A few weeks back, Apple had their big iPhone event where they announced their latest iPhone series of devices. On a normal year, this would be it; the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. But, similar to last year, but even more so, Apple did a bit of a curveball. Last year it was the iPhone Air, a super-thin iPhone with more compromises than it was worth. This time, though, was something much more, the iPhone Duo. It’s hard to believe that this phone was announced at the same time as the iPhone Duo (you can read my impressions of that device here).
But, the iPhone Duo starts at £1,999 and is quite a risk in its own right. So, what about the “safe choice” device. Well, it’s hard to look at the iPhone 18 Pro and not think… what’s new?
A very “familiar” Design Language
Maybe familiar isn’t the right word, the same, is more accurate. In the past, Apple would consider this an [S] year. Who recalls the iPhone 3GS, 4S, 5S, 6S etc. This was even brought back, for the last time, with the iPhone XS (ten-S). From the very beginning, and, how it continued, the S stood for speed. And, well, that is certainly true here. Apple would also throw in some tweaks and improvements in the Camera department, and tidy some things up… yep, same here, too.
So, why isn’t this the iPhone 17[S]. Well, personally, I think Apple trapped themselves by naming each iPhone, and, introducing more. Back when the iPhone XS came out, that was it, that was your iPhone. Now, Apple has an e budget iPhone, a regular iPhone, an Air, and a Pro series. So, [S] doesn’t really cut it, anymore. But, don’t let that fool you, this is an S-year iPhone by all but name.
Where the 6S brought you gold, yes, the iPhone 18 Pro series tries to get you with unique colours. If you’re like Hannah and actually liked the iPhone 17 Pro in cosmic orange, you’re probably going to be rather let down as this are a lot more muted. Silver is now colour-matched, gone is the brighter white insert, which I actually like. Cosmic orange gets replaced by a rather ugly looking burgundy. Although, the glacier looks far better than the dark blue we had on the iPhone 17 Pro series, so, that’s a winner. And, finally, for those who want a truly black stealthy colour on their Smartphones, Apple has a Black version of the iPhone 18 Pro series which checks all those boxes … for about 5 seconds until you touch it. Finger-print-magnet!
I should point out, just so it’s mentioned, that, yes, the Dynamic Island is smaller on the 18 Pro, versus the 17 Pro, but, it’s such a small change that I don’t think it’s really relevant. I’d to literally point it out for anyone to even notice, and that’s whilst using this and earlier iPhone models side-by-side. The notch side going from iPhone 12 to 13, was a big difference, then naturally when the iPhone 14 Pro began the whole Dynamic Island, but, this, to say it’s minor is a very big understatement. It’s cool they’ve put the proximity sensor under the display, but, that’s about it.
OK, ok, I get it, you say, the design is the same. But, surely there’s more to it than that. Well, yes, there is. But, it’s up to you to decide whether these are enough to warrant the now £100+ more price it’s now been asked for.
Camera
Shock-horror, the big upgrades are in the Camera department, who’d a funked it. Apple is making a big deal about their new variable aperture in the iPhone 18 Pro series. I, for one, am very happy to see that Apple didn’t limit it to just the Pro Max, at least. But, is it really that special? Well, no. In fact, Samsung did a variable aperture in the Galaxy S9, for godsake. BUT, they didn’t do it very well. The original lens was rubbish and there was a lot less control. There’s a reason that Android fanboys are having to remind you the S9 even had it, like there’s a reason it was dropped in the S10, Samsung simply didn’t do it well.
If you don’t know what difference f/1.8 and ƒ/1.48 aperture means for a photo, then, this is a complete waste to you. The software allows you to do it manually, but, 9 times out of 10, it’ll automatically choose the best for the situation anyway, so, you’ll probably never notice. Apple have really focused on “pro” level for these new iPhone’s with software controls, now built into the native Camera app. Of course, this is Apple, so, they’ve limited them to only the new iPhone models, even though they’d work for 17 and earlier, arghh.
End of the day, though, if you have an iPhone 17 Pro series device, you won’t notice any differences in the Camera. Quite, literally, at all. Side-by-side, sure, they’ll be minor inferences, but, the difference is not worth the upgrade. In fact, I’d even go as far down to the iPhone 15 Pro, or older, to when this would feel like an upgrade. So, sure, Camera is better, but, not worth forking out for.
Battery Life
This is probably one of the biggest reasons to upgrade if you have an iPhone older than the iPhone 17 Pro, battery life. Apple really killed it with the battery on the 17 Pro series, and, on the 18 Pro, they’ve gone even further. Apple is stating, for more people, the iPhone 18 Pro, will have the same, or similar, battery life to the bigger iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is insane. Then, obviously, those improvements just add to that battery life on the 18 Pro Max. No one is going to complain about that!
