
Although the release of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is still nearly a year away, rumors about their new features and changes have already begun circulating. According to CNMO, foreign media outlets recently summarized six potential upgrades for the iPhone 18 Pro series:
Smaller Smart Display
The iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max will reportedly feature a smaller Smart Display, but will not feature under-screen Face ID. Foreign media outlets claim that under-screen Face ID is not expected until the iPhone 19 Pro or later.
"Translucent" MagSafe Area
In terms of appearance, the overall design of the iPhone 18 Pro series will be similar to that of the iPhone 17 Pro series. Furthermore, the display sizes of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to be the same as those of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max: 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, respectively. Notably, a leaker claims the ceramic body of the iPhone 18 Pro series will feature a "slightly transparent design."
Variable Aperture
According to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the main camera of the iPhone 18 Pro series will support a variable aperture. A variable aperture allows users to control the amount of light passing through the camera lens and reaching the sensor. The main cameras of all models, from the iPhone 14 Pro to the iPhone 17 Pro, feature a fixed aperture of /1.78, with the lens always fully open and shooting at its maximum aperture.
According to this rumor, iPhone 18 Pro series users will be able to manually adjust the aperture. The variable aperture should give users greater control over depth of field, or the contrast between the foreground subject and the background. However, due to the smaller size of the iPhone's image sensor, the practical significance of this improvement is unclear.
Other Rumors
The A20 Pro chip: Manufactured using TSMC's latest 2nm process, is expected to deliver a significant performance boost.
Apple's in-house C2 modem: Supports mmWave 5G in the United States.
Redesigned camera control buttons: Focus on pressure-sensitive controls rather than swipe gestures.