iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: Camera, chip and battery upgrades - Everything you need to know

Apple's next big product cycle is drawing closer, and attention is now shifting toward the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max as the launch date approaches.

Since the standard iPhone 18 and Plus models aren't expected until later, early buzz is centred entirely on the Pro lineup and the rumoured iPhone Ultra, according to Firstpost.

The standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Plus are expected to arrive later, which means early attention is locked entirely on the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the highly anticipated iPhone Ultra.

According to Firstpost, this year's Pro series brings its most significant camera overhaul since the iPhone 16 Pro.

The iPhone 18 Pro is tipped to retain the same triple 48MP camera system as its predecessor, covering main, ultrawide and 4x telephoto lenses, paired with an 18MP Center Stage front camera carried over from the iPhone 17 Pro. The controversial Camera Control button, first introduced on the iPhone 16 Pro, is also expected to see further refinements this generation.

The real headline upgrade belongs to the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Rumours suggest it could ship with a 6x optical zoom lens, ahead of the standard Pro's 5x zoom, along with a variable-aperture camera — a first for iPhone. This would let users manually control aperture size for sharper close-ups, better depth-of-field control and improved daylight performance.

It's still unclear if the variable-aperture camera will make it to the standard Pro model too. Some reports suggest Apple may keep it Pro Max-exclusive, since the thinner Pro body may not have room for the required hardware.

Powering the iPhone 18 Pro lineup and the rumoured foldable iPhone will reportedly be Apple's new A20 chip, built on TSMC's advanced 2nm process. Firstpost reports the A20 could be up to 18 times faster and 30 per cent more power-efficient than the current A19 chip.

The chip is also said to use TSMC's wafer-level Multi-Chip Module packaging, with RAM integrated directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU and Neural Engine — rather than sitting beside the chip. This shift could mean faster performance, longer battery life and a smaller overall chip footprint.

The iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to use a Qualcomm modem in the United States, while international units will run on Apple's in-house C2 modem.

Battery upgrades are also on the cards. The iPhone 18 Pro is rumoured to pack a 4,288mAh battery in the US and 4,056mAh in China, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max could feature a 5,567mAh battery in the US and 5,391mAh in China.

With the launch reportedly less than two weeks away, these leaks — sourced from supply-chain tipsters, as Firstpost notes — should still be treated as rumour rather than confirmed spec. Stay tuned as more details on the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max and Ultra emerge closer to launch day.