Surprise and shine, Apple said. And so they did. There’s plenty to love every time Apple’s special keynote event comes around—the excitement always palpable in the air. Unveiled on 9 September, it was also a marked change for the tech giant, as John Ternus took to the Cupertino stage for the first time since his appointment as CEO.
A new direction might be up ahead for the brand, but for the time being, Ternus let the devices speak for itself. And perhaps, some of the Internet too, circa Rosé’s announcement that her newest ‘New Trick’ MV was filmed on the latest iPhone 18 Pro.
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The surprise element came in the form of Apple’s most-discussed announcement of this year’s Keynote: the Duo, Apple’s first foldable iPhone, and it’s thinnest one yet. The Airpods 5 too, had its moment in the sun, with open-ear Active Noise Cancellation now introduced to the nifty gadget. The overarching focus on personal health and wellbeing has never been more prevalent, cemented by a very important update for the Apple Watch Series 12. The timekeeping computer now comes with advanced health sensors primed to deliver the most accurate heart rate sensing in a wearable device.
Whilst the Duo might have generated much of the Internet’s buzz, there’s no question that many were also anticipating the next iteration of one of the tech giant’s greatest creations: the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Arriving in succession next to the swanky foldable, it was introduced in four beautiful colours—including the much-welcome return of the Black. Powered by the all-new A20 Pro chip, its expected performance brimmed with promise. As unprecedented as we could tout it to be, we’re not just one to talk the talk. Armed with a device in hand, here’s why your next smartphone should very well be the iPhone 18 Pro.
- Let’s start with the Burgundy. There was no way I was passing up on this hue—the moment I landed eyes on her, she felt like my spirit animal. Its deep, dark and purplish-red shade is a beauty to behold, and we’ll venture it’s perfect for the fall (and Halloween!) season.
- If I was still on the iPhone 15 or 16, the battery life alone would definitely be enough for me to consider the switch. As the resident social media fiend at Vogue Singapore, there’s quite simply, no cap on the amount of continuous screen time I burn through, even on the weekends. Especially with the amount of video processing required on a day to day basis, the uplift to 34 hours of video playback is a welcome bonus. As someone coming up from a 17 however, I’ll say that it’s the faster wired charging that I’m more impressed by. As someone who chronically falls asleep with her phone in hand, the morning after often comes with the regret of seeing my battery life dip into amber. I was pleasantly surprised this morning then, when I could bring my charge up from 10% to close to 60% with just 15 minutes of charging as I was getting ready.
- Talk about multi-tasking. With its reduced size and adjusted active display pixels in order for the IR camera to exist directly behind the display, the iPhone’s trusty Dynamic Island can now squeeze up to three running applications, up from two previously. Prioritised according to time sensitivity of the Live Activity happening—say your Grab is arriving in two minutes—you can now toggle between all your most immediate needs: say a phone call, Maps for directions, and your music.
- The A20 chip is a powerhouse. Built on the 2-nanometer technology, six high-performing, ‘super’ cores equivalent to desktop-standard cores have been integrated into the six total cores powering this mini computer. Coupled with the new vapour chamber aka its new thermal management system that dissipates heat throughout the device even faster, this means better heavy-duty performance all around. My last few hours toggling between the social media platforms I run for work as well as my open world mobile game Where Winds Meet is certainly testament.
- This is an update I didn’t see coming—but it’s probably going to be my most used function. Introducing Notify Me for Safari, which essentially is a smart tracker built into the web browser, be it whether you’re tracking flight tickets or new concert dates from your favourite artists—and you can opt for Safari to check it every day, or even every hour if need be. As for me? I’ve got about 13 notifications set up for when a new chapter for any of my current A03 reads or webtoons drop.
- As someone who consistently has to take video content in busy event spaces, the Audio Mix function for videos is such a neat addition. With various formats such as In-Frame, that only highlights the voice of the people in the camera frame, and Studio, which enhances the quality of the audio to reduce background noise, it really helps with creating video clips focused on a host or speaker—and makes for better sound quality overall.
- It’s what we all came for. And I’ve got two points dedicated to it alone. The new 48MP Fusion Main camera is a beast. Ask any professional photographer, and they’ll likely be raving about the variable aperture function—which means the ability to adjust the amount of light you let in, especially when shooting in darker environments. The real kicker comes when it’s paired with the other customisable functions such as shutter speed and white balance. As someone who isn’t a professional photographer however, I’ve really been enjoying the latter, with switchable formats that really allow me to adjust the colours of my photo and discover what I like in an easy, approachable way.
- Photography is one thing, but if you’re asking me—videos reign as my main format. It’s in the little details, but the new video camera also proves to be a stunner, most prominently for its Focus Tracking function. With a double tap of my screen, I can lock in on a moving subject, and my frame never loses sight of her. I can only imagine what this is going to feel like when I hit up the BigBang concert in Singapore next month.
Apple’s newest releases and the latest iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are now available in-stores and online.
