Apple has just launched the iPhone 18 Pro at its September event, and most users want to compare it against the iPhone 17 Pro. On paper, both iPhones look almost identical, but the iPhone 18 Pro moves to the A20 Pro chip and adds a variable aperture to the main camera. So if you can't decide between the newest Pro and last year's model, here is our detailed iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro comparison.
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Design
- Both phones share the same aluminium unibody design, triple-camera bar and Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, so they look nearly identical
- The iPhone 18 Pro drops the two-tone back for a more unified finish and adds a new Burgundy colour
- Both are IP68 rated, but the iPhone 18 Pro is slightly thicker and heavier to fit a bigger battery and enhanced vapour chamber
The iPhone 17 Pro introduced Apple's aluminium unibody design with the wide camera plateau, and it measures 150 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm and weighs 204 grams. It comes in Cosmic Orange, Silver and Deep Blue.
The iPhone 18 Pro also keeps the same shape but cleans it up. Apple has refreshed the back glass so the colour difference with the frame is minimised. It means the dual-tone look is gone for a more cohesive finish. The interesting colour this year is Black, Silver, Glacier and an all-new Burgundy. You can see the new palette in our iPhone 18 Pro colours article.
Apart from that, the iPhone 18 Pro is slightly thicker at around 8.8 mm and a few grams heavier. Apple has taken this decision to make room for a larger battery and an improved vapour chamber. To sum up, anyone upgrading from the iPhone 17 Pro will barely notice the change in day-to-day use.
Related Articles
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Display
- Both models use a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with 120 Hz ProMotion and up to 3,000 nits peak brightness
- The iPhone 18 Pro's Dynamic Island is smaller, so it frees up a bit more of the screen. It can now show three live activities
The iPhone 17 Pro packs a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED at 1.5K (1206 x 2622) resolution with an LTPO 120Hz ProMotion panel. It peaks at 3,000 nits of brightness and drops to 1 Hz for the Always-On display. Not to mention, it comes with an anti-reflective coating as well. Overall, the iPhone 17 Pro has one of the best screens on any phone.
Now, the iPhone 18 Pro brings the same size, panel and screen resolution. The bigger change is the smaller Dynamic Island, which takes up less space at the top because some of the Face ID components have moved under the display. It can also display three live activities, up from two. Note that this is not the under-display Face ID, which Apple will unveil on a future device.
Basically, the panel size and peak brightness are the same on both, but the iPhone 18 Pro brings a smaller Dynamic Island on top.
Related Articles
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Performance
- The iPhone 18 Pro is powered by the A20 Pro, which is the first 2nm iPhone chip, while the iPhone 17 Pro packs the 3nm-based A19 Pro
- Apple has added a 7-core GPU to the A20 Pro, while the A19 Pro comes with a 6-core GPU
- The iPhone 18 Pro swaps the modem for Apple's in-house C2 modem
The iPhone 17 Pro is powered by the Apple A19 Pro, a 3nm chip with a 6-core CPU, a 6-core GPU and a vapour chamber for sustained load. It's paired with 12 GB of RAM, and in everyday use, it's pretty fast and responsive. You are basically getting a flagship chip.
The iPhone 18 Pro, on the other hand, takes things further with the A20 Pro. It's the first iPhone chip built on TSMC's 2nm process node, packing a 3x larger vapour chamber and two new super cores. In addition, you get a 7-core GPU, up from the 6-core GPU on the A19 Pro. Not to forget, Apple has expanded the cache size as well.
Overall, Apple says the A20 Pro GPU is up to 40% faster than the A19 Pro and the chipset enjoys 50% more memory bandwidth. There is also a new Dual 16-core Neural Engine with 2x the AI computing power.
Besides that, the iPhone 18 Pro debuts with Apple's own C2 modem with satellite connectivity. And in the US, the iPhone 18 Pro gets mmWave support via the C2 modem.
So in terms of performance, the iPhone 18 Pro wins on raw speed, efficiency and its new modem. That said, the iPhone 17 Pro is not slow by any measure, and you will not notice any performance gap in normal use.
Related Articles
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Software
- The iPhone 18 Pro ships with iOS 27, and the iPhone 17 Pro will also receive the update
- Both iPhones get the revamped Siri and Apple Intelligence features
- The Pro models are promised 7 years of software and security updates, but iPhone
On the software side, the iPhone 18 Pro ships with iOS 27 out of the box, and the iPhone 17 Pro (which shipped with iOS 26) is also slated to receive the same update. So the everyday experience is identical across the two iPhones.
