Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro leaked out of a hacked supplier’s database this summer, and the device it revealed is heavier, pricier and barely changed from the phone already on shelves. Regulatory filings point to the biggest battery Apple has ever fitted into a Pro Max. Leaked drop test footage shows a design that looks almost identical to last year’s model.
Every headline upgrade heading into September carries an offsetting cost. A bigger battery adds weight. A faster chip is arriving alongside the steepest round of iPhone price hikes in years. And the breach that exposed it all, described by some as the biggest Apple leak since the iPhone 4, mostly proved that Apple did not need to redesign a phone that already sells.
Apple’s Legal Team Raced to Erase a Stolen Drop Test Video
The leak traces back to Tata Electronics, one of Apple’s assembly partners in India and, by headcount, the company’s largest supplier there, though it still trails Foxconn in raw output. A cyberattack on the firm put more than 200,000 files onto the dark web, according to multiple reports, with AppleInsider putting the stolen haul at over 630 gigabytes of data.
The files reportedly included Apple-watermarked documents, component lists, supplier names, codenames and images from durability testing on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Reuters reported that the material included board layouts and A20 chip data sheets. Reuters also reported that “sensitive lists of components and suppliers, and photos of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models are part of files.”
Short clips began circulating on X showing what looked like a silver-gray iPhone 18 Pro undergoing a drop test. The rear looked more uniform than the two-tone iPhone 17 Pro, the three camera lenses appeared to protrude further from the plateau, and the Apple logo had a reflective finish.
The clips were first posted under the handle @EvLeaks, but not by the real Evan Blass, the tipster who built that name. Blass had deactivated the account for health reasons, and X’s Premium+ system let someone else claim the dormant handle. Chinese leaker Ice Universe reposted the footage before deleting it. X suspended the account and pulled the posts within a day, citing rule violations, and Apple pursued copyright takedowns across the rest of the leak.
Looks like Apple may have done what Samsung never could.
Evan Blass posted that from his personal account after the impostor version of his old handle went dark, needling his own history of sharing Samsung leaks without the same pushback.
Despite the scale of the breach, the reaction undercut the drama. TechRadar described the response as “a collective shrug,” a sharp contrast with the excitement that followed 2010’s iPhone 4 prototype leak, since the design in the footage looked so close to what is already for sale.
A Bigger Battery Makes It Apple’s Heaviest iPhone Yet
Separately from the breach, Chinese regulatory certification filings spotted by Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station appear to confirm battery capacities for both new Pro models. The filings list battery models S2232 and S2233 for the iPhone 18 Pro and 2235L/2235 and 2236L/2236 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, rated for up to 21.751 watt-hours and valid through 2031.
| Model | Battery (US model) | Battery (China model) |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro | 4,252 mAh | 3,988 mAh |
| iPhone 18 Pro (rumored) | 4,288 mAh | 4,056 mAh |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | 5,088 mAh | 4,823 mAh |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max (rumored) | 5,567 mAh | 5,391 mAh |
The Pro Max jump is the one that matters. At a rumored 5,567 mAh in the US, it would beat the roughly 5,000 mAh capacity expected in Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, and coverage of the filing has already framed it as closing the battery gap on Samsung that Apple has lived with for years.
That extra capacity comes at a physical cost. Weibo leaker Ice Universe says the Pro Max will weigh 240 grams, up from the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s 233 grams, and measure 9 millimeters thick instead of 8.75mm. At 240 grams, it would tie the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max as the heaviest iPhone Apple has built.
Analysts covering the filings also caution that a bigger cell will not automatically mean longer battery life. The extra capacity is widely expected to feed the power draw of on-device Apple Intelligence and Siri AI tasks running on the new chip, rather than stretch hours between charges.
A 2 Nanometer Chip and a New Camera Trick
The most consistent rumor across supply chain reports is Apple’s move to the A20 Pro, its first chip built on TSMC’s 2 nanometer process, a step down from the 3 nanometer A19 Pro. Smaller transistors typically mean better performance per watt, which is why analysts expect the gains to show up in AI processing and sustained performance as much as raw speed.
- A20 Pro chip – Apple’s first processor on a 2 nanometer process, succeeding the 3 nanometer A19 Pro.
- Variable aperture camera – the 48 megapixel main lens is rumored to physically adjust its opening for more control over depth of field, a first for iPhone, though its effect on a small sensor is unproven.
- C2 modem – Apple’s third generation in-house modem, said to enable 5G connectivity by satellite for browsing without Wi-Fi or a cell signal.
- LTPO+ display – a refined panel technology aimed at squeezing more efficiency out of the 6.3 inch and 6.9 inch screens.
Supply chain reports also suggest Apple could keep a Qualcomm modem in US models while shifting to its own C2 chip elsewhere, an unusual regional split that would mark a slow, uneven handoff away from Qualcomm rather than a clean break.
