iPhone 18 Pro: everything you need to know

As Apple's top compact flagship, the iPhone 18 Pro offers an upgraded camera and display interface, both of which help deliver high-quality performance.

Go.Compare brings together contract deals from top UK mobile providers. Compare iPhone 18 Pro deals with us to see if this handset is right for you.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro specifications

Display

The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, featuring:

• LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED screen, 120Hz, HDR10, and Dolby Vision
• Approximately 90.7% screen-to-body ratio
• 1320 x 2868 pixel resolution, plus 19.5:9 ratio (around 460 ppi density)
• Ceramic Shield 2 protection with anti-reflective coating

Design

Building on the look and feel of previous iPhone generations, the 18 Pro features key enhancements like:

• Dynamic Island shrunk by about 35%
• Device rear having a more unified glass and aluminum blend
• New flagship colours, including burgundy
• Protected by Ceramic Shield glass with a scratch-prevention, anti-reflective coat

Cameras

The iPhone 18 Pro cameras have gotten an upgrade, too, featuring:

• A 48MP wide lens (24mm), with dual pixel PDAF and sensor-shift OIS
• A 48MP periscope telephoto lens (100mm), with 3D sensor‑shift OIS and 4x optical zoom
• A 48MP ultrawide lens (13mm, covering 120˚)
• Depth managed by TOF 3D LiDAR scanner
• Dual-LED dual-tone flash, plus HDR (for clearer overall photography, including panoramic shots)
• 18MP selfie camera (ultrawide), with HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound recording, ProRes RAW and Apple Log 2
• 4K video supported at 24/25/30/60/100/120fps and 1080p at 25/30/60/120/240fps, plus:
  • 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 120fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW (up to 120fps), Apple Log 2, 3D (spatial) video/audio and stereo sound recording

Battery

The iPhone 18 Pro battery is:

• 4,288mAh, supporting all-day use
• 36hrs of video playback
• Equipped with Wired charging (PD3.2, AVS, 50% in 20 minutes)
• 25W wireless MagSafe/Qi2 charging (50% in 30 minutes)

Features

The iPhone 18 Pro features include:

• Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass and barometer
• Ultra Wideband (UWB) support (gen2 chip)
• Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite

Apple iPhone 18 Pro cost and availability

The iPhone 18 Pro is available to buy right now. It was unveiled on Wednesday 9 September 2026. Pre-orders started on Saturday 12 September, with full UK availability from Friday 18 September.

Here's what each handset costs:

• 256GB: £1,199
• 512GB: £1,399
• 1TB: £1,799
• 2TB: £2,399

Apple and most major UK mobile networks tend to offer trade-ins at new device launches, so you can get credit towards an upgrade. If you're upgrading from an iPhone 15 Pro or later, the iPhone 18 Pro’s launch-window trade-in promotion will typically be your best opportunity to knock some money off.

As one of Apple’s newest flagship handsets, you should be able to get the iPhone 18 Pro on contract. Just keep in mind that contract fees will be high on account of this handset’s anticipated release, and you’ll likely pay more over the full term than upfront.

SIM-free plus a SIM-only plan could be cheaper, but it will mean paying for the iPhone 18 Pro in one go. This might be expensive, even with trade-ins factored in. So only commit if you’re sure you can afford to part with that amount of money at once.

Compare iPhone 18 Pro deals against the cost of other handsets, including those without mid-contract price rises, at Go.Compare.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro camera

The iPhone 18 Pro camera has been upgraded from previous generations, with a new 48MP main lens, brighter telephoto lens and redesigned Camera Control button.

Its telephoto lens - formerly ƒ/2.8 on the iPhone 17 Pro - has gained a wider aperture. This helps improve low-light zoom photography where telephoto cameras traditionally struggle.

Combined with the 48MP telephoto sensor carried over from the 17 Pro, this should make dim-light portraits and event photography on the iPhone 18 Pro cleaner.

