Carriers leaking iPhone specs ahead of Apple’s events isn’t new, but this time, an AI chatbot is doing the talking. Screenshots shared with MacRumors show Verizon’s “Ask Verizon” assistant answering questions about the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, with some details sounding plausible and others clearly off.
What the Chatbot Got Right (Probably)
According to the latest leak, the assistant described both the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max as carrying a 48 MP main camera with variable aperture, letting the lens swing between f/1.4 and f/4.0 depending on the shot.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max reportedly steps things up further with a beefier sensor-shift stabilisation system and a telephoto lens capable of 10x optical zoom, up from 8x on the standard Pro.
The leak also claims a RAM split between the two models, with 12 GB on the Pro and 16 GB on the Pro Max, alongside a shared A20 Pro chipset and 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively.
None of this contradicts what leakers have been saying for weeks, which is part of why the leak is being taken seriously at all.
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Where the Details Fall Apart
The pricing is where things get shaky. The bot reportedly quoted $1,099.99 (approximately Rs 1,04,600) for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,199.99 (approximately Rs 1,14,000) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Now, these figures are identical to the outgoing iPhone 17 Pro series, despite multiple leaks pointing to a price hike this generation. I mean, Tim Cook confirmed iPhone price hikes himself, due to the RAM crisis.
Not to mention that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported earlier today that the iPhone 18 Pro price will be increased by $100.
The colour names raise similar doubts. Where leaks and reports have tipped shades like Dark Cherry, Silver and Sky Blue, the chatbot instead listed "Titanium Grey," "Titanium White" and "Titanium Black." These naming conventions sound more at home on the 2023 iPhone 15 Pro than anything expected this year.
That mismatch points to a familiar problem with the tendency of AI assistants to hallucinate. For those unaware, this means that the particular AI models are confusing outdated or unrelated data with actual data.
MacRumors also noted it couldn't reproduce the exchange afterwards, which either means Verizon patched the bot or the original screenshots don't tell the full story.
Either way, with Apple's Surprise and Shine keynote airing just hours later, we won't have to wait long to find out how much of this the chatbot actually got right.
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