How Much Will the iPhone 18 Pro Cost?
Analysts expect Apple to raise the iPhone 18 Pro’s starting price by at least $100, with some estimates running as high as $300. The current iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 (roughly its listed US price), so an increase of that size would push the 18 Pro toward $1,299 to $1,399, driven by a global memory chip shortage tied to AI data center demand.
Apple’s outgoing chief executive, Tim Cook, told The Wall Street Journal the company is not immune to soaring memory costs, and Apple has already raised prices on iPad Air, iPad Pro and MacBook models, in some cases by as much as $300. Apple’s back to school gift card promotion landed just weeks after those same increases.
Nabila Popal, IDC’s senior director of data and analytics, initially expected a $100 increase on Pro and Pro Max models. After seeing the scale of the Mac and iPad hikes, she said her instinct shifted toward something closer to $200. “I think the days of $50 price increases are over,” Popal said. JPMorgan analysts have separately suggested at least a $100 rise.
Market research firm TechInsights estimates the memory and storage cost inside an iPhone 17 Pro at roughly $50, a figure it expects to approach $200 for the 18 Pro, an increase of nearly $150 in components alone. Micron’s chief business officer has criticized Apple’s past price-squeezing tactics with suppliers, and Counterpoint Research’s Lim Soo-jung, a researcher at the firm, said Apple holding iPhone 17 prices flat this long is “evidence that Apple no longer has the capacity to absorb rising costs.”
A PhoneArena reader poll found little appetite for a big jump. Hikes of $50 and $100 tied for the most popular answers, each drawing 181 votes, or 17% of respondents, while only 77 people, or 7%, said they would accept a $150 increase.
Apple Breaks Its Own September Habit
For nearly two decades, new iPhones have arrived together every September. That changes this year. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable iPhone, possibly named iPhone Ultra, in the fall, while the standard iPhone 18 and a cheaper iPhone 18e wait until a staggered launch pushes into spring 2027.
The split reportedly lets Apple spread manufacturing complexity, tied to the new 2 nanometer chip and the first foldable display, across more months instead of building every model at once. It also gives the premium hardware the full holiday spotlight without a cheaper model pulling attention away from it.
- September 9, 2026: Apple’s keynote is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the foldable iPhone, though Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has argued for September 8 instead.
- September 11, 2026: Pre-orders are expected to open, likely early morning Pacific time for buyers chasing a specific color or storage tier.
- September 14, 2026: iOS 27 is expected to arrive as a general release for compatible iPhones going back to the iPhone 11 generation.
- September 18, 2026: The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are expected to reach store shelves.
- Spring 2027: The standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e are expected to launch on their own, separated from the Pro models for the first time.
Whichever keynote date turns out to be right, both forecasts agree on the sale date, meaning buyers who want anything but a Pro model this year are simply out of luck until next spring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the iPhone 18 Pro Max really going to be the heaviest iPhone ever?
At a rumored 240 grams, it would tie, not break, the existing record set by the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max in 2021 and 2022. Apple used stainless steel for those two phones, then moved to titanium for the 15 and 16 Pro Max generations before switching to aluminum for the 17 Pro Max, which weighs 233 grams. Current rumors say Apple will stick with aluminum again for the 18 Pro Max, meaning any added weight would come from the bigger battery and thicker chassis rather than a material change.
How much RAM will the iPhone 18 Pro have?
Estimates have moved during the rumor cycle. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo initially predicted 9GB, up 1GB from the iPhone 17 Pro’s 8GB, but more recent spec listings point to 12GB for both Pro models, a jump likely tied to running Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features on the device itself.
Why did Apple react so aggressively to the Tata Electronics leak?
The company has gone after leakers before, including a lawsuit against tipster Jon Prosser, but this breach was different because the material was not secondhand rumor. It was stolen documents, images and video straight from a manufacturing partner, which gave Apple’s copyright claims a much clearer legal basis for fast takedowns.
Will there be a foldable iPhone this year?
Yes. Apple’s first foldable, widely expected to be called iPhone Ultra, is rumored to launch alongside the Pro models in September. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has estimated pricing between $2,300 and $2,500 and predicted it will “sell out immediately” despite the cost.
What happens if I want the standard iPhone 18 this fall?
You will not be able to buy one. Anyone who wants a new iPhone before spring 2027 will need to choose a Pro model or the pricier foldable, since the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e are being held back, leaving current base models on shelves for an unusually long stretch.
What colors will the iPhone 18 Pro come in?
Leaks point to a new Dark Cherry option, a deep red with a purple tinge, alongside Light Blue, Dark Gray and Silver. A Weibo leaker known as Fixed Focus Digital has also warned that the new color finishes could be prone to paint peeling, a durability concern worth watching once real units ship.
