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I captured my favorite iPhone photo to date with the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but if you ask me to recommend it, I actually think it’s not for everyone.

What I like most about this iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max is the photography process. It gives me a feeling somewhat similar to the Fujifilm X100VI—not that the image quality is the same, but the variable aperture, manual shutter, white balance, and new photographic styles make me willing to slow down and adjust parameters on an iPhone for the first time, rather than just picking it up and shooting.

Especially when shooting at night, this change is even more noticeable. A large aperture can increase light intake, while a smaller aperture can capture starbursts, and combined with manual shutter for light trails, it truly gives a better “playing with the camera” feel than before.

But the problem is also very real: the iPhone 18 Pro starts at 9,999 RMB in China, and the Pro Max starts at 10,999 RMB. For a photography enthusiast like me, these features are very attractive; but if you usually just snap casual photos, post on WeChat Moments, and rarely use the telephoto lens, I can’t say for sure that you definitely need the Pro.

The official starting price for the iPhone 17 is now 6,799 yuan, and the iPhone 16 is still on sale at a much lower price. They lack the full photography capabilities of this Pro generation, but for most people’s daily use, they are actually more than enough.

The battery life has been quite stable over the past few days of use. The Pro Max officially supports up to 43 hours of video playback, and the charging speed is also faster than before. I also quite like the overall interaction of iOS 27, but Siri AI is currently unavailable in mainland China, so I won’t include this part as a reason to buy the domestic version.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is indeed very powerful, and I personally like it a lot. However, it is increasingly feeling like a Pro device tailored for photography, video, and creative users, rather than a “better iPhone” that everyone must buy.

Should you buy the iPhone 18 Pro?

If you enjoy adjusting the aperture and shutter speed yourself like I do, or if you frequently use your phone to shoot videos, then the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are truly a perfect match this time. Especially with the low-light shooting and the full suite of manual controls, you can clearly feel that it is increasingly being designed for true photography enthusiasts.

But if you just want to replace your current Pro with the latest model, I actually suggest waiting. For iPhone 14 Pro or even older models, upgrading to the 18 Pro will provide a significant enough boost. iPhone 15 Pro users should first check their battery health; if it’s just the battery life that’s failing, replacing the battery might be more cost-effective than buying a new phone. As for the iPhone 16 Pro and 17 Pro, I personally think there’s absolutely no need to rush into an upgrade this year—saving your money is a more practical choice.

The iPhone 18 Pro and the upcoming iPhone Duo are not the same thing. The former places increasing emphasis on cameras and video, while the Duo sells a foldable large screen and a new form factor, making them difficult to compare directly.

Moreover, after using it for a few days, I’m increasingly convinced that most people don’t really need such a complete Pro camera setup. Especially the telephoto lens—if you rarely take photos of distant objects, the significantly cheaper iPhone 17 might already be enough. The people who truly need the 18 Pro usually don’t need anyone to tell them why they should buy it.

The Dynamic Island has finally gotten smaller.

The first thing I noticed when I got my hands on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max is that they feel much heavier than I expected. The 18 Pro weighs 211g, and the Pro Max is even heavier at 249g. If you’re upgrading from the 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max, you’ll immediately feel the difference in hand. With a larger battery, a next-generation VC vapor chamber, and an unibody aluminum chassis, this generation clearly didn’t prioritize being thin and light.

However, I personally don’t mind this feeling. It is indeed a bit heavy in the hand, but at the same time, it feels more solid, giving me the sense that I don’t have to treat it with extreme caution.

The back is even more uniform this time compared to the previous generation, with all four colors featuring glass back panels in the same color family. The Burgundy red in my hands wasn’t my original favorite, but the actual device looks better than the photos, and when I take it out, people even give it a second look. Glacier Blue is quite refreshing, while Black is the one I find most timeless.

The front is actually the change I notice most easily every day: the Dynamic Island is finally smaller. The new Dynamic Island can display up to three Live Activities simultaneously, and Face ID is still retained. In actual use, the top isn’t as eye-catching as before, and when navigation, music, or sports info appear at the same time, this area finally feels more useful.

Of course, it’s not a reason to upgrade on its own, but I find these small daily changes easier to notice than many upgrades hidden in the spec sheet.

The iPhone 18 Pro charges quickly, and the battery life is very reliable.

I’ve been using the iPhone 18 Pro Max for over five days now, and I’ve only charged it three times in total, even though my usage hasn’t been light these past few days. I’ve done a lot of photography, video recording, and gaming, and the battery life really feels incredibly solid.

Monday was the day I pushed it the hardest. I was shooting review videos outdoors the whole time, with the screen brightness cranked up to the max, and repeatedly demonstrating various features in between. This level of intensity was clearly much higher than usual, but the Pro Max still held up.

Charging speed is another aspect of this generation that left a deep impression on me. In a 30-minute wired charging test, the iPhone 18 Pro Max went from 0% to 77%, while the 18 Pro reached 82%. I also specifically tested Apple’s official claim of “up to 50% charge in 15 minutes”; the 18 Pro charged to 53%, and the Pro Max reached 48%, which basically matches the official data.

