Two of the top three smartphone brands, Samsung and Google, have already showcased their latest flagship smartphones, and it's time for Apple. The iPhone 18 lineup is most likely to be unveiled sometime in September, but we've been hearing rumors about its variants for many months now.
While the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the iPhone Ultra sound really exciting in all the surfaced details, the iPhone 18 Pro appears to be going down the Pixel 11 Pro route, and that's not a good thing. Here's why.
The Pixel 11 Pro received incremental upgrades over the Pixel 10 Pro
All Pixel 11 models received very limited upgrades over their respective predecessors. If I talk about the Pixel 11 Pro variant in particular, it has been upgraded to the new Tensor G6 chipset, features an all-new HiLight capability, comes with slightly faster wireless charging, and supports 120x zoom compared to the 100x available on the Pixel 10 Pro. Those are all the hardware changes, though there are a few noticeable software upgrades, such as a faster Instant Night Sight, Magic Capture, and a few more.
Shockingly, Google downgraded the battery from 4,870 mAh last year to 4,850 mAh in this year's Pro model. Furthermore, the device is $100 more expensive. Long story short, the upgrades are so incremental on the hardware side that many Pixel fans believe it is not an ideal decision to upgrade this year, especially if you have a Pixel 9 or Pixel 10 model.
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Apple appears to be making the Pixel 11 Pro mistake
As a Pixel superfan, I'm disappointed to know that Big G doesn't have anything groundbreaking to offer in its latest flagship phones. I was hoping that Apple wouldn't follow the same path, but recent rumors suggest it actually will, at least with the iPhone 18 Pro. My dear friend and colleague, Abdullah, recently reported that the highly anticipated variable aperture capability could be exclusive to the Pro Max model.
If this pans out to be true, I'm afraid the only major improvement in the Pro model this year would be the new processor and the C2 modem. The latter is also expected to be available in limited regions, of which the US doesn't appear to be a part. In the iPhone 18 models that would be available in the US, Apple is reported to still use a Qualcomm modem, though it's worth pointing out that there is a lot of uncertainty on this front.
Apart from the above two, no other groundbreaking change is reported in other aspects of the iPhone 18 Pro over the iPhone 17 Pro. The overall design is expected to be the same; the screen, however, is reported to feature LTPO+ panels instead of LTPO. The battery is reported to be 4,288 mAh (US model)/4,056 mAh (global).
If true, that's just a minuscule 2% improvement on paper over last year's Pro model. The charging numbers are also believed to be the same as last year's: 40 W wired and 25 W wireless. Lastly, how could I forget to mention the price hikes that the new iPhones are almost confirmed to get.
Even Apple fans believe the same
It's not only me; many Apple fans also believe that the iPhone 18 Pro looks very boring in the leaked specifications. A Reddit user commented that the new chipset and new shades appear to be the only upgrades in the Pro model.
Comment about iPhone 18 Pro only getting chip and color upgrades. | Image by Reddit
Another user mentioned that they would continue using their 17 Pro if Apple is going to limit the variable aperture feature to its biggest phone. I was also able to spot plenty of comments with users basically saying that the upgrades seem so incremental that it's better to get the 17 Pro, whose price could go slightly down after the launch of its successor.
User commenting that they would not upgrade this year. | Image by Reddit
Mark Gurman also recently shared an Otterbox case that is advertised to fit both the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro. The case suggests that both phones would be identical in dimensions.
Otterbox seems to think the iPhone 18 Pro will be able to fit inside of iPhone 17 Pro cases and vice versa. Also, Best Buy is already putting these on shelves. A little early. pic.twitter.com/13l7OWj5wX
It also hints that the new model would likely not offer the variable aperture capability. That's because if it did, then the camera module would likely get slightly thicker, which would make an iPhone 18 Pro case incompatible with the iPhone 17 Pro. However, it's worth noting that I really don't know whether Otterbox received some exclusive information from Apple or whether it simply designed the case based on the rumors and dummy models.
Software could play a major role
In the past few years, I've noticed that manufacturers have started to give software a bit more priority over major hardware changes. For instance, the Pixel 11 lineup received some incredible software upgrades like Rambler, Magic Capture, Camera Looks, Creator Suite, Instant Night Sight, and a few more. Unfortunately, the hardware department didn't receive any phenomenal upgrades, unless you consider the HiLight feature an innovative idea, which, for me, is just an upgraded version of the notification LEDs that were present in some classic devices like the Galaxy S8.
That said, I believe Apple will follow the same approach by trying to sell its iPhone 18 Pro based on its software and AI experience. For instance, the Home and Shortcuts apps are getting the option to create automations using natural language in iOS 27. Siri is also getting a standalone app just like ChatGPT or Gemini.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Apple event and hope that the company surprises us all with some unique upgrades in the iPhone 18 Pro.
Want to read more about iPhone 18 Pro phones? Check out the following stories:
Aman Kumar is a news writer at PhoneArena covering Google Pixel phones, Android features, AI-powered smartphone tools, and mobile tech news. Before joining PhoneArena, he spent over five years writing about consumer technology for publications like MakeUseOf, How-To Geek, and Guiding Tech. His current daily drivers are the Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, while his red iPhone SE (2nd gen) remains a personal favorite. Aman also appreciates bold smartphone experiments and still considers the Nokia N-Gage one of the industry’s most iconic designs.
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