TL;DR: Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 9, 2026, with a 48MP Fusion Main camera that uses six laser-cut blades to vary aperture automatically or manually.

What Apple announced on September 9

Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its event on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, according to Apple’s announcement titled “Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.”

The company described the 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture as the most advanced camera it has ever made, bringing aperture control to iPhone for the first time.

The announcement said the system brings creative control that was not possible before and pairs it with new Pro controls for customizing the Camera app experience.

Apple said both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max include the variable-aperture Main camera, resolving earlier speculation that only the larger model would receive it, according to MacRumors’ report titled “Both iPhone 18 Pro Models Feature Variable Aperture Camera.”

That MacRumors report said Apple revealed the feature at its “Surprise and Shine” event and confirmed that both Pro models benefit from the technology.

The Verge’s report titled “Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro has a dynamic aperture main camera” described the upgrade as the “biggest camera improvement in years” and identified the 48-megapixel variable-aperture main camera as the centerpiece.

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said the company made advancements in camera, performance, battery and intelligence for iPhone 18 Pro.

Apple said iPhone 18 Pro makes it easier to capture photos and videos using variable aperture while providing more versatility for creators and more control for pros.

The company also said the update unlocks new ways for users to express themselves when combined with upgraded Photographic Styles and video capabilities.

How the six-blade variable aperture works

The Main camera uses six laser-cut blades to transition smoothly between different apertures, according to Apple.

Apple said the blades adjust automatically for depth of field and lighting to help capture the best shot.

The blades are each thinner than a human hair, according to The Verge.

MacRumors reported that the blades are made of a specialized polymer composite selected for mass flexibility and durability.

Apple said a new rotor mechanism controls the six laser-cut blades to move smoothly across the aperture range.

The system offers four aperture settings that users can select manually in the Camera app, according to Apple.

Apple said developers can access the same aperture range through an API for additional control in third-party apps.

MacRumors reported that the Camera app can adjust aperture automatically based on depth of field and lighting or leave the selection to the user.

Apple described manual aperture selection as a way to produce what it called “truly unique shots that weren't possible before” on an iPhone, according to MacRumors’ report titled “iPhone 18 Pro Gains Manual Aperture, Shutter Speed Controls, and More.”

In darker environments, the aperture opens to admit more light, producing faster Night mode captures with better quality, according to The Verge.

MacRumors reported that opening the aperture in a darker environment lets in around 50% more light.

Apple specified three illustrative settings for the Main camera: ƒ/1.48 for low-light shots, ƒ/1.8 for portraits, and ƒ/4 for group focus.

Apple said the ƒ/1.48 setting widens the aperture to support low-light photography.

Apple said the ƒ/1.8 setting is optimized for portraits with a balance of light gathering and depth of field.

Apple said narrowing the aperture to ƒ/4 keeps more of a group in focus by increasing depth of field.

The company said the combination of variable aperture and a new sensor improves image quality, low-light photography, detail toward the back of group photos, and opportunities for distinctive shots.

Pro Controls add manual camera adjustments

Apple introduced Pro Controls as a new customizable experience in the Camera app for iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, according to Apple.

Pro Controls lets users adjust lens aperture, shutter speed and white balance, according to Apple.

The interface includes a histogram for checking exposure levels throughout a scene, according to Apple.

MacRumors reported that Pro Controls is a customizable camera interface that lets users manually adjust aperture, shutter speed and white balance or check exposure with a live histogram.

Pro Controls works for both photo and video capture, according to MacRumors.

Apple said users can access their most-used settings more easily and gain new manual-control options.

The Verge reported that changing shutter speed can adjust motion blur in photos.

MacRumors reported that Pro Controls introduces Smart Focus Tracking, which uses on-device artificial-intelligence models to lock onto a subject.

Smart Focus Tracking maintains focus even if the subject briefly leaves the frame and returns to view, according to MacRumors.

Apple said Pro controls offer broader creative range through manual control over shutter speed, white balance and aperture alongside histogram monitoring.

Imaging pipeline, Styles and video upgrades

Apple said a new computational imaging pipeline produces sharper and more detailed shots from the Main camera.

The company said upgraded Photographic Styles add texture and grain controls for adjusting appearance.

The Verge reported that the improved Photographic Styles offer texture and grain control.

