The iPhone 18 Pro has been described as the new battery leader in a review published by the Irish Independent on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. The Irish Independent's headline calls Apple's latest handset the "battery king," placing endurance at the center of its assessment.
The review was one of several published around the same period. Mashable also reviewed the iPhone 18 Pro Max, framing its appeal around internal improvements rather than exterior changes. The Verge, meanwhile, reported that the iPhone 18 Pro's significant camera update delivers only modest gains in practice.
Not all of the coverage was positive on the commercial side. GSMArena.com reported that analyst Jeff Pu was unimpressed with pre-orders for both the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max, suggesting early demand did not meet expectations.
Buyers weighing the device against its main rival also have a direct comparison to consider. TechRepublic published a head-to-head between the iPhone 18 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra, asking which premium flagship shoppers should choose.
Taken together, the early coverage presents a mixed picture: strong praise for battery performance from the Irish Independent, a cautious read on camera improvements from The Verge, and a skeptical note on pre-order figures from GSMArena.com. No full review text was available in the material summarized here, so specific test results and figures cited by the Irish Independent could not be verified.
What to watch next: whether Apple comments on pre-order demand, and whether independent battery testing backs up the Irish Independent's claim.