Versus Engine
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro Max
Specs, price and the one trade-off that actually decides it — iPhone 17 Pro Max against iPhone 18 Pro Max, side by side.
Cheaper to start
Tie
Both start at a similar price.
Rated higher
iPhone 17 Pro Max
9.4 vs 0.0 on our design scale.
Standout
iPhone 17 Pro Max
6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple's flagship at $1,199 — the best video capture on a phone, inside a deliberately closed system.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Advanced camera features with on-device AI for smart photo capture
- Regular iOS updates ensure long-term software support
- Ceramic Shield provides superior scratch resistance and durability
Cons
- High price point of $1199 may be prohibitive for some users
- Closed ecosystem limits flexibility and customization options
Specifications
- Chipvapor-cooled A20 Pro chip
- 5GiPhone + 5G = a superfast experience
- Camera—
- Camera FeaturesSmart Take uses on-device AI to detect when people are posed and automatically takes the picture
- Capacity—
- Ceramic ShieldCeramic Shield 2 on the front, with better scratch resistance, and Ceramic Shield on the back for added durability
- Charging and Expansion—
- Connectivity—
- External Buttons and Connectors—
- Finish—
- iOS Updatesregular iOS updates keep your iPhone feeling new for years to come
- key_features6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, A19 Pro chip, 48MP Triple Camera system, 12GB RAM
- Location—
- SIM Card—
- Size and Weight / Depth—
- Size and Weight / Height—
- Size and Weight / Weight—
- Size and Weight / Width—
- Splash, Water, and Dust Resistant—
- Water Resistancestands up to splashes from everyday liquids like water, coffee, and soda
- Wireless ChargingSnap on a MagSafe Charger for faster wireless charging
iPhone 18 Pro Max
iPhone 18 Pro Max with a 48MP Pro Fusion camera system and A20 Pro chip.
Where it wins, where it doesn't
Pros
- Advanced 48MP Pro Fusion camera system with multiple lenses and stabilization features.
- A20 Pro chip with hardware-accelerated ray tracing for powerful performance.
- Wide range of cellular and wireless connectivity options.
Cons
- Limited expandability with no SD card slot.
- High price point for the largest storage options.
Specifications
- ChipA20 Pro chip 6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators Dual 16-core Neural Engine Hardware-accelerated ray tracing
- 5G—
- Camera48MP Pro Fusion camera system 48MP Fusion Main with variable aperture (ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, ƒ/4.0): 24 mm, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels, super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP) Also enables 12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto: 48 mm, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide: 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° field of view, Hybrid Focus Pixels, super-high-resolution photos (24MP and 48MP)
- Camera Features—
- Capacity256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
- Ceramic Shield—
- Charging and ExpansionUSB-C connector with support for: Charging DisplayPort USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s) MagSafe and Wireless Charging: MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W, Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W
- ConnectivityD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53) UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) FDD-5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n66, n70, n71, n75) TDD-5G NR (Bands n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) 5G NR mmWave (Bands n258, n260, n261) FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71) TDD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 53) UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4x4 MIMO Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO Apple N1 wireless networking chip Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO Bluetooth 6 Thread networking technology Apple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip NFC with reader mode Express Cards with power reserve Apple C2 cellular modem
- External Buttons and ConnectorsVolume up/down Action button Camera Control Side button Built-in stereo speaker Built-in microphone USB-C connector Built-in microphones Built-in stereo speaker Action button features: Silent Mode, Focus, Camera, Visual Intelligence, Flashlight, Voice Memo, Recognize Music, Translate, Magnifier, Controls, Shortcut, or Accessibility Camera controls: Exposure, Depth, Zoom, Cameras, Styles, Tone
- FinishAluminum unibody design Ceramic Shield 2 front Ceramic Shield back
- iOS Updates—
- key_features—
- LocationPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC) Digital compass iBeacon microlocation
- SIM CardDual eSIM (two active eSIMs; stores eight or more eSIMs) 17
- Size and Weight / Depth0.34 inch (8.75 mm)
- Size and Weight / Height5.91 inches (150.0 mm)
- Size and Weight / Weight7.44 ounces (211 grams)
- Size and Weight / Width2.83 inches (71.9 mm)
- Splash, Water, and Dust ResistantRated IP68 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
- Water Resistance—
- Wireless Charging—