iPhone 18 Pro launched, here is how it compares to iPhone 17 Pro: Full comparison

The iPhone 18 Pro is here in brand-new colours and a new price tag to go with it. But how does it fare up against the fan-favourite iPhone 17 Pro? Here is everything new that you get in Apple's latest Pro iPhones.Here is everything you need to know about the iPhone 18 Pro against the iPhone 17 Pro. (Photo: Apple)The wait is over. After weeks of anticipation, Apple has finally launched the iPhone 18 Pro. The company revealed its latest Pro iPhone during the Surprise and Shine event last night, led by new Apple CEO John Ternus. While the company has brought in some big upgrades for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max – more on that later – it has also bumped up the prices.The iPhone 18 Pro is Rs 30,000 costlier than the iPhone 17 Pro series. This may raise a question in your mind – is the iPhone 18 Pro worth the upgrade? Let’s delve right in to find out how the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max compare with last year’s Pro iPhones.iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: DesignLast year, Apple brought one of the biggest changes in terms of design. The iPhone 17 Pro introduced a camera plateau on the back with an aluminium unibody. The device also got a dual-tone look – headlined by the Cosmic Orange shade.For the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple has gone for an evolution rather than a revolution – likely following the if it ain’t broke don’t fix it idea. But to keep things fresh, the iPhone 18 Pro models come in a bunch of new colours. The Burgundy shade is the hero colour this year, replacing the orange from the iPhone 17 Pro. But you also get Glacier (blue) and Silver. And finally, Apple has brought back Black. iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: DisplayNow let's move our attention to the front. While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max come with the same screen sizes as last year – 6.3-inch AMOLED panel for the Pro and 6.9-inch AMOLED display for the Pro Max – there is one noticeable change. Apple has managed to shrink the Dynamic Island.This means that you get slightly more screen real estate, and on top of that, the Dynamic Island can now show 3 Live Activities at once, as opposed to 2 on the iPhone 17 Pro.iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Cameras A major talking point during the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro models was the new variable aperture for the main camera. While the iPhone 18 Pro series continues with a triple 48-megapixel camera setup, the variable aperture, Apple says, may be the biggest camera upgrade in years.The iPhone 18 Pro uses six laser-cut polymer composite blades that are thinner than a human hair. This allows the main 48-megapixel camera to physically open wider to pull in 50 per cent more light in low light or narrow down to improve depth of field in group shots.The rest of the setup remains largely unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro. You get the support for 8K video recording and up to 8x optical-quality zoom. The 18-megapixel Centre Stage selfie camera has also been carried over to the new iPhones.iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: PerformanceThe upgrades are not restricted to cameras, performance is getting a bump too. The iPhone 18 Pro uses the new A20 Pro chipset. This new chip, Apple says, is built on a 2nm process compared to iPhone 17 Pro’s 3nm A19 Pro. This should bring in better performance and efficiency.According to Apple, the A20 Pro chip has a 6-core CPU with two desktop-class supercores that are up to 20 per cent faster, alongside four efficiency cores and a 7-core GPU that delivers a 40 per cent jump in graphics performance over the previous generation. The 32-core Neural Engine is rated at twice the compute power for running third-party LLMs fully on-device.Apple has also reworked thermals with a next-generation vapour chamber that has three times the surface area of the iPhone 17 Pro, using cycling deionised water, 80 per cent recycled stainless steel and nanotwin copper. That, Apple says, enables up to 40 per cent better sustained performance. The iPhone 17 Pro was no slouch either, with 12GB RAM and vapour chamber cooling, but the iPhone 18 Pro is clearly going a step further.iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Everything elseApple had said the iPhone 17 Pro line delivered its longest-ever battery life on an iPhone. The iPhone 18 Pro doubles down on battery life. Apple claims up to 36 hours of video playback on the iPhone 18 Pro and up to 45 hours on the Pro Max, alongside up to 24 hours and 30 hours of real-world mixed use, respectively. Wired charging also gets a lift, with 50 per cent charge in 15 minutes.The iPhone 18 Pro will run on iOS 27 which gets a bunch of new AI features including Siri AI based on Google’s Gemini models. The device also improves on-device AI performance with a stronger Neural Engine.iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: PriceNow that we have discussed everything new you get on the iPhone 18 Pro, let’s come back to the price. The iPhone 18 Pro starts in India at Rs 1,64,900 for the 256GB variant. This is a bump of Rs 30,000 compared to the iPhone 17 Pro that started at Rs 1,34,900. Similarly, the iPhone 18 Pro Max carries a price tag of Rs 1,79,900, up from Rs 1,49,900 for its predecessor.While the price hike may sound steep, it comes at a time when the smartphone industry is going through a RAM crisis. Phonemakers have increased prices of smartphones across the board, and Apple too, is likely unable to absorb the rising costs.The iPhone 18 Pro series is available for pre-order from September 12. You can buy it from stores from September 18.- EndsPublished By: Armaan AgarwalPublished On: Sep 10, 2026 12:48 IST