iPhone 18 Pro hands-on
The Verge's Allison Johnson is showing off the newly unveiled iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the headline delta is a variable aperture on the main camera, a six-blade design that adjusts automatically based on photo settings or manually through new Pro camera controls, which also add shutter speed, aperture, and focus access along with focus peaking lines, controls the source says the iPhone camera app finally has. The Dynamic Island is also smaller this year and now supports three live activities instead of two. Apple is introducing a Reference Image feature that cryptographically signs photos at the point of capture, which Apple says can prove a photo is authentic and non-AI generated, and pricing has risen to $1199 for the Pro and $1299 for the Pro Max, though the source does not state last year's prices. This matters for anyone tracking iPhone camera capability, since these are described as the first manual exposure controls in Apple's stock camera app plus a new mechanism aimed at proving photo authenticity.
New: iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max main camera adds a variable aperture, called 'kind of a wild thing on a phone' by the reviewer [00:20]
- Comparison: iPhone 18 Pro Max is said to look a lot like the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with a couple of interesting upgrades [00:13]
- New: The variable aperture has six blades and adjusts automatically depending on the photo settings being captured [00:26]
- New: The iPhone camera app now has manual exposure controls, accessed through the Pro camera controls [00:37]
- New: Manual controls give access to shutter speed, aperture, and focus [00:45]
+ 14 more takeaways
- New: Focus peaking lines were added to show what will be in focus [00:50]
- Opinion: Reviewer called the manual controls 'music to my ears' and said it's 'better late than never' [00:56]
- Changed: Dynamic Island is a little bit smaller this year; prior size not stated [01:01]
- From -> To: Dynamic Island live activities shown - two items -> three live activities [01:07]
- New: Three simultaneous live activities can include navigation, music, and a timer [01:12]
- Opinion: Reviewer said she doesn't know if this feature alone is worth buying a new iPhone for [01:18]
- Improved: Vapor chamber improved, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a bigger battery [01:23]
- New: eSIM models get a bigger battery by using the space the physical SIM tray would have occupied [01:28]
- New: Apple is introducing a 'Reference Image' feature meant to authenticate images [01:38]
- New: Reference Image cryptographically signs a photo at capture; Apple says this proves it is authentic and non-AI generated (claim reported by Apple, per the source) [01:50]
- Opinion: Reviewer called the pricing 'a little bit of bad news' this year [02:02]
- Repriced: iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1299; prior price not stated [02:04]
- Repriced: iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1199; prior price not stated [02:04]
- Why it matters: The Verge says it will have a lot more testing and thoughts to share on these camera features, especially the variable aperture, before a full verdict [02:11]
How this brief was shaped: What Changed · confidence Medium
Presenter explicitly frames the video around what changed from the prior model, saying it will look like the iPhone 17 Pro Max but lists specific upgrades: variable aperture, manual exposure controls, Dynamic Island size and live activity count, vapor chamber, battery size, and the new Reference Image authentication feature. OCR confirms on-screen settings menus detailing these same new camera and lock screen features rather than a scored review or verdict.
The lens sets this brief's structure, never its facts — every claim is held to the same citation and fact-check standard.