MANILA, Philippines — Smart Communications is bringing Apple’s newest premium devices deeper into the Philippine postpaid market, opening pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max while preparing to add the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 to its growing connected-device ecosystem.
The PLDT wireless unit opened pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on October 2, giving subscribers access to Apple’s newest flagship smartphones through Smart Postpaid Plans+ and its premium Infinity service.
Pre-orders for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are scheduled to begin on October 9.
The launch highlights an increasingly important battleground among Philippine telcos: keeping high-value subscribers by bundling expensive flagship devices with longer installment terms, unlimited connectivity and ecosystem perks.
IPHONE 18 PRO STARTS AT ₱3,713 A MONTH UNDER SMART’S OFFER
According to InsiderPH, Smart is offering the:
iPhone 18 Pro from ₱3,713 per month with Postpaid Plans+ 1499
iPhone 18 Pro Max from ₱4,050 per month
Smart is also allowing new subscribers to spread qualifying payments over as long as 24 months at zero interest through participating credit cards.
Existing Smart customers renewing their plans can extend device payments for as long as 36 months through charge-to-bill arrangements.
Smart’s official online store separately lists the iPhone 18 Pro device price starting at ₱50,400, depending on the configuration and plan structure selected.
The arrangement reduces the need for subscribers to pay the full cost of a premium iPhone upfront.
For telecom operators, that makes the device itself part of a broader customer-retention strategy.
SMART IS ADDING PRE-ORDER FREEBIES
Smart is using additional incentives to attract early buyers.
Customers who successfully pre-order through Smart can receive:
18GB of free open-access data valid for three months
Discount vouchers for selected Smart accessories
A free Apple AirTag for successful online-store applications
Smart’s official iPhone 18 Pro page confirms that the AirTag, 18GB data allocation and accessory discounts are part of its October 2 to October 15 pre-order promotion.
The company is also offering free nationwide delivery, with estimated delivery periods depending on location.
THE PHILIPPINE VERSION SUPPORTS BOTH NANO-SIM AND ESIM
Smart’s official product page lists the iPhone 18 Pro Philippine model with support for both:
nano-SIM
and
eSIM
along with 5G connectivity.
That matters because Apple is gradually expanding eSIM-only iPhones in several international markets.
Apple said eSIM-only versions of the iPhone 18 Pro will be sold in selected markets including the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The versions offered through Smart, however, retain physical nano-SIM support.
IPHONE 18 PRO GETS APPLE’S A20 PRO CHIP
The biggest hardware upgrade sits inside the phone.
Apple equipped the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max with the A20 Pro chip, built using a 2-nanometer manufacturing process.
The processor includes:
6-core CPU
7-core GPU
Dual 16-core Neural Engine
Apple says the new GPU can deliver up to 40% faster graphics performance than the A19 Pro, while the Neural Engine provides significantly more capacity for artificial-intelligence workloads.
The phones also introduce Apple’s C2 cellular modem, which the company says provides faster upload performance while consuming less energy than its previous-generation modem.
That is particularly relevant for telecom partners such as Smart because more efficient cellular hardware can improve the experience of heavy 5G users.
CAMERA GETS VARIABLE APERTURE FOR THE FIRST TIME
Apple is heavily marketing the iPhone 18 Pro to photographers and content creators.
The phone introduces a new 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, allowing the system to automatically or manually adjust how much light enters the camera.
Apple says this improves:
Low-light photography
Depth of field
Group photos
Creative manual control
The Pro models also include 48MP Ultra Wide and 48MP Telephoto cameras, along with an 18MP Center Stage front camera.
Apple has also introduced more advanced manual controls for shutter speed, aperture, white balance and exposure monitoring.
For creators, that pushes the iPhone further into territory traditionally associated with dedicated cameras.
APPLE IS ALSO TARGETING THE AI RACE
The iPhone 18 Pro ships with iOS 27 and the latest generation of Apple Intelligence.
One of the centerpiece features is Siri AI, which Apple says can use personal context, understand what is displayed onscreen and perform actions across apps.
The A20 Pro’s expanded Neural Engine is designed specifically to handle more AI processing directly on the device.
That places the new iPhone squarely inside the broader smartphone-industry competition over generative AI.
Samsung, Google and other Android manufacturers have already made AI a major differentiator in their premium phones.
Apple is now trying to convince buyers that stronger artificial intelligence is another reason to upgrade.
IPHONE 18 PRO MAX PROMISES MUCH LONGER BATTERY LIFE
Battery life is another major selling point.
Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max delivers the largest battery-life improvement ever introduced on an iPhone Pro Max.
