PHONES · REVIEW ROUNDUP
iPhone 18 Pro: what the first reviews say
By S. Dahani and the RealDigitalTech editorial team
Reviewers almost all agree it is the best iPhone Pro so far, but not a revolution. Here is where they agree and where they differ.
© Apple
Quick Take
Key figures
What reviewers agree on
- Performance: the A20 Pro is the first 2 nm chip in an iPhone. Tom's Guide measured a 33 % graphics gain over the iPhone 17 Pro (62 frames per second in 3DMark Solar Bay Unlimited).
- Battery life: GSMArena recorded an active-use score of 16 h 43 min despite only a modest increase in battery capacity. Macworld puts the gain at about 12 % over the previous model.
- Heat: 9to5Mac saw no overheating, thanks to the vapour chamber.
- Design: very close to the iPhone 17 Pro, with a smaller Dynamic Island and new colours. The extra weight is a frequently cited drawback.
Where opinions differ
| Topic | Favourable view | Reserved view |
|---|---|---|
| Variable-aperture camera | Tom's Guide sees more creative freedom and "Pro" controls at last. | Macworld finds the benefit limited on such a small sensor; Engadget still ranks Pixel phones ahead for portraits and night shots. |
| Value for money | AVForums says the price rise does not spoil a very successful phone. | GSMArena points out that the iPhone 17 Pro delivers most of this for much less. |
| Design | Smaller Dynamic Island and new colours (Burgundy, Glacier). | Almost impossible to tell apart from the previous model, and a little heavier. |
Scores: 9/10 from Engadget and 9/10 from AVForums.
Reviewer consensus
average of 2 published review scores
Strong agreement- Engadget99/10
- AVForums99/10
Scores published by the outlets cited in this article, converted to a 10-point scale. RealDigitalTech did not test this product itself.
Verdict
Recommended for people who keep their phone for a long time and want the best iPhone available. Owners of an iPhone 15 or 16 should also look at the iPhone 17 Pro, which is often cheaper and covers most of the same ground.
This article analyses reviews published by other outlets, in our own words. RealDigitalTech did not test the iPhone 18 Pro itself.
Sources
How this article was made: our editorial team selected and read the reviews listed above, compared their results and wrote this synthesis, with AI tools assisting the research and drafting. Every figure was checked against the sources, and the article was approved by the publication director. Our AI Disclosure · Our methodology · Report an error: editorial@realdigitaltech.com