The notable feature this year is the revamped Siri AI, which is far more capable and conversational. Along with that, both models get a long list of Apple Intelligence features baked into iOS 27. Both phones also get 7 years of updates, which is one of the biggest reasons to buy an iPhone in the first place. You can read more about what is new in our iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max breakdown.
Related Articles
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Camera
- Both have a 48 MP triple camera system with up to 8x optical-quality zoom
- The iPhone 18 Pro adds a variable aperture main camera and a new stacked sensor
- Apple says the aperture adjusts automatically based on the scene
Even though the camera layout looks the same, the iPhone 18 Pro packs new camera hardware. First off, the iPhone 17 Pro features a strong 48 MP triple camera system, including a 48 MP main sensor (f/1.78, 24mm), a 48 MP telephoto (f/2.8, 100 mm) that reaches up to 8x optical-quality zoom and a 48 MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view. The selfie camera is an 18 MP shooter with autofocus.
Now, coming to the iPhone 18 Pro, it keeps that same 48MP triple camera setup, but the main camera gets variable aperture support, which features six laser-cut blades and offers four selectable aperture settings. It lets you choose how much light reaches the sensor and adds proper optical depth of field for portraits, so the phone relies on hardware rather than software tricks.
In addition, it brings a new stacked image sensor for better dynamic range and less noise. The telephoto lens also gets a wider aperture. On the front, Apple sticks to a 18 MP selfie camera.
Both Pro models are brilliant for capturing photos and videos, but the variable aperture and the new sensor give the iPhone 18 Pro the edge, especially for portraits and low light.
Related Articles
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Battery
- The iPhone 18 Pro packs a slightly larger battery at around 4,288mAh, compared to 3,998mAh on the iPhone 17 Pro
- The iPhone 18 Pro is faster at charging and it can charge up to 50% in 15 minutes via a cable
Coming to battery capacity, the iPhone 17 Pro includes a 3,998mAh battery with 40W wired and 25W MagSafe wireless charging. Thanks to Apple's lead in efficiency, it delivers strong all-day battery life despite the modest capacity on paper.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 18 Pro has received a slight bump in battery capacity. Reports suggest the iPhone 18 Pro's battery capacity is around 4,288mAh. That is a small increase, but thanks to the 2 nm node, the A20 Pro is more efficient and should improve screen time further. Best of all, the iPhone 18 Pro can charge up to 50% in 15 minutes wired (40W Dynamic Power Adapter, 60W max) and 50% in 30 minutes wireless.
iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: Which Phone Should You Buy?
| Specification | iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR LTPO OLED, 120Hz, up to 3,000 nits | 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR LTPO OLED, 120Hz, up to 3,000 nits |
| Processor | A20 Pro (2 nm) | A19 Pro (3 nm) |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| Rear Cameras | 48MP main (variable aperture) + 48MP ultrawide + 48MP telephoto | 48MP main + 48MP ultrawide + 48MP telephoto |
| Zoom | Up to 8x optical quality | Up to 8x optical quality |
| Front Camera | 18MP | 18MP |
| Battery | ~4,288mAh (Expected) | 3,998mAh |
| Charging | 50% in 15 minutes wired, 50% in 30 minutes wireless | 40W wired, 25W MagSafe wireless |
| Software | iOS 27, 7 years of updates | iOS 26 out of the box (updates to iOS 27), 7 years of updates |
| Connectivity | Apple C2 modem, N1 chip, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread | Qualcomm modem worldwide, N1 chip, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread |
| Durability | IP68, Ceramic Shield 2 | IP68, Ceramic Shield 2 |
| Dimensions | 150 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm, 211 grams | 150 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm, 204 grams |
| Colours | Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy | Cosmic Orange, Silver, Deep Blue |
| Price (India) | From Rs 1,64,900 | From Rs 1,32,900 |
So what is the verdict? Going by the specifications, the iPhone 18 Pro is the better phone, and that is pretty obvious. You get the powerful 2nm A20 Pro chip, a variable aperture camera with a new sensor, Apple's C2 modem with satellite connectivity, a slightly bigger battery and a much larger vapour chamber. If you are coming from an iPhone 15 Pro or older, the iPhone 18 Pro is the one to get.
That said, if you already own the iPhone 17 Pro, the upgrade is not needed. You get the same design, the same 6.3-inch 120Hz display, almost the same 48MP triple camera (without variable aperture) with 8x zoom, and it runs iOS 27 anyway.
Finally, if you want a larger phone, the iPhone 18 Pro Max pushes the display to 6.9 inches and brings superior battery life, while the iPhone Duo is for anyone looking to buy a foldable.
