iPhone 18 Pro Camera Scores 172 on DXOMARK, Held Back by Long-Range Zoom

DXOMARK’s lab and perceptual testing puts the iPhone 18 Pro among the top imaging phones with an overall score of 172. The standout hardware change is a variable-aperture main sensor (f/1.48–f/4.0), which lets the camera hold sharpness across depth-heavy scenes and automatically extend depth of field for group portraits. Across photo and video the device delivers wide dynamic range, natural contrast, improved skin tones, and a well-judged balance between preserved detail and controlled noise — notably with fewer of the heavy-handed AI processing artifacts seen on some rivals.

Low-light and video are where it’s strongest: stabilization stays smooth even during running motion at 60 fps, night images keep fine texture without over-processing, and Apple’s characteristic warm color signature is now better restrained. The main weaknesses are long-range telephoto, where fine detail goes noticeably soft and trails competing flagships, and white balance, which still throws visible color casts in some conditions. Backlit portraits can underexpose faces, portrait segmentation occasionally misfires, and flare and aliasing remain visible.

For a technical audience the takeaway is that Apple is leaning on optical and computational balance — variable aperture plus restrained processing — rather than aggressive AI reconstruction, which keeps output looking natural but leaves a real gap at long zoom against rivals like Vivo and Oppo.