Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 9, at an event the company called "Surprise and shine." The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 for the 256GB model, $100 more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max's starting price of $1,199 a year earlier.
The keynote also marked a leadership change at Apple. It was John Ternus's first keynote as chief executive, eight days after he succeeded Tim Cook, who has moved into the role of executive chairman.
What Apple Confirmed
Apple said the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are built on a new 2 nanometer A20 Pro chip, and introduced a variable aperture main camera along with battery life the company says can last up to 45 hours. For the first time on an iPhone, storage now goes up to 2TB, alongside 256GB, 512GB and 1TB options. Apple has not yet published pricing for the tiers above the base 256GB model.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max open on September 12, with the devices shipping from September 18 in more than 65 countries and regions, followed by 20 additional countries on September 25. Apple's official announcement did not name Pakistan among either group.
The same event also introduced Apple's first foldable iPhone, along with an Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5, though full pricing details for the foldable model were not confirmed in the coverage available at the time of writing.
What It Could Cost in Pakistan
Apple does not operate an official store or authorized distributor in Pakistan. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to reach the country through independent resellers and importers who bring in stock from Dubai and other Gulf markets, typically some time after the global release date.
Converted at the dollar to rupee rate of around Rs 277.36 on September 9, the confirmed $1,299 starting price works out to roughly Rs 360,000 before Pakistan's mobile registration tax, import costs and retailer margins are added.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has not yet set a tax bracket for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, since new devices are only added to its DIRBS registration system after they begin arriving in the country. Based on the bracket currently applied to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, industry price trackers WhatMobile and TechJuice estimate the tax could fall anywhere between roughly Rs 195,000 and Rs 250,000, depending on whether the device is registered against a passport or a CNIC.
Combining the converted base price with that estimated tax range points to a total landed cost of roughly Rs 555,000 to Rs 610,000 for the base 256GB model, though this remains an estimate. The actual retail price will ultimately be set by individual importers once stock begins arriving in the country.
How It Compares to Last Year's Model
| Model | US Starting Price | Pakistan Price |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro Max (256GB) | $1,299 (confirmed) | Estimated Rs 555,000 to Rs 610,000 (unofficial, tax not yet set) |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB) | $1,199 (at launch) | Roughly Rs 535,600 to Rs 565,000 (current market price) |
For buyers who do not need this year's specific upgrades, the iPhone 17 Pro Max remains on the market in Pakistan at a lower, already-established price, since it has already been through PTA registration and retailer pricing.
What Happens Next
Actual Pakistan pricing will become clearer once PTA sets the device's tax bracket and the first import stock reaches local retailers, a process that has typically taken one to a few weeks after past iPhone launches. Until then, any Pakistan price listed for the iPhone 18 Pro Max should be treated as an estimate rather than a confirmed figure.
