#iPhone

Apple has priced the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,199 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299 in the United States. Both figures are $100 higher than the corresponding iPhone 17 models. Each model starts with 256GB of storage.

For the first time the Pro line offers a 2TB tier, above the 1TB ceiling of previous generations. A separate event recap reports that the extra cost of the 1TB option pushes the total price increase over last year to $300.

On the hardware side, MacRumors' event coverage says the phones use a new A20 Pro chip, described there as Apple's first 2-nanometer smartphone processor.

Before Lightning, iPhones used a wide 30-pin dock connector that dated to the iPod. Apple replaced it with the smaller, reversible Lightning connector with the iPhone 5 in 2012. Lightning stayed on the iPhone for 11 years.

USB-C, meanwhile, spread across laptops, tablets and Android phones. Apple had already moved the Mac and most iPads to the port, which left the iPhone as the notable holdout.

The final push came from regulation. In 2022 the European Union adopted rules requiring a common charging port for many portable electronics sold in the bloc, which applied to phones from December 28, 2024. Apple said it would comply, and it introduced USB-C on the iPhone 15 family in September 2023.

Apple sent out invitations on August 26 for its September event, scheduled for Wednesday, September 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. The tagline on the invitation was "Surprise and shine."

Ahead of the event, 9to5Mac summarised what was widely expected. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max were reported to keep the size and basic design of their predecessors, with changes aimed at the display, camera and connectivity. Rumored details included a variable-aperture main camera, a smaller Dynamic Island and Apple's C2 modem.