Apple Unveils iPhone 18 Pro Max With AI Siri at Fall Event
Apple's new CEO John Ternus showed off the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, alongside a foldable iPhone and Apple Watch Series 12. The Pro models get improved Apple…
Apple unveiled its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its fall event in Cupertino on Wednesday, marking the first major product reveal under newly appointed CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on September 1.
The Pro models come with improved Apple Intelligence software and an upgraded version of Siri called Siri AI. During a video demo, Apple showed how the AI assistant can answer questions about topics from texts and emails, use the iPhone's camera to interpret the world around you, and access broad world knowledge. Users can also ask Siri to draft emails and messages via voice and text with what Apple calls expressive voices.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 1320 x 2868 pixel resolution. The device is built with Ceramic Shield 2 glass front and aluminum frame, weighs 240 grams, and measures 9mm thick. It comes in storage options of 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB, all with 12GB of RAM and no microSD card slot.
Apple's first foldable iPhone also debuted at the event. The company highlighted design features it says set the device apart: the FaceTime camera sits hidden behind the display and becomes invisible until needed, while the new hinge lies completely flat when the screen opens. Apple enters an existing foldable market already dominated by Samsung and Huawei, but the company said the design refinements address quirks from competitors' devices.
Camera and Performance
The Pro Max's camera system packs three 48-megapixel sensors. The main wide camera has an f/1.6–4.0 aperture with dual pixel phase detection autofocus and sensor-shift optical image stabilization. A periscope telephoto lens offers 4x optical zoom, while the ultrawide shoots at 120 degrees with a 13mm focal length. A TOF 3D LiDAR scanner handles depth sensing.
Video recording reaches 4K at up to 120fps in 10-bit HDR with Dolby Vision and ProRes RAW support. The 18-megapixel front camera records 4K at up to 60fps with gyroscopic stabilization. The device runs a hexa-core processor with two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores.
Battery capacity depends on the SIM configuration: 5391 mAh for Nano-SIM models or 5567 mAh for eSIM-only versions. Wired charging reaches 50 percent in 15 minutes with 25W Power Delivery 3.2, while 25W MagSafe wireless charging hits 50 percent in 30 minutes (15W in China). The phone also supports 4.5W reverse wired charging.
Apple Watch Update
Apple also announced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4. Both get upgraded heart rate sensors that take readings every 5 seconds and track heart rate variability. Apple tested the new sensor against competing trackers and a chest strap. The watches include Audio Intelligence powered by a new S11 chip derived from the A20 Pro, which houses a quad-core neural engine for on-device processing.
A new Siri Recap feature uses conversations the watch hears throughout the day to generate reminders of what happened. The Series 12 starts at $400 and the Ultra 4 at $800—prices held flat from their predecessors despite rising hardware component costs across the industry. Both are available for preorder today and ship starting September 18.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are expected to launch on September 18. The standard iPhone 18 is rumored for early 2027. Apple remains under pressure to demonstrate AI leadership as it rolls out more generative features across its ecosystem.
