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Science and technology
iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max to go on sale starting tomorrow: Key upgrades that make them worth the upgrade
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max bring a new A20 Pro chip, variable aperture camera, upgraded Siri AI and launch offers, making the latest Pro models a notable upgrade despite their higher prices.
The iPhone 18 Pro would soon be available in stores near you, with sales starting at 8 AM IST through Apple India. Pre-orders for the upcoming devices opened a week earlier, and customers who booked early are expected to get a jump on the queue and receive their phones tomorrow.
Apple unveiled the new Pro models, alongside the Apple Watch Series 12 and AirPods 5, at its Surprise and Shine event on September 9. The flagship foldable Duo would go on sale from October 23.
Still confused about whether you should upgrade to the 18 Pro or 18 Pro Max anytime soon? Here is a brief look at the new tech upgrades that might help you make up your mind.
While most users would have their eyes set on the Duo or the variable aperture camera, it would be fair to say that the processor upgrade has not received the applause it deserves. Right at its launch, Apple had promised twice the sustained performance of the A 19 pro. What matters here is improvement in sustained performance, not peak performance.
Mostly, smartphones throttle performance during benchmarks and achieve peak numbers. A sustained performance increase means that the phone would be able to work through those stress scenarios across a period of use. The new 2nm-based chip features 6 CPU cores, seven GPU cores and a dual 16-core Neural Engine.
The 2nm process and chip packaging, along with Apple using a new wafer-level multi-chip module design, placing memory right beside the processor rather than on top of it, keeps DRAM off the chip’s thermal route. All this, along with a vapor chamber larger than that of the iPhone 17 Pro, makes these upgrades worth your money.
And the proof is in the pudding. In early benchmark tests, with a single-core score of 4,006, the chip was ahead of many other processors tested on Geekbench platforms, with a multi-core score of 11,460 compared to the A19’s score of 9,016. This is a massive improvement. This new chip is about 23% faster in single-core and 26% faster in multi-core performance, as per PC Guide.
These numbers ensure that the flagship would be able to retain its position for a considerable amount of time in the future. Hence, beyond the marketing blitz of a folding phone, the processor is what makes the upgrade a worthy decision.
This new addition would allow users to have better control over the exposure they want for their photographs. A little hard to understand at first for normal users, it would be a perfect fit for users who have used DSLR cameras before. Generally, phone cameras have big apertures due to their small sensor sizes to ensure a bright photograph. They often have a fast shutter speed as standard to ensure the photos are not overexposed.
This new variable aperture setup would use blades that close down from the sides to block some of the incoming light, helping you go for longer shutter speeds and capture motion blur and whatnot. However, that requires some skill. Apple has surely made this user-friendly with a bunch of submenus and easy steps, but to use it wisely, users would need to understand the basic principles of photography. A worthy upgrade, anyhow, that makes the 18 Pro and Max the perfect upgrade.
As the phone comes to retail, Apple is offering up to Rs 7,000 instant cashback on eligible purchases made using select cards such as American Express, Axis Bank and ICICI Bank. The actual cashback depends on the card and applicable terms. With maximum cashback, the effective price of the iPhone 18 Pro comes down to Rs 1,57,900, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts effectively at Rs 1,72,900. Customers can also opt for EMI on eligible credit and debit cards, with payment options including cards, net banking, UPI and payment on delivery.
Siri is no longer just a voice assistant limited to simple tasks. Its upgraded version goes much further. With contextual awareness, Siri can now help users with more complex tasks through a more conversational flow and greater transparency. Its improved ability to understand context enables users to get more nuanced answers and solutions to their queries. And that’s not all. These upgrades extend across Apple’s ecosystem, including the new Series 12 Watch and AirPods.
If you have been planning for an upgrade and are now rethinking due to the increased prices, we would recommend the upgrade, and if possible, you can also wait for better offers to trickle in.