How do the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max differ from last year's iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max?

2 hours ago

On September 9, Apple held a presentation where it showcased the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models — while the base iPhone 18 was postponed until spring.

As usual, the differences between the Pro and Pro Max models of the same generation are very minimal, mainly manifesting in the sizes of the body, screen, and battery. For this reason, where there is no difference, we will simply compare the 17 Pro and 18 Pro.

LTPO OLED, 6.3 inches, 2622 × 1206 pixels, 120 Hz

LTPO OLED, 6.9 inches, 2868 × 1320 pixels, 120 Hz

LTPO OLED, 6.3 inches, 2622 × 1206 pixels, 120 Hz

LTPO OLED, 6.9 inches, 2868 × 1320 pixels, 120 Hz

Apple A20 Pro

Apple A19 Pro

12 GB

256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB

256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB

256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB / 2 TB

Main — 48 MP + 48 MP + 48 MP; front camera — 18 MP

4288 mAh, 60 W wired charging, MagSafe — 25 W

5567 mAh, 60 W wired charging, MagSafe — 25 W

4252 mAh, 40 W wired charging, MagSafe — 25 W

5088 mAh, 40 W wired charging, MagSafe — 25 W

150 × 71.9 × 8.8 mm

163.4 × 78 × 8.8 mm

150 × 71.9 × 8.8 mm

163.4 × 78 × 8.8 mm

211 g

249 g

206 g

233 g

The screens and dimensions of the smartphones are identical down to the millimeter, which is why iPhone 17 Pro cases will also fit the iPhone 18 Pro. The bodies of both models are made of solid aluminum, with a glass cover on the back panel, under which a liquid-cooled camera is located.

The body features the same Action and Camera Control buttons; both devices provide USB-C for charging. In addition, there is 25 W MagSafe wireless charging and an emergency satellite communication mode.

Both generations have three cameras: a main module, a wide-angle lens, and a telephoto lens with 8x optical zoom. All of them are 48 megapixels. The selfie module is 18 megapixels and is equipped with a square sensor. This allows for taking vertical or horizontal selfies in a single position. There is also the Center Stage feature — which automatically keeps the user in the center of the frame during video calls, even if the user or the camera moves.

Wireless communication standards are also the same: both gadgets have Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and 5G.

To be honest, the difference is not very big.

As mentioned above, the appearance of the new model has not changed: the back panels are the same, and the weight has increased by 5–16 grams. This is due to changes in the cooling system and the battery.

The new models can only be distinguished by their colors: while the 2025 models were released in silver, orange, and dark blue, by 2026 only the classic silver remained of those. In addition, there are black, light blue, and crimson colors.

If you look closely, the silver iPhone 18 Pro and 17 Pro still differ from each other. The new version is not as contrasty because the back glass is matched to the metal color, whereas on last year's model, the glass panel was whiter and stood out more.

When the screen is turned on, however, the new model still stands out: on the iPhone 18 Pro, the Face ID infrared sensor has been moved under the screen, which is why the inactive Dynamic Island cutout has become smaller. When necessary, it can expand as before, occupying almost the entire screen.

The 18 Pro received the A20 Pro chip, which is a first for iPhone, running on TSMC's 2-nanometer process technology (Apple had previously tested this technology in the M6 chip in the Mac mini). The processor became six-core, but according to the company, it is much faster: CPU performance has increased by about 20 percent, and graphics performance has increased by up to 40 percent due to the GPU cores increasing from six to seven. The Neural Engine neural block designed for artificial intelligence tasks has doubled — from 16 cores to 32 cores.

But what is even more important here than performance is the new organization of the layout and the improved cooling system. The area of the vapor chamber has expanded almost threefold, and the memory is now installed as a separate module next to the processor, rather than on top of it. All of this should significantly increase stable performance under long-term load without throttling. The cooling system of the 17 Pro model is built on the same principle, but its size is much smaller, and the placement of the RAM is not as efficient.

The modem has also been updated: instead of the usual Qualcomm, Apple's proprietary C2 chip was installed in the 18 Pro model for the first time. Unexpectedly for analysts, it also supports the mmWave band of 5G.

Of the three cameras, only one — the main one — has changed. The resolution remains at the previous level of 48 MP, but a variable aperture has appeared, as we have seen in some Chinese photo-flagships. Six blades mechanically change the light intensity between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0. On the 17 Pro model, the aperture of this same module is fixed at f/1.78. In practice, these additional capabilities help to blur the background more naturally even without "Portrait" mode and to automatically open the aperture in dark places, meaning more light can be added to the frame without artificial intelligence and HDR processing.

The other two modules are the same, but there are also differences in the software. The iPhone 18 Pro supports expanded manual settings in the standard "Camera" app. Now, in addition to the aperture, exposure time (shutter speed) and white balance can also be controlled, and a real-time histogram has appeared. Other developers have gained access to an API that allows them to use these same parameters for their own camera apps.

The main and most noticeable difference for users is, undoubtedly, power consumption. The iPhone 18 Pro plays on-device videos for up to 36 hours, and streaming videos for up to 33 hours. On the iPhone 17 Pro, these figures were 33 and 30 hours respectively, meaning an increase of about 10 percent. The difference is even greater in the Pro Max models: 45 hours instead of 39 hours, and 40 hours instead of 35 hours, respectively.

Apple also introduced a "typical usage" metric for the first time: according to analyzed scenarios, the new models will last for 24 and 30 hours of operation, respectively. For now, this cannot be compared to anything else, as no such assessment was given last year.

This increase was achieved due to a larger capacity battery, the energy-efficient A20 Pro processor, and the new modem. However, the battery life of versions with physical SIM cards will be slightly shorter.

Charging speed has also increased: because the 18 Pro supports charging blocks up to 60 W, it charges to 50% in about 15 minutes. The 17 Pro spent 20 minutes with a 40 W charger for that same 50%. In both generations, wireless charging via MagSafe and Qi2 is limited to 25 W.

There is almost no difference in terms of internal storage capacity: each model is presented in 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB options. However, the largest, 2 TB option was not released for the smaller iPhone 17 Pro — it is only available for the 17 Pro Max and both sizes of the 18 Pro.

The official starting price of both iPhone 18 Pros has increased by $100: the 256 GB storage option of the smaller model starts at $1,199, while the option of the same capacity for the Pro Max starts at $1,299. The previous generation, by tradition, was discontinued.

According to analysts, this price increase does not cover the increased cost of production and RAM, but Apple gave up part of its profit to minimize the retail price increase as much as possible.

This was a traditional incremental update. On one hand, considering its battery and charging, it is better to get the 18 Pro model when choosing a phone for the next five years. On the other hand, if you have an iPhone 17 Pro, there is no point in upgrading it. It is better to buy a good power bank and replace its battery in a year or two. The variable aperture will only be needed by a few people who have a separate camera for almost everything, and the manual shooting adjustment function is also available in other apps.

However, if it is not necessary for now, it is better to wait another year. According to rumors, Apple is preparing a wonderful novelty: on the occasion of the anniversary, the 20th iPhone model may have a major redesign since the iPhone X era. It is also not ruled out that this transitional update of the "Pros" confirms that all efforts have been directed toward the 2027 model. For now, we were simply presented with slightly better and slightly more expensive phones to fill a temporary gap in the model lineup.