Review Machine · Master Review · Phones

Apple iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max

The best iPhone camera, $100 dearer, and a Face ID fault nobody reviewed

Across four full reviews, a roundup of five more and the first week of owners, the iPhone 18 Pro is praised for its variable-aperture camera, cooler running and longer battery, questioned for a $100 increase that becomes $300 at 1TB, and followed since launch by a Face ID fault no review could test.

From $1,199 Pro, $1,299 Pro Max, Apple USOn sale 18 September 2026Top tier 2TB, $2,399 Pro, $2,499 Pro MaxNew Variable aperture f/1.48 to f/4, A20 ProRead 23 September 2026Skip to the verdict Read as text

Verdict age

ProvisionalFull reviews in · owners five days old

LaunchSepMonth 1OctMonth 3DecMonth 6Mar

Official

2 official pages

Editorial

4 reviews · all in by 20 Sep

News

4 reports

Buyers

none readable

Forum

1 thread

Other

1 source

The reviews are from 16 and 20 September, written before launch; the owner reports are from the five days after it went on sale on 18 September. Anything Apple fixes in an iOS 27 update will change the complaint section first.

Early · editors only
Provisional · editors in, owners thin
Settled · owner reviews read over months

From 12 sources to one verdict

Seven levels, in the same order in every Master Review. Each line is the takeaway; open a level for the evidence under it, or stop when you have enough.

What we read

12 sources, 9 Sep – 23 Sep 2026. Forum tier thin. Buyer tier empty.

By tier, heaviest first

T1Official2

Apple's announcement and store page.

T2Editorial4

Four full reviews read first-hand, 16 to 20 September 2026.

T2News4

One roundup of five further reviewers, one pricing comparison and two reports on the Face ID fault.

T3Buyers0None readable

No sales or satisfaction figures exist yet.

Forum1Thin

One owner thread, read as an ordinary page; themes only.

Other1

One report on storage chips citing unnamed teardowns; not counted as evidence.

Date window

9 Sep 2026 to 23 Sep 2026

Editorial reviews 16 Sep – 20 Sep 2026 · News 9 Sep – 21 Sep 2026Announcement on 9 September, reviews on 16 and 20 September, launch on 18 September, owner reports to 23 September 2026.

Read, then rejected

YouTube reviews read second-hand · counted only as the AppleInsider roundup reports them
Repair-shop and fix-it blogs on overheating · vendor pages selling fixes; no dated owner evidence
Reviews of iPhone Duo and Galaxy S26 Ultra · different models, not counted

What they measured

$1,199 to $2,499 by model and storage, 16 to 18 hours in Tom's Guide's battery test, 211 g and 249 g.

iPhone 18 Pro, US price by storage

256GB$1,199

512GB$1,399

1TB$1,799

2TB$2,399

Apple · read 23 Sep

Increase over iPhone 17 Pro

$100256GBand at 512GB

MacRumors · 9 Sep

$3001TB$1,499 to $1,799

MacRumors · 9 Sep

Tom's Guide battery test, web browsing

16:17h:mmiPhone 18 Pro

Tom's Guide · 20 Sep

18:27h:mmiPhone 18 Pro Max

Tom's Guide · 20 Sep

Weight

211giPhone 18 Pro

Tom's Guide · 20 Sep

249giPhone 18 Pro Max

Tom's Guide · 20 Sep

Where they agree

Variable aperture the headline in 4 of 4 reviews. Cooler running in 4 of 4. Battery a real gain in 3 of 4.

One tick per editorial review, in order of publication:TR TechRadarEN Engadget9T 9to5MacTG Tom's Guide

A camera with a real aperture

4/4

f/1.48 to f/4 with six blades; control and low light in every review, manual shutter to one second in Engadget. T1Official T2Editorial

It stays cool

4/4

A vapor chamber three times the surface area; 9to5Mac says the throttling of earlier models is gone. T1Official T2Editorial

Battery life, especially on the Max

3/4

Tom's Guide 16:17 Pro and 18:27 Pro Max in its web test; TechRadar about 30 hours of use on the Max. T1Official T2Editorial

The fastest chip tested

3/4

Tom's Guide measured 25% single-core and 28% multi-core over the 17 Pro. T2Editorial

What keeps coming up against it

The price in 4 of 4 reviews. A Face ID fault in two reports and one thread since launch. Not worth it from a 17 Pro in 3 of 4.

