Apple iPhone 18 Leaks Reveal Stunning New Features and Higher Prices

Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 lineup is shaping up to be one of the biggest iPhone upgrades in years. From a rumored $1,299 starting price for the iPhone 18 Pro and 12GB RAM across all models to brighter displays, larger batteries, variable aperture cameras, AI-powered Siri, and a possible foldable iPhone Ultra, here's everything leaked so far about Apple's 2026 flagship smartphones.

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The release of the upcoming iPhones is predicted to be held during the first week of September 2026, in accordance with tradition. According to Bloomberg, the company is going to announce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 8, 2026 (with the sales starting soon). Noteworthy is the fact that during this event the company will already have its new CEO, who will start his work as the head of the company on September 1 – John Ternus (former SVP of Hardware Engineering) replaces Tim Cook. The choice of this month for the release is predictable (the company has not once missed a year in the history), however, it serves as a preparation for some major actions. Apart from the regular iPhone 18, 18 Pro, and 18 Pro Max, Apple is rumored to reveal its first foldable phone in September 2026. The rumors state that this phone is likely to appear under the name of iPhone Ultra (or "Fold") and feature a book-type folding, two rear cameras, and dual display (7.8 inches inner and 5.5 inches outer).

There have been indications by Apple that the upcoming iPhone 18 models are going to cost more than previous versions. According to an interview in the Wall Street Journal with CEO Tim Cook, “price increases will be inevitable.” The independent analysis supports that the price increase will be necessary with reports stating that the base cost for the iPhone 18 Pro can be expected to be around $1,299 (with the price of the 17 Pro being $1,099, $200 increase). This is because MacRumors has reported based on an article in the WSJ that there is a significant increase in the components' cost for Apple (around 25%) and $1,399 may very well become the cost of the 18 Pro once the additional hardware is considered in the cost.

Design and Display

The consensus is that Apple won't be giving the iPhone 18 series a major design makeover. The basic idea seems to be the same flat, stainless steel iPhone 17 design with some small changes made here and there. In any case, the Dynamic Island (a pill-like cutout which houses the front-facing camera and the Face ID system) might become a little smaller in the non-Pro iPhones of this generation. According to rumors, the base iPhone 18 will get a smaller Dynamic Island as well as an even flatter camera bump than last year, whereas the 18 Pro range will stick to the slightly bigger “plateau” camera bump of last year. As far as display sizes go, the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are both rumored to have the same 6.3 inches (18 Pro Max around 6.9 inches) screen size that they had last year. Practically speaking, there'll probably be a 6.3-inch base 18, a 6.3-inch 18 Pro, and a 6.9-inch 18 Pro Max, all of which have 120 Hz LTPO OLED displays. Rumors even have it that Apple has demanded exceptionally bright displays from its panel manufacturers.

The general impression, however, is that the designs of the iPhone 18 and 18 Pro are very similar. Sources from the tech industry claim that Apple’s new CEO Ternus, who has been working in engineering for years, prefers to make improvements rather than to start a complete redesign. One insignificant detail: According to one of the Chinese leakers, iPhone 18 and 18 Pro might stop using the two-toned glass panel of the 17 Pro in favor of one uniform design. What exactly is meant by it – a cosmetic change or something else – is unknown. In the long term, the next major change will be introduced only with the iPhone 20 (with a rumored "waterfall" display) – but in 2026, at least, the iPhone will still resemble iPhone 17.

Color Options

The leaks provide our first hint about the colors of the iPhone 18 Pro. Macworld says that Apple is preparing “Dark Cherry” dark red color for the iPhone 18 Pro, along with a light blue and a dark grey, as well as a regular silver color for the model. It means that the possible colors of the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are: Silver, Space Grey, Light Blue (the same as in the iPhone 17 Pro, Mist Blue) and Dark Cherry. Additionally, Apple seems to be leaving behind the classic black, so there is no “Midnight”/black color this time.

Hardware Upgrades

The iPhone 18 lineup will also receive substantial internal enhancements. According to the latest leaks, all iPhones of the lineup will have a unified amount of RAM – 12GB for the base model of iPhone 18 (just like in the Pros). All of this additional memory will allow Apple to take advantage of its new AI functions in iOS 27 (more about it in the next section). As for the engines, it is expected that Apple will use new 2nm SoCs. The base iPhone 18 will feature the A20, while 18 Pro and Pro Max will get the A20 Pro chip.

