Apple iPhone 18 Pro Review: Minor Upgrades and Variable Aperture, per The Guardian

Apple has released the iPhone 18 Pro starting at £1,199 (€1,449/$1,199/A$2,099), featuring a new variable-aperture main camera, the faster A20 Pro chip, and a smaller Dynamic Island, The Guardian reported. The device represents an iterative refinement over last year’s model while carrying a £100 price increase courtesy of RAMageddon.

Pricing and Specifications For The New Flagship

The iPhone 18 Pro is one of a pair of slab phones launched alongside Apple’s folding phone, the iPhone Duo, according to The Guardian. Priced from £1,199 for the 256GB storage tier, it is heavier than its predecessor at 211g and is available in burgundy, glacier blue, black, and silver. Engadget reported that the phone charges from 0 to 50 percent in about 15 minutes, or 30 minutes using a MagSafe charger.

Variable Aperture Adds DSLR Controls to Main Camera

The headline hardware addition is a variable aperture for the 48-megapixel main camera, utilizing six physical blades that open and close like a DSLR camera, as detailed by Engadget. Alongside the main sensor, the device includes a 0.5x ultrawide lens and a 4x telephoto camera, complemented by new manual controls for shutter speed, focus, white balance, and grain and texture adjustments within Photographic Styles.

A20 Pro Chip Improves Processing and Thermal Management

Powered by the new Apple A20 Pro chip, the phone delivers roughly 27 percent faster processing and 45 percent faster graphics performance than the A19 Pro, according to The Guardian. A redesigned vapour chamber with three times the surface area of the previous generation helps the device deliver up to 40 per cent better sustained performance than the previous generation. In testing, games ran at faster speeds for longer periods while keeping the device cooler than last year’s hardware.

Siri AI Assists with Tasks Across Native Applications

Running iOS 27, the device introduces Siri AI, an upgraded assistant that can see what’s on your screen, interpret it, and assist with tasks across Apple applications, The Guardian reported. Trusted Reviews observed that Siri AI responded noticeably faster on the new hardware compared with last year’s flagships. However, functionality remains restricted to Apple’s native applications, limiting utility for users who rely on third-party alternatives like WhatsApp and Gmail.

iPhone 18 Pro Competes with Samsung and Google

The iPhone 18 Pro enters a market alongside competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Google Pixel 11 Pro. TechRadar’s comparative testing in Hawaii highlighted contrasting color sciences between the iPhone and Samsung flagships, with Apple favoring neutral tones while Samsung boosts saturation. It was noted that while the new model brings internal upgrades, retailers discounting last year’s iPhone 17 Pro make the older flagship an attractive alternative for buyers weighing the £1,199 starting price.