Apple has unveiled the 'iPhone 18 Pro' and 'iPhone 18 Pro Max,' featuring the first-ever variable aperture camera, a 2-nanometer (nm) process-based 'A20 Pro' chip, and a next-generation vapor chamber. The domestic starting prices are 1,990,000 KRW and 2,190,000 KRW, respectively. (See page 2 of our August 26 issue.)
Apple held a new product launch event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on the 9th (local time), introducing the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.
Greg Joswiak, Apple's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, stated, “The iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture allows anyone to effortlessly capture stunning photos and videos, while offering creators broader versatility and professionals more precise control. With the groundbreaking upgraded 'Photo Styles' and powerful video capabilities, the iPhone 18 Pro will enable users to express themselves in entirely new ways.”
The most significant change in the iPhone 18 Pro series is its camera. The 48MP Fusion main camera now features a variable aperture, allowing users to manually adjust aperture values based on shooting conditions and creative intent. The camera app also lets users set shutter speed and white balance.
A new image sensor and computational imaging pipeline improve low-light performance and detail reproduction. Videos shot at up to 60 frames per second can have cinematic effects applied post-capture. Time-lapse now supports 4K Dolby Vision HDR recording.
A new 'Apple Reference Image' feature verifies whether a photo is original. When shooting in Reference Mode, the image sensor embeds a signature in the captured data, generating an unalterable reference image via private cloud computing. This can be compared to edited images to check for modifications.
The Pro models also introduce a feature to verify original camera captures amid the rise of generative AI image creation and editing. This expands smartphone camera competition from image quality and zoom capabilities to manual shooting and image authenticity checks.
Performance is powered by the 2nm A20 Pro chip, featuring a 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU, and dual 16-core Neural Engine. According to Apple, the GPU performance is up to 40% faster, and AI processing performance is up to 2x better than the previous A19 Pro.
Thermal management has also been enhanced. The A20 Pro is directly connected to a next-generation vapor chamber, with a surface area three times larger than the iPhone 17 Pro. This improves sustained performance in high-load tasks like gaming and video editing by up to 40% compared to the previous model.
Battery life reaches up to 36 hours for the iPhone 18 Pro and 45 hours for the Pro Max (based on video playback for eSIM-only models). The devices also feature Apple's proprietary N1 wireless networking chip and next-generation C2 modem, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The C2 modem uses AI to manage cellular connectivity quality and stability.
The operating system is iOS 27. The new 'Siri AI' leverages personal context from messages, emails, photos, and recognizes on-screen content to perform related tasks. It also recognizes objects through the camera to search for information or execute actions. Apple Intelligence supports Korean, with Siri AI's Korean support starting in October.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will be available in four colors: Burgundy, Glacier, Silver, and Black. Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Pre-orders in South Korea begin at 9:00 PM on the 12th, with official sales starting on the 18th.
