Five iPhone 18 Pro features you'll want to try the second you unbox it

From variable aperture to faster charging, here’s what to test first.

Filipe Espósito for Engadget

The iPhone 18 Pro is finally here, and while it might not seem as exciting as the new iPhone Duo, there's plenty to try out once you take it out of the box. This year, Apple is providing even more control in the Camera app. The camera's main lens with a variable aperture opens up new possibilities for photography, as do the new Photographic Styles.

Not only that, but the Dynamic Island is smaller and charging your iPhone is much faster. If you have an iPhone 18 Pro or plan on getting one, check out these highlights first.

Play with the camera's new variable aperture

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The 48-megapixel main camera is the first on an iPhone to feature variable aperture. The lens has six blades that physically open and close, just like on a DSLR camera. This offers greater control over the amount of light in the scene as well as the depth of field. You get four settings in the Camera app: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4. Try shooting the same subject at each and compare them — you'll notice differences in lighting, noise and background.

At f/1.48, the sensor lets in more light and blurs the background more, which is perfect for that photo in a dimly lit restaurant. Switch to f/4 to reduce the aperture; you'll have less light, but everyone in the photo will look sharper. It's perfect for group photos or landscapes. The smaller aperture also creates a cool starburst effect on bright lights. 

You can find the aperture controls by tapping the six-dot button in the Camera app. But remember: this control only works on the main lens, in 1x and 2x modes. Other lenses still have a fixed aperture, just like before.

Go through the new Pro camera controls

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Aperture control isn't the only new feature in the Camera app on iPhone 18 Pro. Apple has also added a bunch of other manual controls for the first time — the kind of features you used to find only in third-party apps. You can also adjust the shutter speed, focus, and white balance. A slow shutter speed turns car headlights into streaks, while locking white balance stops skin tones from shifting as you walk between rooms with different lighting.

All these controls are located inside the same six-dot button, along with the aperture setting. What's great is that you can customize the Camera app for easier access to your favorite controls. Press and hold the controls at the top of the Camera app, then drag the ones you want to keep there at all times.

Adjust grain and texture in Photographic Styles

Apple

Photographic Styles were introduced with the iPhone 13, but the feature has changed quite a bit since then. If you're not familiar with them, Photographic Styles let you change how a photo looks —from contrast to shadows and colors — by adjusting only specific layers of the image, unlike a basic filter. And for those with an iPhone 18 Pro, there are two new controls available: grain and texture.

Take a photo with any of the cameras on your new iPhone, then open the editing menu and tap Styles to see the new options. Select Customize, then go to the Texture tab to adjust. Here, you can soften skin tones without affecting the rest of the image, add some glow or apply a film effect to the highlights. If you like that old-school grainy effect, that's possible, too. Messing around with all these new styles is a great way to give your photos a nicer look.

Try out the new Dynamic Island

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One of the coolest features of modern iPhones is the Dynamic Island. Apple took a hardware limitation and turned it into a cool iOS feature: a simple cutout around the front-facing camera becomes an area for showing useful information. On the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple has made the Dynamic Island smaller, so you'll see more of your content when it's not active. And when Dynamic Island is in use, it can do even more now.

Dynamic Island now shows not just one, but up to three Live Activities at once. This means you can control your music, check the progress of a timer and keep track of the score of a sporting event all at the same time. Everything works just like on previous models, where you press and hold on each Live Activity in the Dynamic Island to expand it. Any apps that already work with the Dynamic Island can take advantage of these improvements.

Plug it in for a fast charge

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Apple says the batteries in the new iPhones last longer, and while that's true, they won't last forever. But when it's time to charge your iPhone 18 Pro, you can do it much faster than before. It charges from 0 to 50 percent in about 15 minutes, or 30 minutes if you're using a MagSafe charger. Forgetting to charge your iPhone overnight will no longer be a problem.

There's a catch, though. To get the most out of fast charging, you need the right power adapter. The fastest wired speed needs a USB PD 3.1 adapter with Adjustable Voltage Supply at 60W or higher, and Apple ran its tests with its own 40W Dynamic Power Adapter, which peaks at 60W. Also, these estimates only cover the first half of the battery's charge — the rest of the charging process will be a little slower to preserve the battery's health. Still, it's an improvement for emergency situations when you need an extra boost.