Apple iPhone 18 Pro review (2027)
Is the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Worth It?
Tom's Guide: easily among the best phones money can buy. The iPhone 18 Pro's A20 Pro is the first 2nm chip in a smartphone, and Apple's own figures — up to 20% faster CPU, 40% faster graphics than the A19 Pro — held up in Engadget's testing, which found it 'easily lapping flagship Android phones' without throttling thanks to a larger vapor chamber. The new variable-aperture main camera (f/1.48–f/4.0) gives genuine optical depth-of-field control no prior iPhone had, and a 35% smaller Dynamic Island frees up screen space. Tom's Guide's one real knock: Apple raised the price by $100 this generation.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Pros & Cons
- First 2nm chip in a smartphone, no throttling under load
- Variable-aperture camera adds real optical control
- 35% smaller Dynamic Island
- Fast charging to 50% in 15 minutes
- $100 more than the iPhone 17 Pro
What problem does the iPhone 18 Pro solve?
The iPhone 18 Pro answers the two complaints that have followed recent iPhones: sustained speed and camera control. Its A20 Pro is the first 2nm chip in a smartphone, and Apple's own figures — up to 20% faster CPU and 40% faster graphics than the A19 Pro — held up in Engadget's testing, which found it "easily lapping flagship Android phones" without throttling thanks to a larger vapor chamber. The new variable-aperture main camera (f/1.48–f/4.0) gives genuine optical depth-of-field control no prior iPhone had, and a 35% smaller Dynamic Island frees up screen space. Fast charging reaches 50% in 15 minutes. Tom's Guide called it easily among the best phones money can buy.
How did we score the iPhone 18 Pro?
We scored it 9 out of 10 across five criteria, and the breakdown shows where the points came from.
- Performance — 9.5 out of 25. Chipset generation and real-world speed under gaming, multitasking and sustained load, per official specs and reviewer benchmarks.
- Battery — 9 out of 25. Capacity, charging speed and reviewer-measured runtime under mixed use.
- Camera — 9.5 out of 20. Photo and video quality across lighting conditions, per reviewer consensus.
- Display — 9 out of 15. Panel type, refresh rate, brightness and outdoor visibility.
- Value — 7.5 out of 15. Price against what the phone delivers relative to its peers.
Performance and camera carry the highest marks; value is the weakest of the five, which lines up with the one real knock in the verdict.
Where the iPhone 18 Pro stands out
The A20 Pro is the first 2nm chip in a smartphone, and the gains are not just on paper. Apple's own figures — up to 20% faster CPU and 40% faster graphics than the A19 Pro — held up in Engadget's testing, which found the phone "easily lapping flagship Android phones" without throttling thanks to a larger vapor chamber. Sustained load is where previous iPhones gave ground, and that is the specific weakness this generation addresses.
The variable-aperture main camera (f/1.48–f/4.0) adds real optical control, giving genuine optical depth-of-field control no prior iPhone had. The 35% smaller Dynamic Island frees up screen space, and fast charging reaches 50% in 15 minutes. Tom's Guide's verdict places it easily among the best phones money can buy.
Where the iPhone 18 Pro falls short
That is the single negative in the test results, and it is the reason Value scored 7.5 out of 15 rather than matching the performance and camera marks. Nothing else in the testing flagged a shortfall — no throttling, no camera regression, no display complaint.
How the iPhone 18 Pro compares with its rivals
Five tested rivals sit in the same category. The iPhone 18 Pro Max scores 9.1, the OnePlus 15 CPH2749 North America 512GB 16GB Infinite Black scores 9.1 at an original price of $999.99, the OnePlus 13 CPH2655 North America 512GB 16GB Arctic Dawn scores 8.8 at an original price of $999.99, the OnePlus 11 5G CPH2451 North America 256GB 16GB Titan Black US scores 8.7 at an original price of $799.99, and the iPhone 17 scores 8.6.
Against the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the two are close on score, with the Pro Max at 9.1. Against the OnePlus 15, the score is level at 9.1, and the OnePlus 15's original price of $999.99 is the figure to weigh against the iPhone 18 Pro's $100 increase over the iPhone 17 Pro. The OnePlus 13 at 8.8 and the OnePlus 11 5G at 8.7 sit below on score, with the OnePlus 11 5G carrying the lowest original price of the group at $799.99. The iPhone 17 scores 8.6, below the iPhone 18 Pro.
Who should buy the iPhone 18 Pro?
Buy it if you want the first 2nm chip in a smartphone and the sustained performance that comes with it — Engadget's testing found no throttling under load. Buy it if optical depth-of-field control matters to you, since the variable-aperture main camera (f/1.48–f/4.0) is the first iPhone with it. Buy it if you want the 35% smaller Dynamic Island or fast charging to 50% in 15 minutes. Skip it if the $100 increase over the iPhone 17 Pro is the deciding factor, or if the iPhone 18 Pro Max's 9.1 score and the OnePlus 15's 9.1 score at $999.99 fit your priorities better.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro at a Glance
Rubric v1: Performance 25 · Battery 25 · Camera 20 · Display 15 · Value 15. Score = Σ ÷ 10, locked Sep 16, 2026. How we rank.
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