Head to head
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxvsApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
- Released
- 2026-09-18Apple Newsroom UK — Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Price
- £1299Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Released
- 2025-09-19endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £1199Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
2 wins for iPhone 18 Pro Max1 win for iPhone 17 Pro Max2 differences you won’t notice
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Dimensions
163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mmOfficial
163.4 x 78 x 8.75 mmOfficial
Weight
249gOfficial
231gOfficial
Marginal — most people won’t notice.
Build
Aluminium unibody design, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backOfficial
Aluminium unibody design, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backOfficial
SIM
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)Official
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); Dual eSIM supportOfficial
Water/dust rating
IP68Official
IP68Official
Unlock
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official
Display
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Display type
Super Retina XDR OLED, Always-On, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Super Retina XDR OLED, Always-On, HDR, True Tone, Wide colour (P3)Official
Display size
6.9inOfficial
6.9inOfficial
Resolution
2868 x 1320Official
2868 x 1320Official
Pixel density
460ppiOfficial
460ppiOfficial
Refresh rate
120HzOfficial
120HzOfficial
You won’t notice this difference.
Peak brightness
3000nitsOfficial
3000nitsOfficial
You won’t notice this difference.
Typical brightness
1000nitsOfficial
1000nitsOfficial
HDR peak brightness
1600nitsOfficial
1600nitsOfficial
Screen protection
Ceramic Shield 2 frontOfficial
Ceramic Shield 2 frontOfficial
Platform
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Operating system
iOS 27Official
iOS 263rd party
Chipset
A20 Pro chipOfficial
A19 Pro chipOfficial
CPU
6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
GPU
7-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsOfficial
6-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsOfficial
Memory
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Storage (base)
256GBOfficial
256GBOfficial
Storage options
256GB/512GB/1TB/2TBOfficial
256GB/512GB/1TB/2TBOfficial
RAM
12GB3rd party
12GB3rd party
Card slot
No3rd party
No3rd party
Camera
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Main camera
48MP Pro Fusion camera system: 48MP Fusion Main 24mm with variable aperture (f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, f/4.0) and second-generation sensor-shift OIS; 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2; 48MP Fusion Telephoto 100mm (4x) f/2.8 with 3D sensor-shift OIS; 8x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 40xOfficial
48MP Pro Fusion camera system: 48MP Fusion Main 24mm f/1.78 with second-generation sensor-shift OIS; 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2 120°; 48MP Fusion Telephoto 100mm 4x f/2.8 tetraprism; Fusion Main also enables 12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto 48mm f/1.78; Fusion Telephoto also enables 12MP optical-quality 8x Telephoto 200mm f/2.8Official
Main sensor resolution
48MPOfficial
48MPOfficial
Main aperture
f/1.48 to f/4.0 (variable)Official
f/1.78Official
Main sensor size
1/1.28"3rd party
1/1.28"3rd party
Telephoto
48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100mm (4x), f/2.8, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilisationOfficial
48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100mm (4x), f/2.8, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift OIS; also enables 12MP optical-quality 8x Telephoto 200mm f/2.8Official
Ultrawide
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2Official
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2, 120° field of viewOfficial
Front camera
18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
Video capture
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 (Fusion Main) or 120 fpsOfficial
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 or 120 fps (Fusion Main)Official
Battery
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Battery capacity
5391mAh3rd party
4823mAh3rd party
Battery per charge
No verified data
53hOfficial
Claimed video playback
43hOfficial
37hOfficial
Battery lifespan
No verified data
1000cyclesOfficial
Fast charging
60WOfficial
40WOfficial
Marginal — most people won’t notice.
Wireless charging
25WOfficial
25WOfficial
Connectivity
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
Bluetooth
6Official
6Official
USB
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
NFC
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
Positioning
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official
Misc
Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Colours
Black, Silver, Glacier, BurgundyOfficial
Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep BlueOfficial
SAR (EU, head)
No verified data
1.49W/kg3rd party
Repairability (EU class)
No verified data
COfficial
4 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) · AnTuTu benchmark · 3DMark Wild Life Extreme · DXOMARK camera score. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.