Apple has also redesigned the Camera Control button introduced with the iPhone 16 line, refining how photographers launch the camera, adjust settings and shoot one-handed.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro AI features

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro features Apple Intelligence upgrades driven by its new A20 Pro chip:

• Improved integration with Siri - Powered by iOS 27, Apple’s virtual assistant will have deeper on-screen awareness, as well as a dedicated Siri app and broader cross-app integration facilitating personal context
• High-RAM task functionality - With 12GB of RAM, the iPhone 18 Pro supports memory-heavy features like customisable voice expressiveness on Siri, pacing adjustments and enhanced speech-to-text recognition
• Real-time processing - The A20 Pro processor delivers faster real-time translation and photo processing
• Visual intelligence - Enhanced visual search actions analyse your environment, recognise text and obtain data quicker

Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro: what’s the difference?

There are several key differences between the iPhone 17 Pro vs the iPhone 18 Pro:

• Camera system - While the iPhone 17 Pro's triple system with up to 8x zoom remains excellent, the iPhone 18 Pro has an all-new 48MP main camera module designed for more versatile use
• Processor - The iPhone 17 Pro's A19 Pro is already among the fastest smartphone chips available, meaning the iPhone 18 Pro’s A20 Pro chip should deliver improved performance and efficiency
• Connectivity - Apple's C2 modem debuts, replacing the third-party modem in the iPhone 17 Pro, contributing to the iPhone 18 Pro's battery life gains
• Battery - Coming in larger than the 17 Pro's, the iPhone 18 Pro’s A20 Pro chip and C2 modem both help stretch this handset’s charge further
• Screen space - The iPhone 18 Pro’s Dynamic Island shrinks by about 35%. And with Apple moving Face ID under the display, this frees up screen space the 17 Pro can't match
• Design - The iPhone 18 Pro keeps the aluminum unibody introduced with the 17 Pro. But Apple has blended its rear glass and aluminum materials for a more uniform finish

If you’re an iPhone 17 Pro owner, the same size, display fundamentals and familiar design might put you off upgrading to the iPhone 18 Pro. But if you're coming from an iPhone 16 Pro or older, a smaller Dynamic Island, longer battery life and high-performance A20 Pro chip make the iPhone 18 Pro tempting.

How does this compare to the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max share a few new features, including:

• Chipset - Both handsets run using Apple's new A20 Pro chip, as well as debuting Apple's C2 modem
• Design - They also share several build updates, like a Dynamic Island roughly 35% smaller than the iPhone 17 Series, and a more unified blend between the rear glass and aluminium frame
• Display - Both handsets have displays that use LTPO OLED panels, with ProMotion 120Hz refresh rates

But there are also several key differences between the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max:

• Size and ergonomics - The iPhone 18 Pro keeps the iPhone 17 Pro’s 6.3-inch display, ideal for one-handed use and smaller pockets, while the Pro Max offers more screen space at 6.9 inches
• Battery - The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a 5,567mAh battery, better suited to all-day use than the iPhone 18 Pro’s 4,288mAh battery
• Camera - The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a new variable aperture main camera
• Price - The iPhone 18 Pro is cheaper than the iPhone 18 Pro Max (£1,199 vs. £1,299)

If you want a compact flagship experience that’s more pocketable and one-hand-friendly, then the iPhone 18 Pro is your best choice. But choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max if battery life is important to you, or because you want a more capable camera system for watching/creating content.

How good is the iPhone 18 Pro battery?

The iPhone 18 Pro battery is high-performance thanks to efficiency gains from an A20 Pro chip coupled with a new C2 Apple modem.

Delivering processor speed increases of around 15%, with Apple’s C2 modem also supporting 5G over satellite, you should notice smoother online connectivity and everyday use.

But while the iPhone 18 Pro’s battery is larger than that of the iPhone 17 Pro, it’s only a modest increase of 1% (4,288mAh vs. 4,252mAh). This means you probably won’t notice much improvement in battery endurance.

If you’re upgrading from an iPhone 16 series handset or older, you should see a big performance jump in the iPhone 18 Pro. But don’t bother upgrading just because of the battery if you’re coming from the previous generation’s iPhone 17 Series.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explore other iPhone deals

If you want a handset with bigger screen size, compare iPhone 18 Pro Max deals.

Alternatively, compare iPhone 17 Pro deals and iPhone 17 Pro Max deals to see how the iPhone 18 Pro stacks up against previous-generation handsets.