A series of screenshots seemingly show Verizon's AI chat assistant answering detailed questions about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, just hours before Apple's announcement event.
The screenshots were shared privately with MacRumors by an X user who says the responses came from the "Ask Verizon" AI assistant built into the carrier's app. The conversation is timestamped September 8 at 1:48 to 1:52 p.m., the day before Apple's "Surprise and shine" event. According to the screenshots, the assistant made the following interesting claims about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max:
- The iPhone 18 Pro Max features the same variable aperture main camera lens as the iPhone 18 Pro.
- Variable aperture lets the lens opening adjust between f/1.4 and f/4.0 for better low-light shots, natural bokeh, and sharper group photos.
- The iPhone 18 Pro Max gets an "advanced" Sensor-shift OIS for improved low-light video stabilization and a larger main sensor for more detail and light.
- The iPhone 18 Pro Max features a 48MP telephoto camera with up to 10x optical zoom, up from 8x on the iPhone 18 Pro.
- The iPhone 18 Pro Max has 16GB of RAM, compared to 12GB on the iPhone 18 Pro.
- The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,099.99, with the iPhone 18 Pro Max starting at $1,199.99.
- The iPhone 18 Pro comes in four colors: Dark Cherry, Titanium Gray, Titanium White, and Titanium Black.
Several of these claims sit awkwardly next to what's already been reported. The pricing the chatbot gave, $1,099.99 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,199.99 for the Pro Max, exactly matches the iPhone 17 Pro's current starting prices, even though there is a general consensus from analysts that prices will increase this generation.
The color names are also seem to be incorrect. Recent leaks have pointed to Dark Cherry alongside Silver and Sky Blue, not the "Titanium Gray," "Titanium White," and "Titanium Black" names the assistant listed, which more closely resemble the finish names Apple used for the iPhone 15 Pro lineup back in 2023. This clearly raises the possibility that the chatbot pulled outdated or unrelated training data rather than surfacing a genuine leak. The assistant also made a series of more plausible claims:
- The iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch display.
- The iPhone 18 Pro Max offers longer battery life than the Pro due to its larger size.
- Both models feature a triple-lens rear camera system.
- The main camera is 48MP with the f/1.4 to f/4.0 variable aperture and Sensor-shift OIS.
- The ultra wide camera is 48MP, aimed at high-resolution macro and wide shots.
- Both models support ProRAW and ProRes video recording.
- Both models are powered by the A20 Pro chip.
We have been unable to independently verify or replicate the exchange, suggesting the chatbot may have since been patched, or that the original screenshots were altered or otherwise inaccurate. Given that, and the fact that AI chatbots are known to hallucinate plausible sounding but false information, the claims should be treated with skepticism rather than as a legitimate leak.
Update: Verizon tells MacRumors that the alleged leak from the AI chatbot is untrue.
/https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/2659976/)
