Why I’m Skipping the iPhone 18 Pro (and Why You Should Too)
Opinion / Smartphone Video
Used iPhone 17 Pro prices have dropped sharply since the 18 Pro launched, and the new model’s upgrades don’t add up to much on the same-sized sensor.
Key Takeaways
- A used iPhone 17 Pro now runs around $750 USD and still records ProRes RAW HQ.
- The 18 Pro’s variable aperture is limited by the same-sized sensor, and f/4 gets soft.
- Photographic Styles and post-shoot Cinematic mode editing are locked to the newest model.
- It’s not worth upgrading, and it’s likely best to save money on a used 17 Pro.
The iPhone 18 Pro has been out for a couple of weeks, and I still haven’t upgraded. I own the 17 Pro, which I bought mid-cycle. At the time, buying a phone that would be replaced in about six months didn’t feel like the smartest move. Now that the 18 is here, I think I made a pretty decent call.
After weeks of Apple’s marketing, I haven’t broken, and I don’t think you should either.
The 17 Pro is now a bargain
One reason I made this video is how far the 17 Pro has dropped. I recently helped my girlfriend land one on Facebook Marketplace for around $750 USD, compared to the $1,750 before tax I paid just six months earlier. On the used market, the 17 Pro and Pro Max are now close to half price, and you still get ProRes RAW HQ footage, which is seriously capable for the money.
The 18 Pro’s upgrade list doesn’t help its case. In the camera industry, a few upgrades each year is normal, but this year looks like a skip based on that alone.
I don’t think the average person could tell the 17 Pro from the 18 Pro in a photo or video comparison.
What actually changed
| iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 18 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera aperture | f/1.78 (fixed) | f/1.4 to f/4 (variable) |
| Main sensor size | 1/1.28" | 1/1.28" (same) |
| Photographic Styles upgrades | Not available | Available |
| Add/remove Cinematic mode after recording | Not available | Available |
| ProRes RAW HQ | Yes | Yes |
Comparison based on features discussed in the video.
The variable aperture isn’t the big upgrade it sounds like
When I first heard the 18 Pro was getting a variable aperture, I felt some regret. I loved it on the DJI Osmo Action 6, which has an f/2 to f/4 range and a taller sensor. The iPhone’s f/1.4 to f/4 sounds like a far better camera on paper. There are three problems.
The sensor is the bottleneck. Going from f/1.78 to f/1.4 is a modest gain in light, and the 18 Pro uses the same-sized sensor as the 17 Pro. With both sensors the same size, you’re unlikely to notice much of a difference.
Night mode cancels it out. Night mode already stacks multiple frames, so the wider aperture makes little difference when you’re shooting in the dark.
f/4 gets soft. On the Action 6, stopping down helped with chromatic aberration and sharpness. On the iPhone, it does the opposite. At f/4 the iris opens to only about 1.7mm, which introduces diffraction and a noticeable loss of detail and contrast, especially if you crop into a 48MP image. You’re better off at the wide f/1.78 the 17 Pro already has.
There is an upside in low-light video, where the extra light helps. But on a sensor this small, I don’t think it’s worth paying more for. On a larger sensor, like the one in a Xiaomi Ultra, a variable aperture would be a much bigger improvement.
Features Apple locked to the newest model
This is what bothered me most. Apple advertised Photographic Styles updates that let you add texture, grain and other film looks, originally meant to come to everything from the iPhone 16 up through the 18. Then Apple dialed it back and software-locked the full feature set to the 18 only. Almost any other company would have shipped that as a firmware update to its recent cameras.
The same goes for the new ability to add or remove Cinematic mode after you’ve recorded. It’s useful, but it’s a quality-of-life feature, and you shouldn’t need a whole new phone to get it.
In practice, I don’t shoot many photos on my iPhone, and there are plenty of third-party camera apps, including Adobe’s free Lightroom camera, that can add film looks. So it isn’t a dealbreaker. It still annoys me, and I think it should annoy anyone who owns a recent iPhone.
Autofocus: probably not a factor if you shoot Blackmagic
I find the iPhone’s autofocus weak, especially in the Blackmagic Camera app. I regularly shoot with the 24mm lens and end up focused on the background instead of my subject, so I rely on a small external monitor to confirm focus.
I doubt the 18 Pro’s autofocus improvements carry over to Blackmagic Camera. You’d most likely only see them in Apple’s own Camera app, and I suspect plenty of people shooting serious video use Blackmagic instead.
Why I’m not switching to Android
Companies like Xiaomi and Vivo are innovating quickly, and Apple has been conservative, often for good reason. But when I looked through reviews of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, a lot of people complained about the phone dying after only an hour or two of recording video. A phone does far more than shoot video, so reliability matters.
I also own AirPods and a MacBook Pro, and I’ve learned from past experience that switching to Android means constantly fixing things and losing handy features that work across Apple products.
Bottom line
You can spend your money however you like, but if you want the most sensible iPhone on the market, the 17 Pro is likely the best choice for most people, especially at used prices. If you already own one, I don’t think it’s worth upgrading, and if you’re coming from an older iPhone, it’s likely best to save money and pick up a used 17 Pro.
Where to Find a Used 17 Pro
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Join the discussion
If you have a 17 Pro, would you ever consider upgrading? And if you’re on an older iPhone, is a used price of around $750 USD for the Pro cheap enough to get you to switch? Let me know in the comments.
Devon Zacharias is a Canadian content creator and photographer/videographer. Watch the full video on YouTube.