On eSIM-only models, Apple claims:
Up to 36 hours of video playback on iPhone 18 Pro
Up to 45 hours on iPhone 18 Pro Max
The new devices also support faster charging.
Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro can reach 50% charge in around 15 minutes using wired charging, depending on the charger and conditions.
The Philippine Smart product page lists up to 34 hours of video playback for the nano-SIM-equipped iPhone 18 Pro model.
SMART IS ALSO PUSHING APPLE WATCHES
The smartphone launch is only one part of Smart’s Apple strategy.
The telco will begin accepting pre-orders for:
Apple Watch Series 12
and
Apple Watch Ultra 4
on October 9.
According to the InsiderPH report, the Apple Watch Series 12 can be obtained for around ₱1,521 per month as a device add-on, or through a ₱28,900 cashout with Plan 999.
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 can be added for around ₱2,467 per month, or through a ₱49,200 cashout with Plan 999.
Apple’s Philippine online store separately lists the Apple Watch Series 12 starting at ₱28,990, while the Ultra 4 starts at a higher retail price depending on configuration.
APPLE WATCH ULTRA 4 PUSHES FURTHER INTO FITNESS
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is targeted primarily at athletes, outdoor users and people who want longer battery life.
Apple lists features including:
Up to 50 hours of normal use
Up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode
Up to 45 hours of extended workout tracking
Improved heart-rate sensing
Readiness and recovery metrics
ECG and blood-oxygen features where available
Sleep tracking and sleep apnea notifications
The device uses Apple’s S11 chip and also integrates Siri AI.
The more mainstream Series 12 is positioned around everyday health monitoring rather than extreme sports.
ONE NUMBER CAN CONNECT MULTIPLE APPLE DEVICES
Smart is also using Apple’s ecosystem to sell additional connectivity.
Through Smart Device Link, subscribers can connect compatible Apple devices to the same postpaid account for an additional ₱199 per month, according to InsiderPH.
That can allow an Apple Watch to stay connected even when the user’s iPhone is not immediately nearby, depending on device and network compatibility.
For Smart, every connected watch creates another recurring service relationship beyond the smartphone itself.
INFINITY CUSTOMERS GET THE PREMIUM VERSION OF THE OFFER
Smart is also making the new iPhone available through its high-end Infinity postpaid service.
Offers begin at Infinity Plan 5000, while the higher Plan 9500 includes one primary line and two supplementary lines.
The strategy reflects the economics of premium postpaid customers.
Subscribers willing to spend several thousand pesos every month tend to generate far more predictable revenue than prepaid users.
Bundling a high-end iPhone into those plans gives customers another reason to remain under contract rather than switching networks.
APPLE DEVICES ARE BECOMING MORE USEFUL IN THE PHILIPPINES
Smart’s latest rollout comes only months after another significant Apple ecosystem expansion in the country.
Apple Pay officially launched in the Philippines on August 4, 2026, allowing supported credit and debit cards to make contactless purchases using the iPhone and Apple Watch.
That means Apple’s devices now have a larger financial and payments role for Philippine users than they did when previous iPhone generations launched.
Apple said thousands of Philippine merchants would support the service through participating banks and card networks.
For Apple Watch owners in particular, that adds another everyday use case beyond fitness and notifications.
APPLE’S IPHONE BUSINESS REMAINS A GLOBAL CASH ENGINE
Apple’s latest flagship rollout also comes after a strong period for its smartphone business.
The company reported $111.2 billion in total revenue for its fiscal second quarter of 2026, up 17% from a year earlier.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said iPhone revenue reached a March-quarter record, driven by demand for the previous iPhone 17 lineup.
That gives Apple significant momentum as it tries to persuade consumers to upgrade again.
But in markets such as the Philippines, pricing remains one of the biggest obstacles.
Premium smartphones can cost the equivalent of several months of household income.
That is precisely where telecom installment programs become important.
THE REAL BATTLE ISN’T JUST ABOUT SELLING IPHONES
Smart’s iPhone 18 launch may look like a smartphone promotion, but the bigger business story is about subscriber loyalty.
For Smart, an iPhone customer paying every month for:
a postpaid plan,
a financed device,
5G data,
and potentially an Apple Watch connection
can become a highly valuable long-term subscriber.
For Apple, telco financing makes increasingly expensive flagship phones easier to acquire without reducing the headline retail price.
And for consumers, the trade-off is straightforward: lower upfront cost in exchange for a longer financial commitment.
That is why Smart’s newest Apple rollout matters beyond another annual iPhone launch.
The iPhone 18 Pro may be the product attracting attention.
But the bigger contest is over who controls the customer’s mobile spending for the next two or three years.