I also tested wireless charging once, and the Pro Max charged to 40% in 30 minutes. The standard 18 Pro hasn’t finished the same test yet, and interestingly, last year’s 17 Pro Max was actually faster in this regard, so the new model doesn’t lead in every single metric.

The A20 Pro, paired with the new VC vapor chamber, has been very stable over the past few days while playing “Arknights: Endfield” and “Genshin Impact,” or recording large amounts of video continuously. The only time I truly felt noticeable heat was mainly when downloading a large game file of nearly 28GB and while charging, but the temperature remained within an acceptable range.

I will continue testing the battery life, but at least so far, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the kind of phone where, after using it for more than half a day, I don’t even feel the need to actively check the remaining battery.

The iPhone 18 Pro really feels more like a camera this time.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max feature the same rear triple-camera setup this time, with the main, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses all at 48 megapixels, including a 4x telephoto lens. The front camera has been replaced with an 18-megapixel Center Stage camera, which can automatically adjust the framing during selfies and directly rotate the frame.

However, after using it for a few days, what truly makes me feel this Pro generation is different isn’t the three 48-megapixel cameras, but the variable aperture system on the main camera.

It features a six-blade diaphragm inside, allowing it to switch between ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4. When shooting at night, I usually set it directly to ƒ/1.48 to let in more light; but when I encounter streetlights or building lights, I can’t help but switch to ƒ/4 to capture the starburst effect. Back when I had an iPhone, I rarely seriously thought about “which aperture to use for this shot,” but now I actually find myself pondering these things.

The native camera app finally offers plenty of manual controls this time. In addition to aperture, you can adjust shutter speed, white balance, histogram, and manual focus yourself. Especially when shooting video, the feeling of pulling focus manually is much more engaging than just tapping the screen.

At first, I actually found these features a bit too hidden, but later I moved the frequently used aperture, shutter, and focus controls directly above the viewfinder, which made it much more convenient. Apple at least provided customization space here, so you don’t have to dig through the menu every time.

But I’m still a bit dissatisfied with the Camera Control on the side. It can currently control things like exposure, depth of field, and zoom, but it can’t be used directly to adjust the aperture, shutter speed, or manually pull focus. Since the 18 Pro has already made the camera so “professional,” I actually wish I could just slide the Camera Control to perform these operations.

This is also what I’ve liked most about the 18 Pro camera over the past few days. How good the final photos turn out is obviously important, but this time, I’m starting to find the process of taking photos with the iPhone itself more enjoyable.

The iPhone 18 Pro is actually more fun at night

What is the variable aperture actually good for? The thing I’ve been playing with the most these past few days is the starburst effect. Previously, when using an iPhone to shoot strong light sources like streetlights and signs, they would basically just appear as a single bright spot. Now, by stopping down the main camera of the 18 Pro Max to ƒ/4, a very distinct starburst appears around the lights. If you place a 17 Pro Max next to it to shoot the same scene, the overall look of the two photos is actually quite similar, but the starburst on the 18 Pro Max is instantly noticeable.

Later, I started experimenting with slow shutter speeds. By setting the shutter to 0.5 or 1 second, moving objects like car lights and pedestrians leave realistic motion trails. Previously on the iPhone, to get a similar effect, I mostly took Live Photos and applied a long exposure effect, but now controlling the shutter directly while shooting is a much more satisfying process, and it feels more like using a real camera.

Of course, you’ll get bored of starbursts if you use them too much. When I first started, I basically wanted to close the aperture to ƒ/4 whenever I saw lights. After shooting a whole round, I realized that not every night scene needs it. In some scenes, keeping the original lighting actually looks better.

But I really love this feeling of being willing to tinker with a single photo over and over again. It reminds me of the Fujifilm X100 series I’ve used for many years. This series has been with me for about 12 years, and I love it not just for the final photo, but for adjusting the parameters, choosing film simulations, and slowly deciding how to take that one shot. The manual controls and photographic styles on the iPhone 18 Pro have truly brought back a bit of that feeling on a phone.

The same goes for video, especially at night. The increased light intake from the large aperture, combined with manual control, has made low-light video one of my favorite things to shoot over the past few days.

I have been using Halide and Blackmagic Camera myself, so it is definitely a good thing that Apple has brought these professional controls into the native camera app. What’s even more interesting is that the variable aperture API has also been opened to third-party developers, and I am actually more excited to see how far these professional camera apps can push this hardware.

iPhone 18 Pro Review: Summary

After using it for a few days, I really like the iPhone 18 Pro Max, especially the camera this time. The variable aperture and manual controls have reignited my interest in taking serious photos with a phone, and there are no obvious shortcomings in battery life, performance, or charging.

But the iPhone 18 Pro, starting at 9,999 yuan, is really not something everyone needs. If you rarely use the telephoto lens and don’t bother adjusting the aperture or shutter speed, the standard iPhone is actually a more practical choice.

The most attractive thing about this Pro model is not how much stronger it has become, but that it finally feels more like a true “Pro” device designed for photography and video users.

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