iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: how do Apple’s new iPhones fare against last year’s models?

The iPhone Duo is undoubtedly the major attraction of this year’s iPhone lineup, but it’s the Pro models that most users, at least in India, will be able to get their hands on given the skyrocketing prices of these new iPhones. The iPhone 18 Pro is roughly 46 percent cheaper than Apple’s first-ever foldable in India. While it may not have dual screens, the 18 Pro series is lighter, slimmer, and features a superior camera setup. But how does it compare to last year’s iPhone 17 Pro series? We will find out in this specs-based comparison, but first let’s get the pricing out of the way.

iPhone 18 Pro series vs iPhone 17 Pro series India prices compared

The iPhone 18 Pro has been launched in India with a starting price of Rs 1,64,900 for the base 256GB storage variant. The handset comes with up to 2TB of storage, which costs Rs 3,14,900. The iPhone 18 Pro Max, meanwhile, has been priced at Rs 1,79,900 for the base variant, while the top-end variant costs Rs 3,29,900.

The pricing is significantly higher than that of the now-discontinued iPhone 17 Pro lineup, which started at Rs 1,34,900. Check out the table below for a quick side-by-side comparison of how Apple’s Pro models have been priced a year apart.

Specs at a glance

Identical design, new colour options

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max design remains unchanged from its predecessor, featuring the same large camera plateau and flat edges. Dimensions remain unchanged, but the latest iPhones are a notch heavier. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max weighed 206 and 231 grams, respectively. In comparison, the iPhone 18 Pro tips the scales at 211 grams, while the Pro Max weighs 249 grams.

However, the major visual differentiators between the newer and older Pro models are the colour options. Apple has introduced two new shades, Burgundy and Glacier, with the iPhone 18 Pro series, while discontinuing the flashy Cosmic Orange and subtler Deep Blue variants seen on the iPhone 17 Pro models.

The standard silver and black colour options continue with the latest lineup.

Display and battery backup

The display on the iPhone 18 Pro models also remains unchanged from its predecessors. The regular Pro gets the 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR ProMotion OLED display, while the Pro Max features a larger 6.9-inch display. However, the smartphones deliver relatively more screen real estate than ever before, thanks to the 35 percent narrower Dynamic Island notch than the iPhone 17 Pro models.

That’s the only difference between the two phones. Other aspects, such as resolution, pixels per inch (PPI), Wide Colour (P3), HDR support, and contrast ratio, remain unchanged, ensuring a nearly identical viewing experience.

As usual, Apple hasn’t revealed the battery capacities of its new iPhones – a teardown video will tell us the exact capacities later. For now, the iPhone 18 Pro (eSIM-only model) is said to deliver up to 36 hours of video playback on a single charge. This is up from the 33 hours of claimed playback from the iPhone 17 Pro’s 3,988mAh battery.

Similarly, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to deliver up to 45 hours of video playback between charges – an increase of six hours from its predecessor, which packs a 4,823mAh battery. Furthermore, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are rated to provide 24 hours and 30 hours of regular usage on a full charge.

Speaking of charging, both handsets should be able to recharge up to 50 percent in about 15 minutes via the USB Type-C port. Without specifying the wattage, Apple claims the smartphones support faster wired charging that can provide 6 hours of video playback in just 5 minutes.

Performance and software

At the core of the iPhone 18 Pro models is the latest A20 Pro chipset, which Apple claims delivers snappier performance than the A19 Pro SoC powering the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. While benchmark and real-world tests are still awaited, Apple claims that the new SoC delivers up to 20 percent faster performance for everyday tasks and up to 40 percent better performance for graphically demanding tasks such as gaming, AI, photo editing, and more. The SoC is also claimed to double neural compute performance, enabling more capable on-device AI, while offering up to 40 percent better sustained performance.

The iPhone 18 Pro series runs iOS 27 out of the box, while the iPhone 17 Pro received the latest software from Apple via OTA update. This is going to make the overall experience is nearly identical on both smartphones, with similar sets of features such as advanced Apple intelligence, Siri AI, Liquid Glass precision slider, and more. You can read all about the new iOS 27 features in our beta roundup copy, which we covered back in July.

Cameras

The cameras also get a subtle but important upgrade. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max feature the same-resolution rear cameras as the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max: a 48MP main camera, a 48MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, and a 48MP 3x telephoto camera. They also retain the 18MP Centre Stage camera on the front.

However, the main sensor on the iPhone 18 Pro models has been refreshed with a DSLR-like variable aperture system. This allows the lens to open and close to different f-stops, f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0, instead of the fixed f/1.78 aperture on the previous models. A lower f-number means a wider aperture, allowing the camera to capture more light and, in turn, retain more detail across different lighting conditions.

A real-world test will show how capable the new main lens on the iPhone 18 Pro models is.

Verdict

It’s a typical Apple playbook. The iPhone 18 Pro series delivers minor, incremental upgrades over its predecessor. However, the catch here is the significantly higher price tag. Instead of a modest price adjustment, the latest iPhones are much costlier, driven by higher RAM, storage, and other component prices. This makes upgrading to the latest iPhones harder than ever to justify, at least on paper.

The biggest improvements in the iPhone 18 Pro series come from the new A20 Pro chipset, longer battery life, and a variable-aperture main camera. However, these are still marginal upgrades over the previous generation. So, unless you’re an Apple fan who likes to own the latest tech as soon as it arrives, existing iPhone 17 Pro series users can comfortably sit this one out.