iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max release date + all the juicy rumours
Key takeaways
- Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are tipped to launch on 10 September 2026 in Australia, alongside Apple's first-ever foldable.
- The standard iPhone 18 isn't expected to arrive at the same time, with reports suggesting it's been pushed back to early 2027 alongside the iPhone Air 2.
- There's a very good chance we'll see price hikes on the iPhone 18 Pro models this year, but Apple may absorb some of the costs to keep up demand.
Apple's next iPhones are only weeks away, but this year, the line-up will look a bit different.
Here's a look at everything you need to know, from the release date to expected prices and the biggest rumours around the Pro models.
When are the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max launching in Australia?
Apple hasn't confirmed a release date yet.
But based on its usual timing, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are expected to be revealed in the second week of September, with most leaks pointing to a keynote on Wednesday 9 September (US time).
For those of us in Australia, that'll be the early hours of 10 September.
If Apple sticks to its usual pattern, pre-orders should open on the evening of 11 September, with the phones going on sale the following Friday, 18 September.
You'll be able to buy them on a phone plan from Telstra, Optus or Vodafone, or outright from Apple and retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.
How much will the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max cost in Australia?
It's all up in the air at the moment, but we reported a while back that outgoing CEO Tim Cook said price hikes are "unavoidable" as memory and storage costs surge.
In fact, TrendForce claims production costs for the iPhone 18 Pro models could surge by 38% year-on-year due to rising component costs.
The latest leaks point to the iPhone 18 Pro starting somewhere between US$1,099 and US$1,299, and the Pro Max between US$1,299 and US$1,499.
That's around US$200 more than their current starting prices.
Not everyone agrees, though.
Some reports reckon Apple could hold prices steady or absorb some of the costs to keep demand up.
Leaks around Australian pricing are thin on the ground at the moment, so we're relying on US pricing rumours for now.
Here's a look at last year's iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max pricing to give you a benchmark.
| Model | Australian RRP |
|---|---|
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro 256GB | $1,999 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro 512GB | $2,399 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro 1TB | $2,799 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB | $2,199 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 512GB | $2,599 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 1TB | $2,999 |
| Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB | $3,799 |
Where's the regular iPhone 18? Apple's split launch explained
This is the big change this year.
Apple is likely to split the iPhone launch across two windows for the first time, rather than releasing the whole line-up at once.
The Pro, Pro Max and Apple's first foldable are expected in September.
The rest of the line-up, meaning the standard iPhone 18, a cheaper iPhone 18e and a new iPhone Air 2, is rumoured to be held back until spring 2027, which means autumn for us in Australia.
Reports suggest the reason is simply that Apple now has too many iPhones to launch all at once once a foldable joins the range.
Spreading them out gives the foldable its moment to shine and gives buyers a reason to upgrade later.
So if you're holding out for the iPhone 18, you could be waiting longer than usual.
What are the biggest iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max rumours?
Most of the upgrades this year look to be under the hood.
Here's what's tipped for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, according to leaks rounded up by MacRumors and AppleInsider:
- A new A20 Pro chip that's rumoured to be up to 15% faster and around 30% more power efficient than the current model.
- A smaller Dynamic Island, the pill-shaped cut-out at the top of the screen, is expected to shrink by roughly a third.
- A redesigned back with a single, unified colour instead of the current two-tone look.
- We could also see some new colours, with dark cherry, light blue and silver all tipped as possible options.
- Slightly thicker and heavier bodies, with a chunkier camera bar.
- The same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch ProMotion screens as the iPhone 17 Pro.
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max camera rumours
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are expected to get variable aperture on their main cameras.
Basically, that means the camera could give you more control over how much light comes in, which could help with things like brighter photos and more natural-looking background blur.
There's also talk of a new, higher-quality main sensor and a brighter telephoto lens for zoomed-in shots.
Will the iPhone 18 Pro models have under-display Face ID?
This is the rumour to take with a healthy dose of scepticism.
Some leakers reckon the iPhone 18 Pro will finally move Face ID under the display, leaving just a small camera cutout and giving us an almost all-screen iPhone.
However, we've heard this exact rumour for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 and it didn't happen either time.
And now, other reports suggest the technology still isn't ready.
iPhone 18 Pro Max battery: the biggest jump in years?
If you care about battery life, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the one to watch.
Regulatory filings spotted by MacRumors suggest the iPhone 18 Pro Max could pack a battery of around 5,567mAh, up from 5,088mAh in the current iPhone 17 Pro Max.
That would make it one of the largest batteries ever put in an iPhone.
The smaller iPhone 18 Pro looks like it'll get a much more modest bump, at around 4,288mAh, barely up from the 4,252mAh in today's iPhone 17 Pro.
What about the foldable iPhone?
Alongside the Pro models, Apple is tipped to launch its first-ever foldable in September, possibly called the iPhone Ultra.
It's expected to be the most expensive iPhone yet, with leaks suggesting a price of around US$2,000 to US$2,500.
We've broken down everything rumoured about the foldable in a separate piece as it deserves its own deep dive.
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