Apple puts a lot of thought in picking just the right color for its iPhones. Last year, it surprised everyone with the bright and cheerful Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro — a change of pace from the previous Pros made of titanium that featured more neutral colors.
The switch to aluminum finally allowed for braver choices.
Well, the iPhone 18 Pro is here and the signature Burgundy color is... not nearly as bright or brave. This darker shade of red is just kind of uninspiring. But let me not get ahead of myself — read on for the full design walkthrough.
iPhone 18 Pro: pre-order at Walmart
$1149
12
$1249
$100 off (8%)
For a limited time, you can pre-order the new iPhone 18 Pro at Walmart. Apple's new compact flagship phone can be yours with a plan by Verizon. The device is available at a monthly price of $31.92/mo, which saves you $100 over 36 months.
For a limited time, you can pre-order the new iPhone 18 Pro Max at Walmart. You can pre-order the high-end model in the spectacular new Burgundy color with a plan by Verizon through Walmart. For a limited time, you can save $100 on the high-end A20 Pro-powered flagship.
First, I am glad that Apple keeps on churning small-sized iPhone Pros every year. Not every company does that and I appreciate a smaller phone. The Pro Max is great with that large screen and long-lasting battery, but it just feels too big and bulky to me.
Image by PhoneArena
This year, the signature color for the iPhone 18 Pro is Burgundy. Yep, it's a shade of red that feels very muted.
Image by PhoneArena
And honestly, I regret buying this color. It just feels uninspiring, nothing like the bright and energetic cosmic orange from last year.
Image by PhoneArena
Color aside, I used the iPhone 17 Pro in the past year without a screen protector, and it has held up remarkably well. The new iPhone 18 Pro features the same durable design with Ceramic Shield 2 on the front (and if you are only worried about scratches, you can probably skip the screen protector this year too!).
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One cool thing about the iPhone 18 Pro is that the design is absolutely identical to the 17 Pro, so if you upgrade, you can just use the cases from your 17 Pro. This is the first time in a long while that I see Apple doing this. Maybe new CEO John Ternus being a hardware guy has a finger in this, but it's a nice little touch.
One subtle design change is the glass insert on the back of the phone now being the same color as the aluminum unibody, while we used to have a dual-tone look with last year's 17 Pro.
Image by PhoneArena
Of course, the big change this year is the variable aperture on the main camera. You can now shoot wide open at f/1.48 for more background blur, or go with a narrower aperture of f/4.0 so that everything is in focus.
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Photographic Styles have also gotten a big upgrade with new Texture controls, so you can now add grain and have photos with a film-inspired look.
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The new Quiet photographic style in particular is worth exploring. It gives your images a warm look similar to that of old Kodak film (think Kodak Portra or even some Fujifilm looks). This look is also available on older models like the iPhone 17 Pro.
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Gaming gets a big boost on the iPhone 18 Pro thanks to the A20 Pro chipset, Apple's first 2nm processor. This brings a massive 40% upgrade in GPU speeds!
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But my favorite tweak to the iPhone 18 Pro is that it now supports faster charging: you can get a 50% top-up in just 15 minutes. Just remember that you have to use a compatible charger that uses the new AVS standard. The safest (and most expensive) charger to reach those speeds is Apple's Power Adapter 40W Dynamic with 60W Max for iPhones.
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Of course, you also have MagSafe support, a feature that many Android rivals still don't have.
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And here is how the iPhone 18 Pro looks compared to Samsung's Galaxy S26.
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One thing you do notice about the 18 Pro this year that it's a bit heavier. That's not a dealbreaker, but I definitely prefer the lighter in-hand feel of Samsung's flagship.
Image by PhoneArena
The iPhone 18 Pro is also more expensive this year, starting at $1,200 for the base 256GB model ($100 more than last year). Stay tuned for our full review coming in a few days.
iPhone 13 Pro flash sale! Limited time offer!
Save $30 on iPhone 13 Pro from Back Market. Discount automatically applied at checkout. Offer ends 20 September 2026 at 23:59.
Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.
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