Two years ago I ran this same comparison for the iPhone 16 Pro Max against the 15 Pro Max.1
| Spec | 16 Pro Max | 17 Pro Max | 18 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon | Chip | A18 Pro | A19 Pro | A20 Pro |
| CPU, fast + low-power cores | 2 fast + 4 low-power | same | 2 fast (~20% quicker) + 4 low-power | |
| Graphics, AI-boosted graphics | 6-core, no AI helpers | 6-core with AI helpers | 7-core with AI helpers | |
| On-device AI chip | 16-core | same | Two 16-core blocks, 32 total | |
| Build | Frame | Titanium | Aluminum unibody | same |
| Front glass | Ceramic Shield | Ceramic Shield 2, 3x scratch resistance | same | |
| Peak outdoor brightness | 2000 nits | 3000 nits | same | |
| Weight | 227 g | 233 g | 249 g | |
| Thickness | 8.25 mm | 8.75 mm | same | |
| Battery | Video playback | 33 hrs | 39 hrs | 45 hrs |
| Streamed video | 29 hrs | 35 hrs | 40 hrs | |
| 50% fast charge | 35 min, 20W | 20 min, 40W | ~15 min, 60W with AVS | |
| Cameras | Rear system | 48MP Fusion Main, 48MP Ultra Wide, Telephoto | Three 48MP Fusion | Three 48MP Fusion, variable aperture Main |
| Optical zoom | 0.5/1/2/5x | 0.5/1/2/4/8x | same | |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth | 18MP Center Stage | plus tap to zoom and rotate | |
| Cinematic mode | 4K/30 | same | 4K/60, plus effects applied to existing video | |
| Other | Bluetooth | 5.3 | 6 | same |
| Storage at Apple | Discontinued | 256GB to 2TB | same |
Also new on the 18 Pro Max, and not on the spec grid above: manual control over aperture, shutter speed and white balance with a live histogram, smart focus tracking, Apple Reference Image, better low-light video, and stabilized time-lapse up to 4K Dolby Vision.
The 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 for 256GB, then $1,499 for 512GB, $1,899 for 1TB, and $2,499 for 2TB. Pre-orders open September 12. Apple no longer sells the 16 Pro Max, so upgrading from one runs through trade-in credit. ↩︎