Five iPhone 18 Pro features worth trying right out of the box

Apple's newly released iPhone 18 Pro brings several practical additions beyond its design changes, spanning the camera, the display and charging speed.

Variable aperture

For the first time on an iPhone, the 48-megapixel main camera features a physical variable aperture with six blades, similar to a DSLR. Users can choose between four settings — f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4. The lower settings let in more light and create stronger background blur, useful in dim settings, while higher settings sharpen the whole scene, better suited to group shots or landscapes. The control is accessed through a six-dot button in the Camera app, but only works on the main lens in 1x and 2x modes.

Added Pro camera controls

The Camera app now also includes manual controls for shutter speed, focus and white balance — features previously found mostly in third-party apps. Users can customize which controls stay pinned at the top of the Camera app for quick access.

New Photographic Styles options

The editing menu now offers two new style controls — grain and texture — allowing adjustments such as softening skin tones or adding a film-like effect to highlights without altering the rest of the image.

Smaller Dynamic Island

The Dynamic Island cutout is now smaller, freeing up more screen space, while also supporting up to three Live Activities at once, such as music playback, a timer and a sports score running simultaneously.

Faster charging

The iPhone 18 Pro charges from 0 to 50 percent in about 15 minutes over a wired connection, or 30 minutes with MagSafe, though reaching the fastest speeds requires a 60-watt or higher compatible power adapter.