I’ve traveled all over the world with the iPhone 17 Pro Max during the past year, but I think the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have made the right changes for someone like me who’s constantly on the go. The new Pro phones debuted last week at the company’s “Surprise and Shine” event, and I think three new features in particular will solve the gripes I’ve had with my orange 17 Pro Max as a traveling companion.
While I am in awe of the Ceramic Shield 2 durability that impressively protected my screen, I wouldn’t call it the best travel phone. It gets warm to the touch in hot weather and doesn’t offer the same pleasing camera experience as Android heavyweights like the Vivo X300 Ultra, Xiaomi 17 Ultra or the Oppo Find X9 Ultra. That’s why I’m stoked for the camera upgrades on Apple’s new models.
But I’m most excited about two comparatively minor upgrades, too. The expanded Dynamic Island capabilities and a redesigned vapor chamber appeal to me as someone who is constantly on the move and needs glanceable information. Here’s why I think these upgrades might tempt me to upgrade to the 18 Pro Max.
More glanceable information in the Dynamic Island
When I’m on the go, I’m almost always jumping between multiple apps. One minute it is Flightly to track my flights, another minute I’m checking routes on Google Maps and then waiting for my Uber ride to arrive. On my iPhone 17 Pro Max, the Dynamic Island tracks two Live Activities, but I need to swipe between the three apps to multitask. Apple is changing this with its new Pro iPhones.
With the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, the new Dynamic Island can expand to show up to three live activities simultaneously. It doesn’t stretch all the way to the screen edges. Instead, you get one main activity on the Dynamic Island with smaller circular icons on either side.
This won’t change the way you use your iPhone, but I expect it to make multitasking easier with glanceable info right on top of your iPhone. The small icons likely won’t provide much information, but if I can get a navigation arrow alongside my Flighty updates and ETA for Uber rides, I’m sorted. The two icons also serve as shortcuts to open those apps, offering faster access than manually switching apps — which is common when I’m juggling my flight information while getting out of that rideshare vehicle.
A redesigned vapor chamber for better cooling
My iPhone 17 Pro Max gets warm to the touch when I’m navigating and using the camera app on my photo walks. It drains the battery faster than usual. That’s why I’m excited about the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s improved ability to keep itself cool during intensive periods like my constant photography.
The iPhone 18 Pro has a “next-generation” vapor chamber that’s three times the surface area of the one in the iPhone 17 Pro. Apple redesigned the phone’s interior so its A20 Pro processor can connect directly to the vapor chamber, which is claimed to continuously cycle deionized water throughout the system for “significant” improvements in cooling performance.
Theoretically, all of this could allow the A20 Pro chip to sustain higher performance for longer periods. I imagine it helping keep the phone cool on extended camera usage and navigation, and delivering longer battery life.
Pro controls to take control of my photos
I’m not a professional photographer, but I love taking photos. I’m into street photography and portraits, and the iPhone 18 Pro’s new upgrades seem fantastic, at least on paper. While variable aperture would allow me to control the amount of light hitting the sensor, I’m more excited to try the Pro Controls.
So far, I’ve relied on third-party apps to take motion-blur photos, but I can finally do so within the iPhone 18 Pro’s Camera app itself. Apple is adding the ability to adjust the shutter speed from the viewfinder.
The new Pro controls will let you customize your camera and photo-taking experience by adding manual control options for changing the white balance, using a histogram to check exposure levels, changing the shutter speed and manually adjusting the aperture between four options (ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0 f-stops).
These Pro controls will allow me to take full control of how my image looks, rather than relying on Apple’s auto mode or processing to decide everything for me.
Sure, most Android phones have had this feature for years, which is why I carry an Ultra phone alongside my iPhone on9 every trip. However, the iPhone 18 Pro could finally make me ditch the second camera phone and carry just one device for my casual photography.
These three upgrades have me stoked for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. The redesigns that get me more glanceable information around the Dynamic Island, camera improvements that give me more control over my photography and improvements that will hopefully keep the phone from getting too warm will have an immediate impact on how I use the phone while running around the world.
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