Choose the 6.9-inch iPhone 18 Pro Max over the 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro and you get about 20 percent more display, in a body with about 18 percent more footprint and 18 percent more weight. Both panels are 460 ppi, both are the same shape, and Apple publishes every number needed to work that out without publishing the comparison itself.
That matters because the display is the first half of the size decision and the body is the second. Apple’s tech specs give 2622 x 1206 pixels on the Pro and 2868 x 1320 on the Pro Max, so the bigger phone carries 623,628 more pixels, or 19.7 percent more. At an identical pixel density, more pixels means exactly that much more glass to look at.
Key facts: the two panels and the two bodies
| Line | iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 6.3 inches | 6.9 inches |
| Resolution | 2622 x 1206 | 2868 x 1320 |
| Pixels | 3,162,132 | 3,785,760 |
| Pixel density | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | About 2.17 to 1 | About 2.17 to 1 |
| Brightness | 1000 nits typical, 1600 peak HDR, 3000 peak outdoor | Identical |
| Refresh | ProMotion up to 120Hz, Always-On | Identical |
| Height x width | 150.0 x 71.9 mm | 163.4 x 78.0 mm |
| Thickness | 8.75 mm | 8.75 mm |
| Weight | 211 g | 249 g |
Same pixels, just more of them
Because Apple lists 460 ppi on both, a pixel is the same physical size on each phone, and the pixel count is a direct proxy for area. The 19.7 percent gap in pixels is therefore also the gap in display area, and it lines up with the diagonals: 6.9 divided by 6.3 is 1.095, and squaring that for a rectangle of the same proportions gives 1.20.
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The proportions really are the same. The Pro works out at 2.174 to 1 and the Pro Max at 2.173 to 1, which is why apps, video and the redesigned Dynamic Island scale between them rather than reflow. Our launch-day rundown of both models lists the rest of the display specification, all of which is shared.
The body grows more slowly than the screen
Multiply Apple’s height and width figures and the Pro occupies 10,785 square millimeters of pocket, against 12,745 for the Pro Max. That is 18.2 percent more, against 19.7 percent more display. The bigger phone is very slightly more efficient with the space it takes up.
| What scales | Change from Pro to Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Pixels, and so display area | Up 19.7 percent |
| Footprint (height x width) | Up 18.2 percent |
| Weight | Up 18.0 percent, 38 g |
| Width in the hand | Up 6.1 mm |
| Height in the pocket | Up 13.4 mm |
| Thickness | No change, 8.75 mm |
| Pixel density, brightness, refresh | No change |
| US price at 256GB | Up 8.3 percent, $100 |
The line that decides it for most people is the 6.1 mm of extra width, because width is what a thumb has to cross and what a pocket has to take sideways. Height and weight follow, and thickness is the one dimension Apple has held identical at 8.75 mm.
What the bigger panel does not change
- Sharpness. Both displays are 460 ppi, so text is rendered at the same size and crispness.
- Brightness. Both are rated 1000 nits typical, 1600 nits peak HDR and 3000 nits peak outdoor.
- Refresh and Always-On behavior, both listed as ProMotion up to 120Hz with an Always-On display.
- Glass and frame. Both list Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back and an aluminum unibody, with IP68 to 6 meters for 30 minutes.
- The cameras behind it, including the variable aperture main sensor covered in our camera explainer.
What does change with the panel is the battery rating, since the Pro Max is rated for up to 45 hours of video playback against 36, and 30 hours of typical use against 24. Our Pro against Pro Max comparison weighs that alongside the price.
What Apple has not said
- The display area of either iPhone. Apple prints exact areas for Apple Watch Series 12, 970 sq mm at 42mm and 1196 sq mm at 46mm, and prints none for iPhone.
- Any screen-to-body ratio, bezel width or corner radius for either model.
- The exact aspect ratios. The 2.17 to 1 figures here are arithmetic on Apple’s pixel counts.
- How much of the diagonal is lost to rounded corners, which is why the inch figures are not directly comparable with a rectangular panel.
- The size of the redesigned Dynamic Island on either model, in pixels or millimeters.
Pre-orders open at 5 a.m. PT on Saturday, September 12, which is 12:00 UTC, and both sizes reach stores on Friday, September 18. Until a phone is in your hand, the 6.1 mm of width and the 38 g are the two numbers that describe the difference better than the inches do.
