Apple's Pro series is an annual effort and is already underway for the upcoming phone upgrade cycle: iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro . If you have last year's version, should you upgrade or stick with the same version? Let it be known.

Design and Display

The design of iPhone 18 Pro and 17 Pro are relatively the same. They both boast the same 6.3-inch OLED ProMotion display, dimensions and aluminum and ceramic body. The iPhone 18 Pro does have a slightly smaller Dynamic Island, as well as some new colours – Black, Glacier and Burgundy, however, if it's a radical change-over that you're looking for, you won't find it here.

Performance and Chip

Let's have a look under the hood. The iPhone 18 Pro features the new A20 Pro chipset, an improvement on the A19 chipset of the iPhone 17 Pro, and has an extra GPU core. For gaming, video editing and heavy multitasking, the newer chip offers superior performance and thermal management.

Camera Upgrades

This is perhaps the main difference between the iPhone 18 Pro and 17 Pro. This means that the iPhone 18 Pro has a variable aperture primary camera (f/1.48 - f/4.0) compared to iPhone 17 Pro's fixed aperture (f/1.78), offering photographers more creative control over the depth and light of their photos. This feature could be enough to sway you toward the change if the only factor you have is a desire to upgrade your camera to one that will capture photos better.

Good battery life and charging capabilities

There's also a slight improvement in battery life. The iPhone 18 Pro offers up to 36 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 17 Pro boasts of up to 33 hours of video playback. It's also charged faster, at 60W or more, versus the previous model's 40W. Additionally, the iPhone 18 Pro now has an extra 2TB storage option, available for those who need extra storage.

Price Difference

All of these upgrades, of course, have a price tag. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, a $100 jump from the iPhone 17 Pro's $1,099 starting price. However, when you are on a budget, this price difference is noteworthy.

Final Verdict

So, it is up to you to decide whether you want to go with the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro, depending on your preferences. The upgrade is not necessary unless you are looking for the feature of variable-aperture camera or the increased performance for tough jobs if you already have an iPhone 17 Pro. For anyone upgrading from an older iPhone, the iPhone 18 Pro has more of a thorough and future-proof upgrade.  

Conclusion 

When you're in the final stages of making your decision, it always is good to read real-life reviews, not just the specs. That's exactly what TechyAssist offers and that's why you need it: With TechyAssist  you'll get the latest write-ups on the newest smartphones and know exactly what you're buying. And when a review concludes that yes, it's a good match, you can then buy the device directly from TechyAssist as well, ensuring a smooth and reliable research-to-buy journey.