The price, and how it climbs with storage

Well documented · $100 to $300 by tier

Documented byT1AppleT2MacRumorsT2EditorialHow commonnamed in all four full reviews and in the roundup

T1Apple

lists $1,199, $1,399, $1,799 and $2,399 for the Pro, and $1,299 to $2,499 for the Pro Max.

Apple · read 23 SepApple · 9 Sep

T2MacRumors

compares with last year: $100 more at 256GB and 512GB, $300 more at 1TB, which Apple attributes to supply shortages.

MacRumors · 9 Sep

T2Editorial

4/4all four reviews raise the increase.

TechRadar value is its only category scored four out of five
Tom's Guide $100 more and heavier than last year
9to5Mac the jump escalates with storage

A Face ID fault since launch

0/4

Failed checks can freeze and restart the phone; Macworld counts 22 of 24 replies in one thread, MacRumors says hit or miss. No Apple statement. T2News Forum

Not a reason to leave a 17 Pro

3/4

TechRadar and 9to5Mac say wait; Engadget and Mashable point older owners at it. T2Editorial T2News

Heavier, and aluminium scratches

2/4

211 g and 249 g per Tom's Guide; Engadget finds the frame scratches more than titanium did. T2Editorial

Siri still behind

2/4

Not as capable as Gemini or ChatGPT per Tom's Guide; misread context in Engadget's use. T2Editorial

Where they split

Reviewers agree on what improved and differ on how much; the Face ID fault has no rate yet.

Big battery gain or modest one

T2Editorial

the largest battery jump on an iPhone, echoing Apple's claim.

T2Joanna Stern, as reported

Against that: the Max delivers the claim, but the gain over last year is modest.

Both truethe longest-lasting iPhone, by less than the marketing implies.

Clearer photos, or only a little

T2Editorial

sharper detail and better low light than the 17 Pro.

T2The Verge, as reported

Against that: only minor image quality improvements.

Our readthe aperture is a control more than a jump in quality.

How big the Face ID fault is

T2Macworld

22 of 24 replies in one Reddit thread confirm it.

T2MacRumors

Against that: hit or miss; not everyone is affected, and some fixed it with a restart.

Soa self-selecting thread is not a rate; five days in, nobody has one.

Who it's for, who should pass

For owners of a 16 Pro or older who want Apple's best camera. Pass from a 17 Pro, at 1TB and up, or until the Face ID fault is fixed.

It suits you if

You have an iPhone 16 Pro or older.Every review that addresses upgrades points this group here.
You want a camera with a real aperture.All four reviews lead with it.
You want the longest-lasting iPhone and will carry the Max's weight.18:27 in Tom's Guide's test, at 249 g.
You buy 256GB or 512GB.The increase there is $100, not $300.

Pass if

You own an iPhone 17 Pro.TechRadar and 9to5Mac say wait.
You need 1TB or more at last year's price.$300 more at 1TB, per MacRumors.
You want an assistant as good as the best chatbots.Tom's Guide and Engadget both find Siri behind.
You would rather wait for a Face ID fix.Reported since launch, with no Apple statement yet.

This is a reading of published reviews, not medical, financial or legal advice. For a decision about your health, your money or your rights, a qualified professional is the right next step, and not a review.

The verdict

A better camera and battery for $100 more; the first owners found a Face ID fault.

VerdictProvisionalFull reviews in · owners five days old

Four full reviews agree the iPhone 18 Pro refines last year's phone with a better camera, cooler running and longer battery life, at $100 more that grows to $300 at 1TB, and the first week of owners has added a Face ID fault that no review could have tested.

