Apple’s compare page lists three video features for the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max that never came up during the September 9 keynote: Apple Log 2, ProRes RAW and Genlock. They sit next to 4K Dolby Vision at up to 120 fps on the spec sheet, and Apple’s tech specs add that ProRes recording at 4K 120 fps requires an external drive.
All three are carried over from the iPhone 17 Pro, according to the same compare page, and none appear on Apple’s iPhone Duo tech specs. So this is not a new headline; it confirms the professional pipeline survived the move to an aluminum unibody and a variable-aperture camera. Here is what each term means, who uses it, and what Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro pages leave unexplained.
Key facts from Apple’s tech specs and compare page
| Item | iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Log profile | Apple Log 2 |
| Raw video | ProRes RAW |
| Multi-camera sync | Genlock |
| Top video mode | 4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 or 120 fps |
| ProRes ceiling | Up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording |
| Port | USB-C with USB 3, up to 10 Gb/s |
| Main camera | 48MP Fusion, 24 mm, variable aperture f/1.48 to f/4.0 |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Apple Log 2: a flat image built for grading
A log profile records video with a logarithmic tone curve instead of a finished, contrasty look. The clip looks washed out on the phone but holds more highlight and shadow detail for a colorist to shape later. Apple’s compare page lists the profile on iPhone 18 Pro as Apple Log 2, the same name it lists for the iPhone 17 Pro.
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Apple has not published what changed between Apple Log and Apple Log 2, nor which look-up tables it supplies for the new curve. What the spec page does establish is the capture side: the variable-aperture main camera, with its four stops from f/1.48 to f/4.0, gives a log shooter physical control over depth of field and exposure that a fixed lens cannot. Our iPhone 18 Pro camera explainer covers how the aperture works.
ProRes RAW and the external-recording rule
ProRes RAW stores sensor data before the camera bakes in white balance and demosaicing, giving an editor the widest latitude of any format the phone offers. The trade-off is file size, which is why Apple’s tech specs tie the top ProRes setting, 4K at 120 fps, to an external drive rather than the phone’s own storage.
The port makes that workable. Apple’s tech specs list USB-C with USB 3 at up to 10 Gb/s on both Pro sizes. Apple has not published ProRes RAW data rates per resolution and frame rate, so we cannot say how much drive space a minute of 4K 120 consumes, and it has not said whether the included 1-meter cable is rated for USB 3 speeds. A 2TB phone helps at lower settings, but the 4K 120 ceiling is external-only by Apple’s wording.
Genlock: keeping several cameras in step
Genlock, short for generator lock, synchronizes the frame timing of multiple cameras to a shared reference so their footage lines up exactly in a multi-camera edit or live switch. On a spec sheet it signals that Apple sees the iPhone 18 Pro as a camera that can slot into a rig, not only a standalone device.
Apple’s compare page lists Genlock by name and nothing more. It has not published what reference signal the phone accepts or what adapter, app or third-party hardware is needed, so treat the listing as a capability to verify rather than a plug-and-play promise.
Most buyers need none of the three. Apple’s default 4K Dolby Vision modes, Cinematic mode up to 4K 60 fps and spatial video at 1080p 30 fps work without them. Log suits anyone who grades, ProRes RAW suits productions already recording externally, and Genlock suits multi-camera crews.
How iPhone 18 Pro compares with iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone Duo
| Model | Apple Log 2 | ProRes RAW | Genlock | Top video mode on Apple’s pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps |
| iPhone 17 Pro | Yes | Yes | Yes | 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps |
| iPhone 16 Pro | Not in the rows we captured | Not in the rows we captured | Not in the rows we captured | 4K Dolby Vision 120 fps |
| iPhone Duo | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps; Dual Capture 4K 30 |
The iPhone Duo is the notable absence. Apple’s Duo tech specs list 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps, Cinematic mode up to 4K 60 and Dual Capture at 4K 30, but no ProRes, log or Genlock entries. For a filmmaker, that gap may matter more than the missing telephoto; our Duo vs 18 Pro Max comparison lays out the rest.
What Apple has not said
- What distinguishes Apple Log 2 from the original Apple Log, and which LUTs Apple provides.
- ProRes RAW data rates per resolution and frame rate, and the internal ProRes ceiling below 4K 120.
- How Genlock is connected: reference signal, adapter, app or third-party hardware.
- Whether the iPhone 16 Pro has these features; the compare rows we captured for it list only 4K Dolby Vision at 120 fps.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299 for 256GB, according to Apple’s Store page, with pre-orders on Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT and availability Friday, September 18. Filmmakers weighing the two sizes should read our Pro vs Pro Max guide first.
