Moving from an iPhone 17 Pro to an iPhone 18 Pro Max takes you from a 6.3-inch display to 6.9 inches, from Apple’s 33-hour video rating to 45 hours, and from a $1,099 launch price to $1,299 for 256GB. It also adds 43 grams and 13.4 mm of height, which is the part of this upgrade that a spec sheet cannot settle for you.
Two things change at once here: a generation and a size class. This guide separates the two using Apple’s tech specs, compare page and Store pages, so you can see what the A20 Pro and variable aperture bring on their own and what the bigger body adds on top.
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.9-inch, 2868 x 1320, 460 ppi | 6.3-inch, 2622 x 1206, 460 ppi |
| Weight | 249 g | 206 g |
| Video playback | Up to 45 hours | Up to 33 hours |
| Typical use | Up to 30 hours | Apple has not published |
| Chip | A20 Pro (2nm) | A19 Pro |
| Main camera aperture | Variable, f/1.48 to f/4.0 | Fixed f/1.78 |
| Wired fast charge | 50% in about 15 minutes (60W) | 50% in 20 minutes (40W) |
| Launch price (256GB) | $1,299 | $1,099 |
What the bigger body changes: 6.9 inches and 249 grams
Apple’s tech specs list the iPhone 18 Pro Max at 163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mm and 249 grams. The iPhone 17 Pro is 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm and 206 grams on Apple’s compare page. You are adding 13.4 mm of height, 6.1 mm of width and 43 grams, with no change in thickness.
Don’t miss the best of The Mac Observer
Set us as a preferred source and our Apple reporting ranks higher in your Google Search results and Discover feed — one tap, no account changes.
The display grows from 2622 x 1206 to 2868 x 1320 pixels at the same 460 ppi, so text and photos render at the same sharpness across a larger area. Brightness, ProMotion up to 120Hz and Always-On are the same on both. If you have never carried a Pro Max, the weight is the thing to try in a store before you order; our 18 Pro vs 18 Pro Max guide covers the size decision within the new generation.
Battery: 33 hours to 45
This is the biggest single number in the upgrade. Apple rates the 18 Pro Max for up to 45 hours of video playback, 40 hours of streamed video and 30 hours of typical use. The 17 Pro’s ratings on Apple’s compare page are 33 hours of video playback and 30 hours streamed. That is a 12-hour gain on local video and 10 hours on streaming.
Part of that comes from the size class and part from the generation. The 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro is rated for 36 hours, so three of the twelve hours are the new generation and the other nine are the larger body. Charging also improves: 50 percent in about 15 minutes with a 60W adapter, against 50 percent in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter on the 17 Pro. MagSafe and Qi2 stay at 25W on both. Apple’s 45-hour claim explained goes through the full set of figures.
Camera: variable aperture on the same three lenses
The 18 Pro Max’s 48MP Fusion main camera at 24 mm has a variable aperture with four stops, f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0. The 17 Pro’s main camera is 48MP at 24 mm with a fixed f/1.78 aperture. Apple’s press release pairs the new lens with manual aperture and shutter speed controls, Smart Focus subject tracking and faster Night mode; the variable aperture is explained here.
The other cameras carry over unchanged from the 17 Pro on Apple’s spec pages: a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide at 13 mm f/2.2, a 48MP 4x tetraprism telephoto at 100 mm f/2.8 with a 12MP optical-quality 8x crop at 200 mm, and an 18MP Center Stage front camera at f/1.9. Video specs match too, with 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps, ProRes RAW, Genlock and Apple Log 2 on both.
Chip and connectivity: A20 Pro, N1 and C2
The A20 Pro is Apple’s first 2-nanometer chip. Against the A19 Pro, Apple’s press release cites a 7-core GPU up to 40 percent faster, a dual 16-core Neural Engine with double the AI processing and 50 percent more memory bandwidth, cooled by a vapor chamber attached directly to the chip. Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and USB 3 at 10 Gb/s are on both phones; the 18 Pro Max adds the N1 wireless chip with Thread and the C2 modem with mmWave 5G in the US.
| Spec | iPhone 18 Pro Max | iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mm | 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm |
| Streamed video | Up to 40 hours | Up to 30 hours |
| GPU / Neural Engine | 7-core / dual 16-core | 6-core / 16-core |
| Ultra Wide | 48MP, 13 mm, f/2.2 | 48MP, 13 mm, f/2.2 |
| Telephoto | 48MP 4x, 100 mm, f/2.8; 8x optical-quality | 48MP 4x, 100 mm, f/2.8; 8x optical-quality |
| Front camera | 18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 | 18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Materials | Aluminum unibody, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back | Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back |
What the move costs
The 18 Pro Max is $1,299 for 256GB, $1,499 for 512GB, $1,899 for 1TB and $2,499 for the new 2TB tier on Apple’s Store page, or $54.12 a month over 24 months for the base model. The 17 Pro launched at $1,099, so the step up is $200 at the entry tier: $100 for the new generation and $100 for the larger size, the same $100 gap Apple keeps between the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. The full 18 Pro price breakdown covers the monthly math.
The 17 Pro topped out at 1TB; the 2TB option is new to the Pro Max buyer coming from the small Pro. Apple’s US carrier pages advertise up to $1,200 in trade-in credit, though Apple does not publish what a 17 Pro is worth on its own.
What Apple has not said
- A typical-use rating for the iPhone 17 Pro comparable to the 30-hour figure Apple gives the 18 Pro Max.
- A current Apple Store price for the iPhone 17 Pro, which Apple’s compare page lists as available at authorized resellers.
- The trade-in value of a 17 Pro toward an 18 Pro Max; the carriers’ up to $1,200 figure is Apple’s wording, with no per-device amounts.
- Whether the 17 Pro’s fixed-aperture camera gains Smart Focus or faster Night mode through iOS 27.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro Max open Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. PT, with availability on Friday, September 18. Apple’s announcement, prices and every confirmed spec are collected in our iPhone 18 Pro launch roundup.