Connectivity also receives an upgrade. The in-house 5G modem made by Apple (C2) may launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. In addition to bringing full mmWave support (resulting in faster 5G) to the devices, rumors also point to its inclusion of satellite 5G capabilities. That is, the 18 Pro lineup might finally gain true satellite connectivity (in the form of the NR-NTN standard), offering internet access through satellites, as opposed to only being able to use satellite technology for emergency purposes such as SOS messages. Lastly, Apple continues its “N” series of wireless chips. According to analyst Jeff Pu, the 18 Pro gets the next-generation N2 chip in 2026. Judging from previous generations (N1), this suggests that the lineup will be capable of Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread, etc., with improvements to the Hotspot and AirDrop functionality.

The storage capacity hasn’t been nailed down yet, but expect it to resemble the 17 with its 128GB minimum up to 1TB max for the Pro models. One thing is sure: the prices of components (particularly the DRAM and the NAND), spurred by AI-related demand, have skyrocketed, and Apple is not immune from the effects. While some observers speculate that Apple will take most of the price increase on memory into its own budget, this does nothing to stop an increase to 12GB RAM from being one reason for higher prices.

Battery and Charging

It is rumored that there will be significant improvements in the battery capacity for Pro models. According to a leaker (Digital Chat Station) and further reports, the iPhone 18 Pro is believed to have slightly more than 5,000 mAh capacity higher compared to the ~4,870 mAh in the 17 Pro. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is supposed to have an even higher capacity: According to one of the leak sources, the device should provide about 5,235 mAh (nano-SIM) and 5,425 mAh (eSIM). For reference, the 17 Pro Max had approximately 4,800/5,088 mAh. It can be noted that it's only a slight improvement (about 6-8% more), but it will allow Apple to keep up with the competition in terms of battery capacity. However, a larger battery will mean that 18 Pro Max will become slightly thicker and heavier by about +0.25 mm and +7 grams respectively (compared to the 17 Pro Max).

Camera Upgrades

And that is where it appears Apple is leaving no stone unturned. According to reports from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the iPhone 18 Pro will sport "some of the biggest camera hardware upgrades ever." Although there is no concrete information available, the pieces of evidence suggest that two things are expected to happen – variable-aperture main shooter and wider aperture for telephoto shooter. With variable aperture (f/1.6 to f/2.4, for instance), the phone can control the amount of light reaching its main sensor, hence providing the photographer with both shallow depth-of-field (optical bokeh) and bright images in low-light conditions. It would mean a significant increase in the picture quality when taking portraits and pictures at night compared to what fixed aperture provides right now. Telephoto shooter may also get a slightly lower f-number.

Not much has been learned regarding new sensor sizes and Ultra-Wide updates for 2026 yet. However, given Gurman’s statement, one can say that Apple expects the leap in camera performance of the 18 Pro to be significant. (As 9to5Mac states, Gurman’s statement is extremely bold, which means there might be some surprises besides what was mentioned before.) We will not draw our conclusions until we see the results of tear-down and testing of the camera, however, it looks promising already.

iOS 27 and AI Features

On the inside, the iPhone 18 is to have iOS 27, presented by Apple at the WWDC 2026. The key topic for this year is Apple Intelligence the term used by Apple for their approach to on-device AI and the completely redesigned Siri. As Apple says, iOS 27 will feature “the next generation of Apple Intelligence”, bringing “an entirely new version of Siri that is profoundly more intelligent, knowledgeable, and capable”.

In other words, it means that Siri AI is able to comprehend what is shown on your screen and correlate it with your context. For instance, you would be able to ask Siri “What’s his name again?”, looking at a photo and make Siri guess who you are talking about based on Contacts. Or you would be able to tell Siri “Plan my day”, while having a look at a map and get it done (just as Apple shows in its demo photo). Apple showed us such features as “Image Playground”, allowing creating generative wallpapers with AI and even AI-based edits in Photos.

It is important to note that Apple focuses on privacy and functionality. In interviews, Craig Federighi pointed out that Siri is meant to help users accomplish their goals rather than become a companion or “friend.” As he jokingly noted, “Siri is 100 percent not into” being a lover. On the other hand, Siri will concentrate on performing tasks such as making reminders, analyzing photos (e.g. describing the cricket ball in a picture), enhancing dictation quality, and answering questions based on what Siri sees on the user’s screen and in the apps. The new iOS version features an exclusive Siri app that allows one to review past conversations. Everything related to Siri stays private and confidential and syncs via iCloud encryption.

On the whole, it appears that the iPhone 18 will be an evolutionary move for the company with similar hardware design and upgrades in terms of screen, battery, and camera but a revolution in the form of AI software. The fans will look forward to September to see if all these rumors about iPhone 18 will turn out to be true, and whether the increased prices will be justified by Apple. With a new CEO on board and a foldable Ultra in the lineup, the 2026 event will be quite historic for Apple.