Apple iPhone 18 Pro starts at 44,900 yuan, and iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at 49,900 yuan. (provided by Apple)
Apple's new generation iPhone 18 Pro series has just been launched. The top-of-the-line iPhone 18 Pro Max, which was tested out of the box this time, has a large 6.9-inch screen and a larger battery capacity. The first thing you feel when holding it in your hand is that it is "heavier again." The 249-gram body and lens are slightly more convex than the previous generation. It is inevitably a bit "top-heavy" to hold the phone naked and you need to get used to it. However, after installing the protective case, the overall feel will be much more balanced. In addition, the original awkward two-color splicing on the back cover of the previous generation has been reduced a lot, and the dynamic island on the front has also been reduced, and up to three real-time dynamics can be displayed at the same time, making the screen more refreshing and efficient.
The lens module of the iPhone 18 Pro Max (pictured below) is slightly more convex than that of the previous generation (pictured above), but the difference is not obvious in the actual device.
Some components of Face ID are designed under the screen, and the new dynamic island (left in the picture) is significantly smaller than the previous generation (right).
The biggest highlight of the new camera in this actual test is undoubtedly the addition of a variable aperture to the main camera for the first time, providing a total of 4 manual apertures: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0. The depth of field and the amount of light can be controlled through different apertures. , or it can be left to the automatic mode to judge. For example, if you want to blur the background clearly, you can use a larger aperture; if you want to make the front and rear backgrounds clearer, narrow the aperture. When shooting at night, narrow the aperture. Point light sources such as street lights or building lights are easier to shoot to create a starburst effect.
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Taking actual daytime shots at the maximum aperture of f/1.48, the subject is more prominent and the background blur is more obvious. The minimum aperture of f/4.0 is used to take real-life photos at night. The front and rear scenes are clear, and point light sources can also create a starburst effect. It should be noted that the variable aperture is only available on the main lens and cannot be used when switching to other lenses.
The camera interface has also been supplemented with more complete professional control items, including focus, shutter speed, white balance and color distribution map. To be fair, variable aperture is not Apple's first, and professional mode is not uncommon in various flagship phones. However, Apple's consistent strength is to make "professional" simple. Even if you are not familiar with many photography parameters, you can get started in a short time. In addition to adjustable tones and colors, the photography style now also adds soft skin, halo, film texture, and grain effects; for video recording, new functions such as one-click conversion to movie-level effects, smart focus tracking, and 4K Dolby Vision time-lapse video are added, enriching the gameplay of taking photos and recordings.
The camera has added new professional control items, providing more manual shooting adjustments, including aperture, focus, shutter speed, white balance, etc. Frequently used functions can be pinned to the top of the screen for more intuitive operation.
There are also many new features in the video recording section, such as smart tracking focus that can lock the subject more stably. In addition, even if the movie mode is not turned on at the time of shooting, it can be switched to it with one click afterwards, making it more flexible.
In terms of performance, the A20 Pro chip has been upgraded, using a 6-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, and integrating neural network accelerators, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and dual 16-core neural network engines. As measured by the benchmark software "Geekbench 7", compared to the A19 Pro, the single-core and multi-core performance of the CPU has increased by about 30%, and the GPU has increased by about 40%. When actually playing "Genshin Impact", the process ran smoothly. Although the body will still heat up after playing for a long time, the heat distribution is more even and the performance is maintained more stable.
After actually playing "Genshin Impact" for a period of time, the screen remained smooth during the process. Although the body will heat up, the overall heat dissipation control is stable.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has increased battery capacity. In fact, watching OTT videos continuously for 12 hours consumes only about 40% of the power. It is estimated that it can play continuously for more than 30 hours. In terms of fast charging, it can charge up to 50% in about 15 minutes. It requires a charger of more than 60W and compatible cables that support AVS adjustable voltage power supply.
Overall, the iPhone 18 Pro series is not a new model that feels like a "completely new generation". Instead, it pushes forward core experiences such as cameras, performance, cooling, and battery life. If you are originally using the Pro series of the past two or three years, the incentive to upgrade is not urgent, but if you upgrade from an older iPhone, you will feel the surprise of "a sensible evolution."
Please refer to the announcements of each brand for the prices and specifications of the above products.
