Apple put a $1,199 price on the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,299 on the Pro Max, pushing both into a fight Samsung and Google already joined.
Key Points:
- Apple's Pro models reach stores Sept. 18, starting at $1,199 and $1,299.
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra and Pixel 11 Pro XL both start at $1,299, matching Apple's larger phone.
- Early reviewers split the field: Apple leads on camera control, Samsung on zoom and weight, Google on price-to-value questions.
iPhone 18 Pro Camera Gets Variable Aperture
Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max on Sept. 9, and the biggest change sits in the 48-megapixel main camera, where six mechanical blades open and close to change the aperture.
Reviewers who handled the phone at Apple Park counted four settings, from f/1.48 to f/4.0, with manual shutter speed, white balance and ISO controls beside them.
Inside sits the A20 Pro, Apple's first chip built on a 2-nanometer process. A redesigned vapor chamber with three times the surface area of last year's system cools it, and Apple says sustained performance climbs as much as 40%. Pre-orders open Sept. 12, retail sales start Sept. 18, and storage reaches 2TB for the first time across black, silver, glacier and burgundy finishes.
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Galaxy S26 Ultra And Pixel Match On Price
Samsung answers with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which carries a 200-megapixel main sensor and two dedicated telephoto cameras, one at 3x and one at 5x, plus software zoom that stretches to 100x.
Apple ships a single 4x telephoto on a triple 48-megapixel system, so the Galaxy keeps the wider reach and adds 8K video that the iPhone does not match.
Samsung also wins on comfort, at 214 grams against 249 grams for the Pro Max.
Google sells the Pixel 11 Pro XL at the same $1,299 as the Ultra. Its Tensor G6 chip still trails Qualcomm and Apple silicon on raw speed, and one reviewer described the phone as the strongest Pixel yet with several caveats attached. Testers found its 5,115 mAh battery lasting longer than last year's larger cell, crediting the more efficient processor rather than new hardware.
Reviewers Split On Apple And Samsung Trade-Offs
None of the early verdicts on the new iPhones rest on full testing. Writers who spent time with the phones said they could not yet judge thermal behavior, charging speed or real battery life, which leaves zoom preferences, weight and ecosystem loyalty as the clearer dividing lines this month.
Variable aperture is also not new to phones. Samsung shipped the idea on the Galaxy S9 in 2018, Huawei extended it on the Mate 50 Pro, and Xiaomi widened the range from f/1.42 to f/4.0 on the 14 Ultra. Apple arrives years after those attempts, and reviewers now want to know whether a moving part survives a year inside a pocket.
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