The newer model gets the A20 Pro chip, a variable-aperture main camera and longer battery life.
iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple has launched the iPhone 18 Pro Max as the successor to last year's iPhone 17 Pro Max. The newer model brings several hardware changes, including Apple's A20 Pro chipset, a variable-aperture main camera and a new C2 cellular modem. It also offers longer battery life and faster wired charging, while retaining the 6.9-inch display and 48-megapixel triple rear-camera setup seen on the previous model. The iPhone 17 Pro Max, meanwhile, continues to offer Apple's A19 Pro chipset, a 48-megapixel main camera and up to 2TB of storage. Here's a comparison of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro Max based on their India price and specifications.
iPhone 18 Pro Max: The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at Rs. 1,79,900 in India for the 256GB storage variant. It is also available with 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage options. The phone comes in Black, Burgundy, Glacier and Silver colour options. Pre-orders begin on September 12, with sales starting September 18.
iPhone 17 Pro Max: The iPhone 17 Pro Max was launched in India at Rs. 1,49,900 for the 256GB model. The 512GB, 1TB and 2TB variants were also available. It was offered in Silver, Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue finishes.
iPhone 18 Pro Max: The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 2,868x1,320-pixel resolution and 460ppi. It supports ProMotion with an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz, along with an Always-On display, HDR, True Tone and a peak outdoor brightness of 3,000 nits. The phone ships with iOS 27.
iPhone 17 Pro Max: The iPhone 17 Pro Max uses a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel with the same 2,868x1,320-pixel resolution and 460ppi pixel density. It also offers ProMotion up to 120Hz, an Always-On display, HDR, True Tone and up to 3,000 nits of outdoor brightness. The phone launched with iOS 26.
On paper, the two displays differ little. Both models also use an aluminium unibody design and Ceramic Shield 2 on the front.
iPhone 18 Pro Max: The iPhone 18 Pro Max is powered by Apple's A20 Pro chip, with a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. It supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Apple rates the phone for up to 43 hours of video playback and up to 38 hours of streamed video playback. It can reach up to 50 percent charge in around 15 minutes with a 60W-capable adapter and USB-C cable.
iPhone 17 Pro Max: The iPhone 17 Pro Max runs on the A19 Pro chip with a six-core CPU, six-core GPU with Neural Accelerators and a 16-core Neural Engine. It also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The phone offers up to 37 hours of video playback and up to 33 hours of streamed video playback. Fast charging can take it to 50 percent in around 20 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max therefore adds a newer processor and offers six more hours of claimed video playback. It also supports faster wired charging. Both phones support MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging at up to 25W.
The newer model also introduces Apple's C2 cellular modem, while both phones support Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Apple's N1 wireless networking chip and second-generation Ultra Wideband connectivity.
iPhone 18 Pro Max: The iPhone 18 Pro Max gets three 48-megapixel rear cameras, including a variable-aperture main camera that ranges from f/1.48 to f/4.0. The ultra-wide camera and telephoto camera complete the setup, with the latter offering 4x optical zoom and up to 8x optical-quality zoom. The phone also adds Photographic Styles 3 and Smart Focus Tracking.
The front camera of the iPhone 18 Pro Max remains an 18-megapixel Center Stage unit with autofocus. Apple has added Photographic Styles 3, Smart Focus Tracking and improved low-light 1080p video recording to the front camera. The handset measures 78x163.4x8.75 mm and weighs 249g.
iPhone 17 Pro Max: The iPhone 17 Pro Max also has three 48-megapixel rear cameras: a main camera, an ultra-wide camera, and a telephoto camera. The main camera has a fixed f/1.78 aperture, while the telephoto camera provides 4x optical zoom and up to 8x optical-quality zoom. An 18-megapixel Center Stage camera handles selfies and video calls. The phone measures 78x163.4x8.75mm and weighs 231g.
Despite having identical dimensions, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is 18g heavier than its predecessor. The most notable camera change is the variable aperture on the main sensor, along with the newer image-processing and tracking features.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max brings meaningful upgrades in processing power, camera hardware, connectivity and battery life, while keeping the same display and overall dimensions as the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The variable-aperture main camera is the biggest hardware change for photography, while the A20 Pro chip and C2 modem provide newer underlying hardware.
At the same time, the iPhone 17 Pro Max still offers a 6.9-inch 120Hz OLED display, three 48-megapixel rear cameras, up to 2TB of storage and long battery life. It also starts at Rs. 30,000 cheaper in India.
For buyers who want the latest hardware and camera upgrades, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the more capable option. The iPhone 17 Pro Max makes more sense if the lower price is a priority and its existing display, cameras and A19 Pro performance are sufficient.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has Apple's newer A20 Pro chipset, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max uses the A19 Pro. The newer chip also has a seven-core GPU compared with the six-core GPU on the previous model.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max retains the triple 48-megapixel camera setup but adds a variable-aperture main camera. It also brings Photographic Styles 3 and Smart Focus Tracking, giving it several camera-related upgrades over the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is rated for up to 43 hours of video playback and up to 38 hours of streamed video playback. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is rated for up to 37 hours of video playback and up to 33 hours of streamed video playback.
| Display | |||
| 6.90-inch | 6.90-inch | ||
| Processor | |||
| Apple A20 Pro | Apple A19 Pro | ||
| Front Camera | |||
| 18-megapixel | 18-megapixel | ||
| Rear Camera | |||
| 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel | 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel | ||
| RAM | |||
| 12GB | 12GB | ||
| Storage | |||
| 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | ||
| OS | |||
| iOS 27 | iOS 26 | ||
| Resolution | |||
| - | 1320x2868 pixels | ||
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