Screenshots circulated privately by X user “mehrtosh” show Verizon’s in‑app AI assistant answering detailed questions about the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max hours before Apple’s announcement event. The conversation is timestamped September 8 at 1:48 to 1:52 p.m., the day before Apple’s “Surprise and shine” event.
Alleged iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max specs from Verizon AI
According to the shared screenshots, the assistant made several specific claims about both models. It said the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the same variable‑aperture main camera lens as the iPhone 18 Pro, with the lens opening adjustable between f/1.4 and f/4.0 to improve low‑light performance, produce natural bokeh and deliver sharper group photos. The assistant also claimed the Pro Max has an “advanced” Sensor‑shift OIS for improved low‑light video stabilization and a larger main sensor for more detail and light.
The assistant reportedly stated that the iPhone 18 Pro Max features a 48MP telephoto camera with up to 10x optical zoom, up from 8x on the iPhone 18 Pro, and that the Pro Max has 16GB of RAM versus 12GB on the iPhone 18 Pro. It gave starting prices of $1,099.99 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,199.99 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and listed color options for the iPhone 18 Pro as Dark Cherry, Titanium Gray, Titanium White and Titanium Black.
Other claims the assistant made included a 6.3‑inch Super Retina XDR display for the iPhone 18 Pro and a 6.9‑inch display for the iPhone 18 Pro Max; longer battery life on the Pro Max due to its larger size; a triple‑lens rear camera system on both models; a 48MP main camera with f/1.4–f/4.0 variable aperture and Sensor‑shift OIS; a 48MP ultra wide camera aimed at high‑resolution macro and wide shots; support for ProRAW and ProRes recording on both models; and both models being powered by the A20 Pro chip.
Verification issues and why the claims are contested
Several of the assistant’s claims conflict with other reporting or appear inconsistent. The pricing it gave exactly matches current starting prices for the iPhone 17 Pro lineup, despite a general consensus from analysts that prices will increase this generation. The color names the assistant listed—Titanium Gray, Titanium White and Titanium Black—more closely resemble finish names used for the iPhone 15 Pro lineup in 2023, while recent leaks have pointed to Dark Cherry alongside Silver and Sky Blue for this cycle. That raises the possibility the chatbot pulled outdated or unrelated training data rather than surfacing a genuine leak.
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 those verification issues and the well‑documented tendency for AI chatbots to produce plausible‑sounding but false information, the claims in the screenshots should be treated with skepticism rather than accepted as a confirmed leak.
