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iPhone 18 Pro could flaunt a lot of firsts, making it the 2026 flagship to beat

The iPhone 18 Pro could feature display, camera, battery, and design improvements.

By Anam Hamid

Published: Nov 07, 2025, 5:11 PM

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iphone 18 pro display cutout variable aperture transparent back steel battery

iPhone 18 Pro renders | Image Credit - AppleInsider

A bunch of iPhone 18 Pro upgrades has been revealed by the generally reliable leaker Digital Chat Station. The leaker suggests the screen will have a hole-punch cutout, the camera will have a variable aperture, the back will have a transparent design, and the Pro Max model will feature a steel case battery.

Bunch of changes incoming

Digital Chat Station says that Apple will use the hole-in-active-area (HIAA) technology to create a pinhole for the front-facing camera. The leaker also claims the screen shape will change, but it's not clear what they mean by that.

The iPhone 18 Pro's main camera won't have a fixed aperture, unlike most top camera smartphones.

The polarizing horizontal camera bar will stick around, but the rear will now have a transparent element too.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max could be the first iPhone to feature a steel case battery.

The iPhone 18 Pro is sounding like a significant upgrade

A machine-translated version of Digital Chat Station's post on Weibo.

Multiple credible sources, including The Information and display industry analyst Ross Young, have alleged in the past that the iPhone 18 Pro wouldn't have a pill-shaped cutout like the current models. Instead, the front-facing camera will be housed in a pinhole, which will be located on the top-left side of the display. The Face ID system, including the dot transmitter and receiver, will be moved beneath the display.

It's not known whether the Dynamic Island will also be retired or if the interface will show up when needed.

According to an earlier rumor, the display sizes for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will remain unchanged at 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch, respectively.

Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was the first to assert that the iPhone 18 Pro would offer variable aperture back in 2024. The aperture of a camera lens determines how much light reaches a sensor. Professional DSLR cameras have aperture blades that widen and narrow to different sizes to manipulate the size of the opening through which light enters.

Smartphones have fixed apertures, meaning their lens is always fully open, but the iPhone 18 Pro's 48MP main camera could allow users to manually change the aperture. Apparently, Dutch company BE Semiconductor will supply aperture blades equipment to Apple.

Digital Chat Station has also spoken about a transparent rear in the past, claiming the phone would feature a slightly transparent back glass. Such a design may offer a view of the internals, including the MagSafe charging coils. That's how Nothing designs its phones, too.

A September post from Digital Chat Station.

The steel case enclosed battery will be exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The device was previously rumored to have a stainless steel vapor chamber cooling system. This, combined with back glass, could prove better for heat dissipation.

Are these iPhone 18 Pro rumors promising?

Being bold

Apple's over-reliance on unbacked AI features didn't do the iPhone 16 any favors. The iPhone 17 Pro leaned on its hardware strengths, which helped with the popularity of the device.

With Apple no closer to cracking the code on AI, it's a smart move to focus on hardware-based features to increase the appeal of its phones. The company is reportedly going to rely on Google Gemini to bring its vision of Siri to life, but, admittedly, that won't be quite the same as in-house AI tools with an Apple touch.

From using a variable aperture to provide customers with greater control over depth, to increasing the screen usable area by shrinking the cutout, Apple appears to be taking all the right measures to make the iPhone 18 Pro stand out among other upcoming flagships.

All iPhone 18 models will reportedly be powered by 2nm chips and come with 12GB of RAM. Only the iPhone 18 Pro duo and the first foldable iPhone will be released this year; the remaining models will arrive in spring 2027.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.

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