Confidence, by tier

Officialstrong

Prices, dates and specifications from Apple's own pages.

Editorialstrong

Four full reviews read first-hand, all agreeing on the shape of the phone.

Newsstrong

A roundup of five more reviewers, a pricing comparison and two reports on the Face ID fault.

Forumthin

One owner thread, five days after launch; no rate of the fault.

Buyersnone

No sales or satisfaction figures yet.

Editorial evidence: under a month old
Newest report: 21 Sep 2026
Read: 23 Sep · month 0

Rests onAll four full reviews lead with the variable-aperture camera; Apple's store lists $1,199 against last year's $1,099; MacRumors and Macworld reported the Face ID fault on 21 September, three days after launch.

Sources

12 sources, heaviest tier first. Every figure above comes from one of these.

T1OfficialApple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max9 Sep
T1OfficialApple Store, iPhone 18 Pro prices by storageread 23 Sep
T2EditorialiPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max review, by Jacob Krol16 Sep
T2EditorialiPhone 18 Pro review, by Cherlynn Low16 Sep
T2EditorialiPhone 18 Pro review: more of a great thing, by Chance Miller16 Sep
T2EditorialiPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max review, by Mark Spoonauer20 Sep
T2NewsiPhone 18 Pro's $100 price increase is actually $300 at 1TB, by Juli Clover9 Sep
T2NewsiPhone 18 Pro review rounduproundup of The Verge, Mashable, GQ and two YouTube reviewers; cited as reported16 Sep
T2NewsSome iPhone 18 Pro users experiencing Face ID issues, by Joe Rossignol21 Sep
T2NewsiPhone 18 Pro owners report two serious bugs, by David Price21 Sep
ForumSome iPhone 18 Pro users experiencing Face ID issues, discussion threadread 23 Sep
OtheriPhone 18 Pro flash memory controversy, by Xiao Rujiancites unnamed teardowns; used only as an unverified claim20 Sep

MethodOn 23 September 2026 we read two of Apple's pages, four full reviews, one review roundup, three news reports, one owner thread and one unverified report on storage chips, all dated or read between 9 and 23 September 2026, by web search and plain page fetch, and synthesised them with AI; nothing was tested.

Dates without a year are 2026.

The review as text

The same review as one piece of writing · 6 min read

Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max on 9 September 2026, the same day as iPhone Duo, and put them on sale on 18 September in more than 65 countries. They start at $1,199 and $1,299, $100 more than last year's Pro models, and run to $2,399 and $2,499 for the new 2TB tier. This piece asks whether the reviews and the first week of owners justify the higher price.

Unlike last week's Duo reading, this one has full reviews and real owners. We read Apple's announcement and store page, four full reviews read first-hand (TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Engadget and 9to5Mac), AppleInsider's roundup of five more, three news reports on pricing and on a Face ID fault, one owner thread, and one report on storage chips that we could not verify, all published or read between 9 and 23 September 2026.

Consensus

The four full reviews agree on the shape of this phone: a refinement of last year's redesign, with the camera as the reason it exists. TechRadar gives it five stars, Engadget 9 out of 10, Tom's Guide an Editor's Choice, and 9to5Mac calls it more of a great thing. All four name the variable-aperture main camera as the headline, all four say it runs cooler than the iPhone 17 Pro, and three of the four name battery life as a real gain. The roundup's other reviewers, as AppleInsider reports them, land in the same place and add that the Duo took the attention.

The complaints are about money and about the first week. All four reviews raise the $100 increase, and 9to5Mac and MacRumors point out that it grows with storage. Since the phone reached buyers, MacRumors and Macworld have reported a Face ID fault that freezes and restarts some phones, which none of the reviews, written before launch, could have seen.

Recurring strengths

A camera with a real aperture. Apple lists a 48MP main camera with a variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4, set by six blades. All four reviews lead with it: TechRadar and Tom's Guide for creative control and low light, Engadget for manual shutter speeds down to one second, and 9to5Mac for night shots at a lower ISO than the 17 Pro.

