The new color scheme of the iPhone 18 Pro has become popular before its release. It's a rare instance of Apple piling on hardware features.

There are still three months until the annual "Spring Festival Gala" in the tech circle. However, according to past practices, there's no need to wait until the Apple event in September. By June, it's basically time for the "final look" of the new - generation iPhone.

Most likely, the molds, component diagrams, and supply - chain information that surface at this time represent the final appearance of the real device. After all, the factories have already started stockpiling, so there's not much room for major changes.

If you're planning to save up for a new phone, you might as well check out these in - depth leaks about the iPhone 18 Pro first. This could be the least "incremental" generation of iPhones in the past five years. In fact, Apple seems to have pushed the hardware to the limit.

However, netizens always joke that the essence of technology lies in color changes, and this time is no exception. Compared with the hardware upgrades, the rumored "Cherry Red" color is even more eye - catching!

Recently, well - known leaker Sonny Dickson shared a full set of mock - up photos of the iPhone 18 Pro. Four color options have emerged: Silver, Light Blue, Dark Gray, and the absolute star of this year - Dark Cherry Red.

Sure enough, the essence of technology lies in color changes.

Back then, the Astral Orange color of the iPhone 17 Pro was an instant hit. People even had to pay a premium to get it on the first day. Many netizens joked that it was the "Hermès Orange".

Judging from the leaked images, the "Cherry Red" that's getting popular this time is a wine - red color with low saturation and a slight purple tint. It's not the tacky bright red or the pinkish jelly - red. It has a very high - end texture, showing a cherry - red glow in strong light and a deep black - red texture in weak light.

Moreover, this is the first official red color in the iPhone Pro series that's not part of a charity collaboration, filling a four - year gap since 2022.

It's said that Apple originally planned to use this color on the iPhone 17 Pro and even had accessory manufacturers start producing cases in advance. But due to yield issues, it was postponed by a year. This time, to perfect this color, Apple has even dropped the best - selling Astral Orange from the previous generation and concentrated all resources on making this a hit.

Next up is the highlight - the camera.

To be honest, in recent years, compared with the various new technologies and features that domestic phone manufacturers have introduced for their cameras, Apple has been very conservative. But this time, the iPhone 18 Pro is very likely to make a major breakthrough. The camera is getting a significant upgrade with a physical variable aperture, and the lens is both stronger and thicker!

It's reported that Mark Gurman from Bloomberg and Ming - Chi Kuo from TF International Securities have both confirmed that the camera upgrade of the iPhone 18 Pro is the most significant in the history of the product line, without a doubt.

As those in the know understand, Apple used to mainly rely on "incremental algorithm updates" for camera upgrades and made as few hardware changes as possible. But this time, it's clear that relying on algorithms won't keep up with other manufacturers, so Apple is making a bold move on the hardware front.

It's reported that the main camera of the iPhone 18 Pro will feature a mechanical iris structure for the first time, enabling a true physical variable aperture that can be adjusted steplessly from f/1.4 to f/4.0.

What does this mean?

It means that the amount of light entering the camera in low - light environments will increase by 40%. Night shots will no longer be full of noise. In bright light, the aperture can be narrowed to avoid overexposure of highlights, and at the same time, the depth of field can be increased, solving long - standing problems such as blurred backgrounds in group photos and blurred edges of documents.

Moreover, this is real optical blurring, no longer the fake - looking effect of algorithm - based image segmentation.

However, there's always a catch. To fit this luxurious camera module, the thickness of the iPhone 18 Pro Max has reached a staggering 8.8mm, and its weight has exceeded the 240 - gram mark.

The much - criticized camera bump has become even thicker this time. The total thickness of the module in the Pro Max version has reached 13.77mm.

It seems that Apple has sacrificed the hand - feel for the sake of the camera. In the future, you might need to build up your arm strength before buying a phone!

Then comes the much - anticipated "Apple U - turn moment". The Camera Control independent button, which was hyped as an "epic innovation" last year, is finally going to be redesigned this year.

Those who have used it know how inconvenient the position of this button is - it's right between the index finger and the middle finger. It's difficult to press even without a case, and it's basically useless when you put on a case. Over the past half - year, I don't know how many users have regarded it as a "bump to prevent accidental touches".

Under user pressure, Apple has redesigned the button structure. Although it's not clear exactly how it will be changed, the fact that a big company is willing to listen to users at least shows that Apple still cares about its customers.

I'm sure loyal Apple fans have a long - standing pain point to address, which is the mysterious signal issue that has been frustrating. Don't worry, the trump card of the new - generation iPhone is here! A 2nm chip + a fully self - developed baseband. Finally, there's hope for better signal!

When it comes to the three core components of the phone experience, an increase in battery size is also necessary. After all, the phone has become thicker, and the battery life is expected to have a qualitative leap.

Moreover, TSMC's first - ever 2nm - process A20 Pro chip will make its debut. It's said that the energy - efficiency ratio has increased by more than 30%, and its performance directly outperforms many Android flagships.

But what's most anticipated is the fully self - developed C2 baseband that Apple has been working on for five years.

This baseband supports both Sub - 6GHz and millimeter - wave frequency bands, and it can increase the signal strength in weak - signal areas by 35%. Its main goal is to solve the long - standing "signal mystery" problems that iPhone users have faced, such as losing connection in elevators, having no service in basements, and being unable to load videos on the subway.

In addition, the area of the Dynamic Island on the new - generation Pro might be reduced by about 35%. It will change from the previously obtrusive "big pill" to a slimmer "small capsule", making the visual experience much cleaner. The part that blocks the screen when watching videos or playing games will be significantly reduced.

Overall, the upgrades of the iPhone 18 Pro are truly substantial. Physical variable aperture, 2nm chip, self - developed baseband, redesigned button, and a smaller Dynamic Island... Each of these features is something that users really need.

In contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro and 17 Pro of the previous two generations seem more like transitional products.

So, the question is: Faced with this rare hardware upgrade from Apple, are you going to buy it on the first day of release, or stick with your old phone for another five years?

This article is from the WeChat official account "Tech Fox" (ID: kejihutv). Author: Old Fox. Republished by 36Kr with permission.