Apple’s ‘Surprise and shine‘ event left us feeling neither surprised nor radiant, but it did deliver a fresh crop of iPhones, AirPods, and watches to play with. Right on cue, we might add. The big boy this year wasn’t the iPhone 18 Pro Max — though it’s certainly a close second — but rather the iPhone Duo, Apple’s first swing at a foldable.
If you’re not all that keen on beta-testing the form factor, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max offer something reliable. This year, Apple’s upped the prices of its former flagship line, though the hit wasn’t as detrimental as expected. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max start at $1,200 (∼R19,280) and $1,300 (∼R20,880), respectively. That’s no minor hike. It’ll make the devices an even harder sell locally.
Another bite at the Apple
As usual, this is an iterative update, meaning the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have retained nearly everything from last year. The same 6.3in Super Retina XDR OLED display sits up front on the 18 Pro, while a 6.9in screen catches the eye on the Pro Max. Both devices are a little heftier than their 17 counterparts, now weighing in at 211g and 249g.
The ‘big’ change here is the addition of the A20 Pro chip, which also debuted inside the foldable iPhone Duo. This time, it’s using a 2nm process (as opposed to 3nm), and packs a six-core CPU — with four efficiency cores and two “desktop-class” super cores. A seven-core GPU rides shotgun, with a 32-core neural engine in the back seat.
All that results in a performance boost (we should hope so) over the previous generation. While technically true, we don’t see it leading to massive real-world gains for the average user, but only time will tell. Apple has also promised users access to Siri AI, which is rolling out alongside iOS 27. We’ve heard that one before.
Read More: Apple finally enters the foldable race with the iPhone Duo
Apple reckons that the iPhone 18 Pro Max features the biggest battery ever in an iPhone. The Pro is no slouch either, and offers the same battery life you’d find in the 17 Pro Max. There’s no hard data yet — only Apple’s vague promises. The 18 Pro claims to bring 36 hours of video playback to the table, while the Pro Max ups that to 45 hours. That’s assuming you’ve got an eSIM model, though. Get a physical slot, and it’ll knock 2 hours off each.
There isn’t much to say about the 48MP Fusion Main camera fixed to the rear, other than the fact it’s got a variable aperture. It’ll automatically adjust depth of field and lighting for the best shot possible. It’s joined by 48MP telephoto and ultrawide sensors on the back, while the 18MP selfie camera sits up front.
What will the iPhone 18 Pro cost in South Africa?
Apple’s SA arm isn’t famed for its generosity. Looking at those dollar values, you might even kid yourself that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are affordable (relatively speaking). The iStore’s habit of tacking on a distribution, tax, and duty fees means it… won’t be. True, the Rand is in a better place than it was a year ago, but Apple’s $100 (∼R1,600) hike offsets all that work. Both phones will be available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities.
As such, we expect the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max prices to look very similar to last year’s crop. That could mean a starting price of R28,600 for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro, with the 1TB model hitting R39,500. The iPhone 18 Pro Max, meanwhile, may arrive at R31,300 for 256GB of storage and top out at R52,500 with 2TB under the hood.
According to iStore South Africa, pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max open on Saturday, 12 September at 2PM. A release date is still unconfirmed, but it seems likely the store will mimic Apple’s 18 September date. Stuff reached out to iStore to determine local pricing, but hadn’t heard back at the time of publication.