It stays cool. Apple lists a vapor chamber, and TechRadar, Tom's Guide and 9to5Mac all describe it as three times the surface area of the last one. All four reviews say the phone runs noticeably cooler, and 9to5Mac says the throttling of earlier models is gone.

Battery life, especially on the Max. Apple claims up to 36 hours of video on the Pro and 45 on the Pro Max, and calls it the largest increase in iPhone history. Tom's Guide's web-browsing test ran 16 hours 17 minutes on the Pro and 18 hours 27 minutes on the Pro Max. TechRadar averaged about 30 hours of use on the Max; 9to5Mac got a day and a half.

Speed. Tom's Guide measured 25% faster single-core and 28% faster multi-core than the 17 Pro and calls the A20 Pro the fastest chip it has tested; 9to5Mac's figures are close.

Recurring complaints

The price, and how it climbs. Apple lists $1,199, $1,399, $1,799 and $2,399 for the Pro at 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB. MacRumors compares the tiers with last year: $100 more at 256GB and 512GB, $300 more at 1TB, which Apple attributes to supply shortages. All four reviews name the increase, and value is the only category TechRadar scores below five stars.

A Face ID fault since launch. MacRumors and Macworld reported on 21 September that failed Face ID checks can freeze the phone and force a restart, and that some owners see "Face ID is Not Available" during setup. Macworld counts 22 of 24 replies in one Reddit thread confirming it; MacRumors says it is hit or miss. Both note that Apple moved the infrared camera under the display for the smaller Dynamic Island, and neither can say that is the cause. Apple has made no statement we could find.

Not a reason to leave a 17 Pro. TechRadar and 9to5Mac say so directly, Engadget points owners of the 16 Pro or older at it instead, and Mashable, via the roundup, says the same.

Heavier, and the aluminium scratches. Tom's Guide lists 211 g and 249 g and calls both heavier. Engadget finds the aluminium frame scratches more easily than titanium did.

Siri. Tom's Guide says the new Siri is not as capable as Gemini or ChatGPT; Engadget found it misreading context.

Where reviewers split

Big battery gain or modest one. Apple, TechRadar and 9to5Mac call it the largest jump yet. Joanna Stern, via the roundup, says the Max delivers the claim but the gain over last year is modest. Both can be true: the Max is the longest-lasting iPhone, by less than the marketing implies.

Clearer photos, or only a little. TechRadar describes sharper detail and Tom's Guide better low light; The Verge, via the roundup, calls the gains in image quality minor. The aperture is a control more than a quality jump.

How big the Face ID fault is. Macworld's count comes from one self-selecting thread; MacRumors says not everyone is affected; the forum thread has users who fixed it with a restart. Five days in, nobody has a rate.

Storage chips. A 36Kr report says the 2TB model uses slower QLC flash and the 1TB a mix, citing teardowns it does not name. We could not confirm this and count it nowhere else.

Who it suits

You have an iPhone 16 Pro or older and want the best camera Apple makes; every review points that group here. You shoot enough to use a real aperture. You want the longest battery life on an iPhone and will carry the Max's weight for it. You buy the 256GB or 512GB model, where the increase is $100.

Who should pass

You own a 17 Pro; the reviews that address it say wait. You need 1TB or more and last year's price; it is $300 higher. You want an AI assistant as good as the best chatbots. You would rather wait for Apple to fix the Face ID fault before buying.

One verdict a week: the most useful Master Review we finished, the complaint that kept appearing, and who should skip it. Get the weekly verdict.

Sources

Official

Full reviews

News

Owners

MacRumors Forums, Face ID issues thread, read 23 September 2026

Unverified

36Kr, flash memory controversy, 20 September 2026

One verdict a week.

Every week, the most useful Master Review we finished: what the internet agrees on, the complaint that kept appearing, and who should skip it.