Apple unveils iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, skipping standard model

Apple announced its flagship smartphones, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, on September 9. The devices feature a physical variable aperture camera, doubled AI processing power, and up to 45 hours of battery life, with prices starting at 219,800 yen in Japan. The Pro models introduce a 48MP Fusion main camera with a variable aperture mechanism, allowing physical depth-of-field control. They are powered by the 2nm A20 Pro chip with a 40% faster GPU and a new cooling system. Pre-orders begin September 12, with release on September 18. Notably, Apple did not announce a standard iPhone 18 model, focusing its lineup on the Pro series and the new foldable iPhone Duo. This strategy concentrates resources on premium devices priced above 219,800 yen, as the company navigates a market with lengthening upgrade cycles.