The iPhone 18 Pro: The best and final iteration of the current form factor?

There’s a running joke that Apple always breathlessly announces that each year’s iPhone Pro is “the best iPhone we’ve ever made,” as if that were in some way surprising. But I do think that there’s some poignancy to the iPhone 18 Pro, because if the rumors about next year’s model are true, this could be the final iteration of the form factor that began with the iPhone X back in 2017. Specifically, we’re expecting next year to see the next big step toward that “single slab of glass” vision which will end the era of evolutionary change we’ve seen over the last decade … The evolution of the iPhone Pro models If you were to line up every model from the iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 16 Pro, I think many people would struggle to tell the difference visually bar the switch from notch to Dynamic Island in 2022. The iPhone 17 Pro is still only an exception due to the extended camera island and Cosmic Orange option. Of course, each model had new features, but I think even here it’s fair to say that unless a specific one has particular relevance to you personally, you really need to jump at least two or three generations before an upgrade amounts to a significantly better experience. This in no way a criticism of Apple. The reality is that premium smartphones are a mature technology, at least in the conventional form-factor. We don’t see massive differences between successive generations because there’s only so much that can be done to improve them on an annual basis. Apple is now experimenting with different form factors, starting with the iPhone Air and now, of course, the iPhone Duo – and we’re expecting another major design leap next year, in the form of a 20th anniversary model. How exactly Apple will position next year’s design remains somewhat unclear. It was initially suggested that it would be a standalone model, distinct from the iPhone 19 Pro, while other reports suggest that it will be next year’s Pro model. There’s also the question of whether Apple will use sequential numbering or skip a number to mark the occasion, so it might instead be called the iPhone 20 Pro. Personally, I do suspect that it will be the new iPhone Pro design, whether Apple calls it the 19 or 20. If this is correct, then the iPhone 18 Pro will be the final iteration of the form factor we’ve had for half a dozen years. I’m jumping two generations from the iPhone 16 Pro, so I’m going to separately list the new-to-me features introduced by each year’s models. I’m skipping improvements I see as trivial or completely irrelevant to my use, like 7-core GPU over 6-core and GenLock. iPhone 17 Pro features carried forward Center Stage front camera, for photos and video calls Ultra-stabilised video Dual capture Telephoto lens up from 5x to 8x Telephoto sensor up from 12 MP to 48 MP ProRes RAW video Better battery life Faster charging New to iPhone 18 Pro Wider maximum aperture on the main camera lens Variable aperture main camera lens Pro camera controls (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, histogram) Photographic Styles v3 Smart focus tracking Cinematic mode effects from standard video Tap to zoom and rotate on the front camera Smaller Dynamic Island, enabling three live activities (Even) better battery life (Even) faster charging My personal … focus Personally, there are five features I will be focusing on in my early usage. Variable-aperture lens While the headline feature is that variable aperture lens, I’ve said before that we probably shouldn’t expect too much from it. The maximum aperture is only marginally wider on such a small sensor, so I’m not expecting to see much difference in terms of shallow depth of field. However, the maximum aperture does let in a little more light, amounting to around two-thirds of a stop. How much difference that will make remains to be seen, but it should translate to shorter Night Mode exposures. Since this is a feature I use a lot, often handheld, then I am looking forward to trying this. Pro camera controls The ability to control shutter speed will definitely have its uses for things like panning shots. And it will certainly be useful to be able to take full control of white balance. I’m also expecting the histogram to be useful when manually setting the exposure. Photographic Styles v3 I’m generally not a filters kind of guy when it comes to either taking photos or editing them on the iPhone, preferring to do any editing using conventional adjustments afterwards. For that reason, I rarely used the existing Photographic Styles feature and don’t expect to make much use of the latest iteration either. But I must say I am intrigued by the film setting, so I’ll certainly be experimenting with this. Smart focus tracking One of the biggest weaknesses with autofocus when it comes to video occurs when the subject briefly passes behind something else and the camera can switch focus to the obstruction. Smart Focus Tracking claims to solve this problem, so I will certainly be putting this to the test. Cinematic Mode effects from standard video It’s less than a couple of months since I said that Apple appeared to have forgotten about Cinematic video mode. I said that was a great pity because, if Cinematic Mode video worked well, it would be an absolute game-changer for the practicality of the iPhone as a camera for more serious video work. So far, it has been frustratingly close but no cigar. However, it appears I was wrong: one of the new iPhone 18 features is that the cinematic video effects can be applied to videos shot in standard mode. It’s certainly very handy that we no longer need to decide in advance whether or not to use the mode, but what most interests me is that Apple is again paying attention to the feature. This suggests that it is indeed being shown some love, and we therefore can expect it to continue to improve in much the way Portrait mode did for still photos. I’m very much looking forward to testing this. These, then, are the features I think could potentially make the most difference to me. How about you? If you’ve upgraded to the iPhone 18 Pro, what features drove your decision? 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