And, in the real world, this is showing true. We’re seeing a good 3 hours additional battery life on both devices, compared to their 17 equivalents. This is awesome. However, if you have an iPhone 17 Pro series device, you still have decent battery life, so, again, not enough for you to upgrade, but anyone before, 100%.
Performance – The Apple A20 Pro
Where’s that battery life come from, well, a bigger cell, but, also, the far-more efficient chip, the A20 Pro. This thing is, no two words about it, bonkers. It’s, on emerge 30% faster than the iPhone 17 Pro’s A19 in almost every way. On a chip that already no one has took full advantage of, we’re now getting even faster perofmernace. And, most key, 30% more sustained performance, for those who really want to push it to its limit with high 120fps gaming, helped by the improved vapour chamber.
I’m not going to say anything negative about the A20 Pro; it’s 2nm, it’s faster than anything Qualcomm’s got, and is insane. BUT, the big but. Do you need it? No. In fact, I would argue, there’s been nothing on Smartphone’s recently to warrant anything faster than even the A17 Pro, so, again, it comes down to two things. First, like the Camera, for those who actually need it, and, would use it, but the second, is where I stand with the iPhone 18 Pro, which we’ll get to in the next point of who should and who shouldn’t upgrade.
Who should and who shouldn’t upgrade?
Design wise, it’s the same, after the 24-48 hours honeymoon period, it’s going to feel the same, if you upgraded from an iPhone 17 Pro. But, there are some who will really-really enjoy this phone, and benefit from it, and, naturally, those who won’t. So, here we go.
Why you SHOULD upgrade?
Here’s a list of reasons why you should upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max. Quite a few reasons, really.
One of the big improvements to the iPhone 18 Pro series is, of course, the very powerful A20 Pro chip. Again, 30% faster than even the iPhone 17 Pro phones. Year-on-year, that’s insane. This comfortably makes these the fastest phones in the world, including the latest Qualcomm chips that have been announced that will begin dropping in Android phones next year. So, for obvious reasons, this is great.
Naturally, and rightfully so, also, you’re going to say “yeah, big deal, nothing will ever use that performance”, and, my response is, yeah, you’re right… now. But, fast forward 3 – 5 years, and that headroom left in that processor will allow this phone to still be running the latest games, the latest apps, future versions of iOS, still quickly, still smoothly, making this the ultimate future proofing you can do.
This also rings true for the increase in battery life. Massive improvements in the battery life on the iPhone 18 Pro series, and, yes, batteries all degrade over time, but, by having such an insane battery life at launch means that it will still be more than adequate in a long time in the future.
To some people, the Camera isn’t just a casual thing, it’s everything to them. They want the best photography they can get, they want the best options, and will use the pro-level controls that are now built into the iPhone 18 Pro series of phones. If that’s you, then, yes, this is the main upgrade reason to get these new phones.
The ability to change the aperture, for most, won’t seem important, but for those who understand it and will take advantage of it, especially in low light, this is a very welcome update. I will say, personally, I think the lens is too small to take enough advantage of the shifts, but, that maybe something addressed in next years iPhone releases.
This, kind of, links, back to the future-proofing, but, also, in general, if you’re someone who loves to game on your iPhone, push it to the limit with RAW video recording, processing and more, then, for you, any big improvement to the raw horsepower of the processor is a reason to make the upgrade. Why, because for you, this is a tool, this isn’t a personal device, this means business. And for that reason, the iPhone 18 Pro is a real win across the board.
Plus, if you’re the kind of person who just wants to know you do, without any doubt, have the fastest Smartphone in the world, you do! … Or, at least, you do until the next iPhone with A21 Pro.
I’ve spent a lot of this post telling you that there’s nothing special about the iPhone 18 Pro, when it comes to an iPhone 17 Pro user. That remains true. However, if you have, say, an iPhone 15 Pro that’s just ended its contract, or, anything older, or, heck, even an Android phone and you want to switch to iOS, 100% get the 18 Pro! Now is the time.
The upgrade will feel substantial. Camera will be noticeably improved, performance will feel very snappy by comparison, Siri AI will actually be usable, and, all the other benefits we’ve listed. It’s the safe choice. Sure, it’s the boring choice, but, sometimes it’s best to stick to the safe option.
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Why you SHOULD NOT upgrade?
It’s new, it’s sparkling, it’s staring at you through Apple marketing, but, do you really need it? Well, if you fall into these categories, this is why you shouldn’t get it.
Yeaaahhhh, did you notice that. Every iPhone has increased by around £100 on the base level. This, actually even includes older iPhone models too that Apple still sell and didn’t update. iPhone 18 Pro starts at £1,199, and Pro Max at £1,299. So, you’re paying more, across the board, for these new phones.
