iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders start Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, with prices from $1,199 for the 6.3-inch model and $1,299 for the 6.9-inch Pro Max. Orders placed in the opening minutes are the ones most likely to arrive on Friday, September 18.
Both models cost $100 more than last year, and there are four colors and four storage tiers to pick from, so there is more to decide than usual. Here are seven things to sort out before your alarm goes off.
Four decisions to make before Saturday
- 1. Pick a size. The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch display and up to 36 hours of video playback; the Pro Max has a 6.9-inch display and up to 45 hours. Both get the same A20 Pro chip and the same 48MP variable-aperture main camera, as our announcement coverage details.
- 2. Pick a color. Black, Silver, Glacier (a light blue) and Burgundy (a dark cherry red) are the options, and last year’s Cosmic Orange is gone. Black returns after the iPhone 17 Pro skipped it.
- 3. Pick a storage tier. The choices are 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and a new 2TB option. Apple has not published prices for anything above the 256GB base, so budget for the base price and expect the higher tiers to add to it.
- 4. Pick a payment route. Apple lists $49.95 a month for 24 months on the Pro and $54.12 on the Pro Max, or you can pay in full or go through a carrier. Apple has not announced any carrier promotions.
Three housekeeping tasks
- 5. Update your Apple Account. Install the Apple Store app, sign in, and confirm that your shipping address and payment card are current. An expired card or an old address is an easy way to lose a launch-day slot.
- 6. Value your trade-in. If you plan to trade in your current phone, check its estimated value through Apple or your carrier ahead of time, and back the device up. Apple’s release does not list iPhone 18 Pro trade-in values.
- 7. Set the alarm for your time zone. 5 a.m. PT is 8 a.m. ET, 1 p.m. in the UK, 5:30 p.m. in India and 10 p.m. in Sydney. Our time zone guide has more regions.
One thing US buyers should know
In the United States and 11 other markets, including Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, iPhone 18 Pro is eSIM-only with no SIM tray. Plan to transfer your number digitally, and make sure your carrier account login works before the phone arrives.
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If you are still torn between the two sizes, the battery figures are the clearest separator. Apple says the smaller Pro now roughly matches last year’s 17 Pro Max, while the new Pro Max is rated for up to 30 hours of use on a full charge.
After Saturday, the dates to watch are Monday, September 14 for iOS 27 and Friday, September 18 for the first deliveries and in-store availability. Our earlier pre-order preview has more on how the launch window is likely to play out.
