iPhone 18 Pro review finds meaningful camera gains behind an iterative upgrade
Engadget says Apple’s latest Pro iPhones deliver stronger cameras, performance and battery life, but come with limited physical changes and a higher US starting price.
Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are incremental updates that sharpen the company’s flagship non-folding phones, according to Engadget. The review identifies camera controls, performance and battery life as the main areas of improvement, while describing the devices as Apple’s strongest current standard smartphones.
The biggest change is a variable-aperture camera system with four user-selectable settings, ranging from f/1.48 to f/4.0. The redesigned Camera app also adds manual shutter-speed controls, post-recording Cinematic effects, Reference Image capture and expanded Photographic Styles.
Engadget found the phones’ camera performance strong, with variable aperture narrowing the gap with Google’s Pixel phones in portrait and night photography. The benefits were sometimes subtle, however, particularly across the four available aperture settings. The reviewer found greater flexibility when combining aperture adjustments with manual shutter-speed controls.
The iPhone 18 Pro models use Apple’s A20 Pro chip and a next-generation vapour chamber. During roughly a week of testing, Engadget reported consistently good performance and observed the phone becoming hot on one occasion, with the heat dissipating quickly. Battery life reached about one-and-a-half to two days in the reviewer’s usage, though longer-term testing is still required.
Siri AI was useful for some recommendations and image-based queries but inconsistent in understanding and results. Most iOS 27 and Siri AI features are also expected to reach compatible older devices, reducing their role as a reason to upgrade.
Physical changes from the iPhone 17 Pro generation are limited to details including a smaller Dynamic Island, new colours and a slightly larger camera array. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at US$1,199, compared with US$899 for the iPhone 17. Engadget concluded that the new models are a clear choice for buyers prioritising Apple’s best cameras and performance, but not necessarily compelling value for existing recent users.
