wider selfies without having to rotate the handset.

Triple 48MP cameras return

Photography remains a major focus of the Pro series, with both devices carrying triple 48-megapixel rear camera systems comprising main, ultra-wide and telephoto cameras. Apple has continued to improve computational photography and video capabilities through the additional processing power available from the A20 Pro chip.

The combination of upgraded image processing and the three high-resolution rear sensors is designed to give users greater flexibility across different focal lengths and shooting conditions. The phones also retain Apple’s professional video features aimed at filmmakers and content creators.

Battery life gets boost

Apple is also promising improved endurance, with the company describing the latest Pro models as offering its longest battery life yet on an iPhone. The gains come from a combination of the more efficient A20 Pro processor, software optimisation and changes to the internal hardware.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max arrive a year after Apple substantially redesigned its Pro handsets with aluminium bodies and vapour-chamber cooling. This year’s update instead concentrates on strengthening the hardware underneath that design, with the A20 Pro and C2 modem emerging as two of the most important changes.