Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro may be getting a lot chunkier. According to a new post on Weibo from the leaker known as “Fixed Focus Digital”, both the aluminum frame and rear camera housing on the iPhone 18 Pro will be thicker than those on the iPhone 17 Pro, with the overall body growing by roughly 2mm.
As reported by MacRumors, the leaker cited materials sourced from Tata to back up the claim, and added that the final thickness figure “will indeed be somewhat surprising.” That’s a notable hint that Apple may be moving further away from the slim, refined aesthetic it has chased for years.
The 2mm figure is consistent with a separate post the leaker shared on July 4, which put the iPhone 18 Pro’s overall thickness somewhere in the range of 9.9mm to 10.9mm. For context, both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max measure 8.75mm thick. That means the new model could end up being more than a full millimeter thicker at minimum, and well over two millimeters thicker at the high end of the estimate.
Dummy models that surfaced back in April pointed in the same direction. Those mock-ups suggested the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s camera plateau would measure 11.54mm, up from 11.23mm on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That’s a smaller jump than the overall body thickness change, but it still confirms the camera housing is growing.
So why is the phone getting thicker? The leading explanation is a major camera upgrade. The iPhone 18 Pro is widely expected to include the first variable aperture lens in iPhone history, a feature that lets the camera physically adjust how much light it lets in, similar to how professional cameras have worked for decades. That kind of mechanical component takes up more space than a fixed lens, and it reportedly costs Apple about 50% more to produce. Manufacturing is said to be ramping up at suppliers including LG Innotek and Sunny Optical.
On the materials front, Fixed Focus Digital also confirmed that Apple is sticking with aluminum alloy for the iPhone 18 Pro’s mid-frame and back panel, rather than returning to titanium. The leaker described the material’s heat dissipation as “indeed excellent,” but also warned buyers to be careful with the new color options. Some iPhone 17 Pro units have reportedly suffered discoloration and surface chipping, and the leaker suggested the same risk could apply to the next generation.
A few other details worth keeping in mind as the picture comes together:
- The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expected to launch in September 2026.
- Apple is also expected to debut its first foldable iPhone at the same event.
- The variable aperture lens is one of the most significant camera hardware changes Apple has made in years.
- If the 10.9mm thickness estimate holds, the iPhone 18 Pro would be noticeably thicker than any recent iPhone Pro model.
The shift toward a thicker phone with a more capable camera is a meaningful change in direction for Apple. For years, the company has tried to keep its Pro models slim while packing in better hardware, often making tradeoffs to do so. Accepting a thicker chassis to fit more advanced camera mechanics suggests Apple is betting that users will prioritize photography performance over a slimmer profile. Whether buyers agree will become clear once the phone actually ships.