MacRumors reported that the updated Photographic Styles include new texture and grain controls alongside the redesigned computational imaging pipeline.

Apple said users can adjust color and skin qualities together for a more personalized look.

Industry-leading video capabilities become more versatile by allowing Cinematic effects to be applied after capture to videos shot at up to 60 frames per second, according to Apple.

MacRumors reported the same post-capture Cinematic capability for video shot at up to 60 fps.

The Verge reported that users can take 4K time-lapse videos in Dolby Vision HDR.

Apple said Time-lapse mode can now record in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR.

MacRumors reported that the variable-aperture system allows cinematic-mode effects to be captured from regular video after shooting and supports 60 frames per second for a half-speed effect.

Apple said Audio Mix uses new algorithms that deliver higher-quality voices and can now isolate music.

The Verge reported that Pro controls are available for both photos and videos.

Image authenticity features

Apple introduced Apple Reference Image as a method for demonstrating the authenticity of a photo taken on iPhone 18 Pro models, according to Apple.

Apple said the feature is powered by the new sensor in the Main camera, which can sign every pixel it sees.

When a photo is taken in the new Reference mode, the camera captures signed sensor data that Private Cloud Compute develops into an unalterable reference image, according to Apple.

Apple said reference images can be viewed in the Photos app alongside the main image as a digital negative for visual comparison.

The Verge reported that Apple Reference Image cryptographically signs images at capture, creating an unalterable digital negative.

The Verge also reported that Apple will support Google’s SynthID content-authenticity protocol.

A20 Pro, battery, modem and Dynamic Island

The new phones include the A20 Pro chip, color-matched back glass and what Apple described as the longest battery in an iPhone, according to The Verge.

The A20 Pro uses a new architecture built on 2-nanometer technology, like Apple’s M6 chip, according to The Verge.

The chip has a six-core central processor with two desktop-class super cores and four efficiency cores, according to The Verge.

Apple’s silicon-engineering vice president Sribalan Santhanam said the seven-core graphics processor delivers a 40 percent performance increase, according to The Verge.

Apple added a second neural engine for a total of 32 neural-processing-unit cores, according to The Verge.

The iPhone 18 Pro includes a next-generation vapor chamber with three times the surface area of the unit in the iPhone 17 Pro, according to The Verge.

Rich Dinh, vice president of hardware engineering, said iPhone 18 Pro has all-day battery life comparable to iPhone 17 Pro Max, according to The Verge.

Video playback is rated at 36 hours for iPhone 18 Pro and 45 hours for iPhone 18 Pro Max, according to The Verge.

Apple said 15 minutes of wired charging provides 50 percent charge for iPhone 18 Pro, according to The Verge.

For iPhone 18 Pro Max, five minutes of wired charging provides seven hours of video playback, according to The Verge.

The iPhone 18 Pro line is Apple’s first set of phones with a new C2 cellular modem, which supports millimeter-wave 5G, according to The Verge.

Apple said the C2 delivers meaningfully faster uploads than C1X while consuming 15 percent less energy, according to The Verge.

The smaller Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro line can display three Live Activities, according to The Verge.

Apple also offers a revised clear case for the new phones, according to The Verge.

During the presentation, Apple highlighted compatibility with Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, including more expressive Siri AI voices, according to The Verge.

The new phones follow the iPhone 17 Pro redesign from 2025, which moved from titanium to an aluminum body, added a vapor chamber and introduced a camera bar that Apple calls the plateau, according to The Verge.

Prices, colors, storage and release dates

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for 256GB, a $100 increase over the iPhone 17 Pro, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 for 256GB, according to The Verge.

Both models are offered in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB configurations, according to The Verge.

The phones come in deep black, silver, glacier and burgundy with color-matched back glass, according to The Verge.

Apple listed the finishes as black, silver, glacier and burgundy, according to Apple.

Preorders begin September 12 ahead of availability September 18, according to The Verge.

Apple said pre-orders begin Saturday, September 12, with availability beginning Friday, September 18.

MacRumors likewise reported that pre-orders open Saturday, September 12, ahead of availability Friday, September 18, with iPhone 18 Pro starting at $1,199 and iPhone 18 Pro Max starting at $1,299.

Sources referenced