Updated
Updated · Engadget · Sep 22
Engadget Urges iPhone 17 Pro Owners to Skip iPhone 18 Pro as A20 Gains Stay Marginal
Updated
Updated · Engadget · Sep 22

Engadget Urges iPhone 17 Pro Owners to Skip iPhone 18 Pro as A20 Gains Stay Marginal

3 articles · Updated · Engadget · Sep 22

Summary

  • Engadget says most iPhone 17 Pro owners should keep their current phone, arguing the iPhone 18 Pro delivers too little day-to-day change to justify an upgrade.
  • A 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip, up to 40% better graphics and a second Neural Engine headline the new model, but the report says those gains matter mainly for heavy gaming, RAW editing and other demanding tasks.
  • Camera changes are also limited: the iPhone 18 Pro adds a variable-aperture main lens, while its ultra-wide, telephoto and front cameras remain the same as the iPhone 17 Pro.
  • Software is not a major differentiator either, because both phones already support Apple Intelligence, Siri AI and the latest iOS 27 features.
  • For buyers on older devices such as the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro looks more compelling because it bundles several years of improvements into one jump.

Insights

Are hidden repairability trade-offs making the iPhone 18 Pro a surprisingly risky upgrade for everyday consumers?
Does the iPhone 18 Pro's 2nm chip secretly lay the groundwork for a massive AI revolution next year?
Could Apple’s new cryptographic camera tool quietly revolutionize how we trust digital media in an era of deepfakes?