The Verge's review of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max finds them largely iterative, sharing the same design and cases as last year's iPhone 17 Pro. The most notable hardware addition is a variable aperture on the main camera, alongside improved thermal management for the new A20 Pro chip, but the reviewer argues these changes deliver only marginal real-world benefits, making the 17 Pro a strong alternative if found on sale.

The new camera system offers a wider maximum aperture of f/1.48 (up from f/1.8), with adjustable stops at f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4. However, due to the small size of smartphone lenses and sensors, the wider aperture doesn't produce the pronounced background blur associated with larger cameras, while the narrower settings help in specific edge-case shooting scenarios. Apple's flagship iPhone Duo foldable, launching next month, has overshadowed the Pro models as the more genuinely new device in this year's lineup.