iPhone 18 Pro Max vs 17 Pro Max: What changed? Nine charts compare lab results and specs

Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 9, 2026, and began sales on September 18, including in Türkiye. At a glance it is difficult to distinguish from last year’s 17 Pro Max: the same 6.9-inch display, aluminium body and dimensions. The changes are inside. This comparison separates Apple’s claims from Tom’s Guide laboratory results and reporting by German technology outlets.

Design and display: Both phones measure 163.4 × 78 × 8.75 mm and use a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel with 2,868 × 1,320 pixels and a 1–120 Hz refresh rate. Apple lists peak brightness at 3,000 nits on both. The Dynamic Island is smaller on the new model, which can show three Live Activities at once instead of two. The 18 Pro Max weighs 249 grams; sources put the 17 Pro Max at 231–233 grams. Colours differ between generations.

Tom’s Guide measured 2,326 nits peak brightness on the 18 Pro Max and 1,899 on the 17 Pro Max, a 22% difference. Colour coverage also increased, while colour accuracy remained the same. The outlet described the new anti-reflective coating as difficult to notice.

Camera: Both models have three 48-megapixel rear cameras and an 18-megapixel Center Stage front camera. The main camera’s aperture is the major change: the 17 Pro Max uses a fixed f/1.78 aperture, while the 18 Pro Max has a six-blade physical aperture with f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4 settings. New Pro Controls add manual ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus and aperture adjustment in the Camera app. Tom’s Guide found daytime and ultra-wide shots very close between the phones; it saw more difference in low light and at long zoom. Portrait mode showed little change.

Processor: The 18 Pro Max uses Apple’s A20 Pro, made on a 2-nanometre process, compared with the A19 Pro’s 3-nanometre process. Both CPUs have six cores; the GPU rises from six to seven cores. Apple claims up to 40% faster graphics and 50% more memory bandwidth. The new model also has an enlarged vapour chamber. Reviewers say this is more likely to matter during extended gaming or video editing than everyday use.

Tom’s Guide’s September 23 comparison recorded 22% higher single-core and 28% higher multi-core Geekbench 6 scores. In graphics, the 18 Pro Max reached 67.9 frames per second in 3DMark Solar Bay, compared with 46.6 on the older phone. Its Geekbench AI 1.7 result was 48% higher. The outlet’s independent graphics gain exceeded Apple’s “up to 40%” claim.

Battery and charging: Apple does not disclose battery capacity. A European product-data listing cited by talk-point gives 5,391 mAh for the 18 Pro Max; Tom’s Guide lists 5,088 mAh for the 17 Pro Max. Apple’s video-playback estimate rises from 37 to 43 hours. In Tom’s Guide’s continuous 5G web test, however, the new phone lasted 18 hours 27 minutes versus 17 hours 54 minutes , a 33-minute, or 3%, gain. Wired charging rises from 40 W to 60 W; the newer model reached 44% in 15 minutes and 77% in 30 minutes, compared with 35% and 64%.

Price: In the United States, the starting price rose from $1,199 to $1,299, or 8%. In Türkiye, the 256 GB launch price rose from 119,999 TL to 149,999 TL, a 30,000 TL or 25% increase. The 18 Pro Max adds a 2 TB tier listed at 255,999 TL. Apple has discontinued the 17 Pro Max in its own store; Turkish online sellers were listing the 256 GB version around 122,000 TL at the time of the source report.

Software: Both models run iOS 27 and support the new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence tools. The Dynamic Island changes and Camera app Pro Controls are exclusive to the 18 Pro Max. The newer model should also receive software updates for an additional year.

Verdict: Tom’s Guide gave the 18 Pro Max a 6–2 win across seven comparison rounds, but said upgrading from the 17 Pro Max is hard to justify. Our assessment is similar: 17 Pro Max owners may want to wait, given the 30,000 TL price gap and the 3% battery-test gain. The variable aperture is a meaningful draw for people who use the camera professionally; for owners of the 15 or 16 Pro Max, the combined changes may amount to a more substantial upgrade.

Verified: Dimensions, display, camera setup, aperture settings, chip claims, benchmark scores, battery tests and U.S. prices: Tom’s Guide (September 12 and 23, 2026). Battery and charging reports: o2. Dimensions, EU data-sheet capacity and weight: talk-point. Vapour chamber and camera: Handyhase. Upgrade assessment: connect.de. Türkiye prices: Halk TV, Dünya, CNBC-e and Tamindir. Uncertainty: Sources give the 17 Pro Max weight as 231 or 233 g. Tom’s Guide published different wireless-charging figures in two articles (25 W and 35 W); Apple’s official value was not checked. Sources differ on telephoto zoom, so no zoom ratio is stated here. The 17 Pro Max battery capacity is from Tom’s Guide, not Apple. Not available: German prices, a second independent camera test and an Apple-published mAh value. The verdict is our analysis.

Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 9, 2026, and began sales on September 18, including in Türkiye. At a glance it is difficult to distinguish from last year’s 17 Pro Max: the same 6.9-inch display, aluminium body and dimensions. The changes are inside. This comparison separates Apple’s claims from Tom’s Guide laboratory results and reporting by German technology outlets.

Design and display: Both phones measure 163.4 × 78 × 8.75 mm and use a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel with 2,868 × 1,320 pixels and a 1–120 Hz refresh rate. Apple lists peak brightness at 3,000 nits on both. The Dynamic Island is smaller on the new model, which can show three Live Activities at once instead of two. The 18 Pro Max weighs 249 grams; sources put the 17 Pro Max at 231–233 grams. Colours differ between generations.

Tom’s Guide measured 2,326 nits peak brightness on the 18 Pro Max and 1,899 on the 17 Pro Max, a 22% difference. Colour coverage also increased, while colour accuracy remained the same. The outlet described the new anti-reflective coating as difficult to notice.

Camera: Both models have three 48-megapixel rear cameras and an 18-megapixel Center Stage front camera. The main camera’s aperture is the major change: the 17 Pro Max uses a fixed f/1.78 aperture, while the 18 Pro Max has a six-blade physical aperture with f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4 settings. New Pro Controls add manual ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus and aperture adjustment in the Camera app. Tom’s Guide found daytime and ultra-wide shots very close between the phones; it saw more difference in low light and at long zoom. Portrait mode showed little change.

Processor: The 18 Pro Max uses Apple’s A20 Pro, made on a 2-nanometre process, compared with the A19 Pro’s 3-nanometre process. Both CPUs have six cores; the GPU rises from six to seven cores. Apple claims up to 40% faster graphics and 50% more memory bandwidth. The new model also has an enlarged vapour chamber. Reviewers say this is more likely to matter during extended gaming or video editing than everyday use.

Tom’s Guide’s September 23 comparison recorded 22% higher single-core and 28% higher multi-core Geekbench 6 scores. In graphics, the 18 Pro Max reached 67.9 frames per second in 3DMark Solar Bay, compared with 46.6 on the older phone. Its Geekbench AI 1.7 result was 48% higher. The outlet’s independent graphics gain exceeded Apple’s “up to 40%” claim.

Battery and charging: Apple does not disclose battery capacity. A European product-data listing cited by talk-point gives 5,391 mAh for the 18 Pro Max; Tom’s Guide lists 5,088 mAh for the 17 Pro Max. Apple’s video-playback estimate rises from 37 to 43 hours. In Tom’s Guide’s continuous 5G web test, however, the new phone lasted 18 hours 27 minutes versus 17 hours 54 minutes , a 33-minute, or 3%, gain. Wired charging rises from 40 W to 60 W; the newer model reached 44% in 15 minutes and 77% in 30 minutes, compared with 35% and 64%.

Price: In the United States, the starting price rose from $1,199 to $1,299, or 8%. In Türkiye, the 256 GB launch price rose from 119,999 TL to 149,999 TL, a 30,000 TL or 25% increase. The 18 Pro Max adds a 2 TB tier listed at 255,999 TL. Apple has discontinued the 17 Pro Max in its own store; Turkish online sellers were listing the 256 GB version around 122,000 TL at the time of the source report.

Software: Both models run iOS 27 and support the new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence tools. The Dynamic Island changes and Camera app Pro Controls are exclusive to the 18 Pro Max. The newer model should also receive software updates for an additional year.

Verdict: Tom’s Guide gave the 18 Pro Max a 6–2 win across seven comparison rounds, but said upgrading from the 17 Pro Max is hard to justify. Our assessment is similar: 17 Pro Max owners may want to wait, given the 30,000 TL price gap and the 3% battery-test gain. The variable aperture is a meaningful draw for people who use the camera professionally; for owners of the 15 or 16 Pro Max, the combined changes may amount to a more substantial upgrade.

Verified: Dimensions, display, camera setup, aperture settings, chip claims, benchmark scores, battery tests and U.S. prices: Tom’s Guide (September 12 and 23, 2026). Battery and charging reports: o2. Dimensions, EU data-sheet capacity and weight: talk-point. Vapour chamber and camera: Handyhase. Upgrade assessment: connect.de. Türkiye prices: Halk TV, Dünya, CNBC-e and Tamindir. Uncertainty: Sources give the 17 Pro Max weight as 231 or 233 g. Tom’s Guide published different wireless-charging figures in two articles (25 W and 35 W); Apple’s official value was not checked. Sources differ on telephoto zoom, so no zoom ratio is stated here. The 17 Pro Max battery capacity is from Tom’s Guide, not Apple. Not available: German prices, a second independent camera test and an Apple-published mAh value. The verdict is our analysis.