Sure, most people will get them on contract and the difference will be negligible, but, it’s still worth pointing out.
If you’re using an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro series of devices, there’s absolutely no reason to get an iPhone 18 Pro series device. None. Na-da. It will feel different, look slightly different, from certain angles, but, after that honeymoon period, you’ll forget you even upgraded. Performance will feel more or less the same, there’s no massive upgrade anywhere for you here, with the lone exception of battery life, you’d likely notice.
All this talk about telling iPhone 17 Pro series users not to upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro devices should really, also, tell you something if you’re on a 15 Pro or older. You could, actually, save money and get a now discounted, iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max, instead. For the most part, they’re the same phone, and there’s quite a few places that will be having clearance sales on new stock, so, hey, if you find a great deal, you’d be hard pressed to notice you didn’t get an iPhone 18 Pro. Especially as cases mostly mix-and-match.
This is a big one, for me. I’ve owned an iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro, and, an iPhone 17 Pro, and I can honestly tell you, give-or-take, a month, after owning them, in time, I’ve been hard-pressed to tell the difference. iOS feels the same. The, of course, improvements are so minor, barely noticeable from one to another. In fact, I would argue, the only thing I’ve noticed over time, especially with the 17 Pro, has been improvements with Battery Life. And, I don’t think I’m the only one. Don’t get me wrong, if I’d have gone from the iPhone 13 Pro, up to the 17 Pro, then, sure, the improvement would have been more dramatic. But, that kind of reaffirms what I’ve been saying, you don’t need to upgrade your phone anymore every year, even two years, or three, anymore. Future-proof, is a legit thing now.
I have full confidence that if I were to purchase the iPhone 18 Pro (which by the way is still very available with next-day delivery as I type), I’d feel cheated. The design is the same…ish, I’d argue slightly worse, actually. Performance, whilst incredible on paper, in the real world, is negligible. So, in the end, you’re paying £1,199 (base) for basically a better-condition version of what you’ve already got. Wooo?? So, yeah, the iPhone 18 Pro won’t fix the stale feel, but, who knows, something else might …
If you’re like me and feel like Smartphones, in general, not just iPhones, are starting to feel a bit stale, bit boring, uneventful, then, this is probably the best chance you’re going to get to avoid this, the iPhone Duo. Unlike the iPhone Air, last year, I think the compromises that come with the iPhone Duo are not bad enough to matter, so, I’m actually someone who’s looking forward to it.
So, if you’re willing to accept the investment, this is your one sure guarantee to buy a Smartphone from Apple that certainly won’t feel anything like any previous one that you have. But, of course, it’s £1,999 (base) to start with, so, as I say, if you’re willing to accept that investment. But, this is about the iPhone 18 Pro, so… yeah.
Summary
If you’re looking for the absolute best Smartphone you can buy that is an iPhone, then, sure, get yourself an iPhone 18 Pro. But, for the first time, in quite a while, really, there’s never really been less reason to do so, and, more stronger competition out there also, even from Apple themselves.
Did Apple do enough for the iPhone 18 Pro series devices? Well, to me, no. But, also, at the same time, without a full redesign, what else really could they do. When it comes to the bare essentials, they’re all better in every way. Battery life, check. Performance, check. Refined, check. Apple’s had some of the best hardware in their Smartphones for years now, so, it’s no surprise really, that they’ve aced it with this also. It’s software where I wish Apple would put more attention to. Apple used to be the company that had mediocre hardware, which was sold by good marketing and incredible software. Today, Apple’s a company with mediocre software, selling incredible hardware. iOS 27 did not change that, as much as Apple pretended, shame.
iOS never runs at full 120Hz most of the time, which is stupid as it creates annoying stutters. Games, and more prove there’s no reason for this other than poor design. Safari, is another example of this stupidity as it’s one of the rare examples where Apple allow you to prevent that and render at full frames.
Go to your iPhone Settings, Apps, then go to Safari, all the way to the bottom and Advanced, then Feature Flags, you’ll see a ton of checked options, scroll down the alphabetical list to the “P” where you’ll find “Prefer Page Rendering Updates near 60fps” and uncheck it. This will then allow Safari to run at the full frames it should do on your Promotion iPhone. Boom, Safari is now smoother. Just wish you could do that for the entire OS.
So, unsurprisingly, I will not be getting, and have not got, the new iPhone 18 Pro. But, that’s not to say there’s not reasons to get it, but there’s plenty reasons not to. Hopefully this helped you out. To me, it’s a waste as I have an iPhone 17 Pro and I think the iPhone Duo is the one to get this year. That is, if you can find one…