Apple's iPhone 18 Pro series is now available for preorder on JD.com, offering two purchase options: 12-month interest-free installments with a large restock on October 20, and 24-month interest-free installments with delivery in October. To ensure fair purchasing for genuine consumers and prevent hoarding, price gouging, and resale, JD.com requires in-person activation upon delivery for all new iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo models.
Design and Display
The iPhone 18 Pro series comes in four colors: black, silver, glacier blue, and burgundy. The design is similar to the iPhone 17 Pro, featuring an aluminum unibody construction with an Action button and a Camera Control button for quick access to photo and video tools. The front uses a ceramic shield panel with three times better scratch resistance and can withstand submersion in water up to 6 meters for 30 minutes. The Dynamic Island now supports up to three simultaneous live activities and continues to support Face ID.
The Super Retina XDR display supports ProMotion adaptive refresh rate, always-on display, and the Dynamic Island. The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch screen, while the Pro Max has a 6.9-inch screen.
Performance and Battery
The iPhone 18 Pro series debuts the A20 Pro chip, built on a 2nm process, with packaging inspired by the M-series chips. It features a 6-core CPU and 7-core GPU, a neural network accelerator, dual 16-core neural engines, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Apple claims the new cooling system, including a next-generation VC vapor chamber with three times the surface area, combined with the A20 Pro, delivers up to 40% better sustained performance compared to the iPhone 17 Pro.
Both models include the N1 wireless chip, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The China versions come with Apple's C2 modem, which brings AI-based improvements to cellular quality and reliability, with significantly faster upload speeds than the C1X and 15% lower energy consumption.
Battery life is touted as the longest in iPhone history: the iPhone 18 Pro offers up to 34 hours of video playback, and the Pro Max up to 43 hours. MagSafe wireless charging supports up to 15W (requires a 20W or higher adapter).
Camera and Pricing
The camera system includes a 48MP main camera with variable aperture, a 48MP ultra-wide, and a 48MP telephoto, plus a 18MP front camera with Center Stage. Features include tap-to-zoom, portrait mode, video stabilization, and Dolby Vision recording.
According to IThome, the iPhone 18 Pro series starts at 9,999 yuan (about $1,408) in China, a Chinese guide price before taxes and incentives. Preorders are off to a strong start, with first-hour sales on Taobao Flash Purchase doubling compared to the iPhone 17 Pro series.
