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MobileIQ

Head to head

Apple iPhone 18 Pro MaxvsApple iPhone 17

The short answer

Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max for the larger screen, battery capacity and video playback time. Choose the iPhone 17 for lower weight. The iPhone 17 is £500 cheaper at UK RRP (£799 against £1,299). Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 2032–2036 for the iPhone 17, our estimate, not Apple’s.

Released
2026-09-18Apple Newsroom UK — Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, retrieved 2026-09-10
Price
£1,299Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-09-10
Security updates until
Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-09-10
Released
2025-09-19endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
Price
£799Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-20
Security updates until
Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-20

3 wins for iPhone 18 Pro Max1 win for iPhone 173 gaps borderline0 differences you won’t notice£500 apart at RRP

Verdict: iPhone 18 Pro Max ahead on 3 rows, iPhone 17 on 1 row

On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on display size (6.9 in against 6.3 in), battery capacity (5,391 mAh against 3,692 mAh, both from GSMArena) and claimed video playback (43 h against 30 h); the iPhone 17 wins on weight (177 g against 249 g). 3 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: HDR peak brightness (1,600 nits against 1,200 nits) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, RAM (12 GB against 8 GB, both from GSMArena) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max and fast charging (60 W against 40 W) for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Both state the same refresh rate, peak brightness, typical brightness, storage (base) and wireless charging. The other 37 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.

True to scale

iPhone 18 Pro Max · 163.4 × 78.0 mmiPhone 17 · 149.6 × 71.5 mm

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. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.

Body

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
DimensionsDiffers, but not ranked.
163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mmOfficial
149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95 mmOfficial
Weight
249gOfficial
177gOfficialwins this row

iPhone 17 is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

BuildDiffers, but not ranked.
Aluminium unibody design, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backOfficial
Aluminium design, Ceramic Shield 2 front, Colour-infused glass back (Black, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender)Official
SIMDiffers, but not ranked.
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)Official
Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); Dual eSIM supportOfficial
Water/dust ratingSame.
IP68Official
IP68Official
UnlockSame.
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official
Face ID (TrueDepth camera)Official

Display

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
Display typeSame.
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
6.9inOfficialwins this row
6.3inOfficial

iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

ResolutionDiffers, but not ranked.
2868 x 1320Official
2622 x 1206Official
Pixel densitySame.
460ppiOfficial
460ppiOfficial
Refresh rateSame.
120HzOfficial
120HzOfficial
Peak brightnessSame.
3000nitsOfficial
3000nitsOfficial
Typical brightnessSame.
1000nitsOfficial
1000nitsOfficial
HDR peak brightness
1600nitsOfficial
1200nitsOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Screen protectionSame.
Ceramic Shield 2 frontOfficial
Ceramic Shield 2 frontOfficial

Platform

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
Operating systemDiffers, but not ranked.
iOS 27Official
iOS 263rd party
OS versions supportedDiffers, but not ranked.
iOS 27Official
iOS 26 to iOS 27Official
ChipsetDiffers, but not ranked.
A20 Pro chipOfficial
A19 chipOfficial
CPUDiffers, but not ranked.
6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency coresOfficial
GPUDiffers, but not ranked.
7-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsOfficial
5-core GPU with Neural AcceleratorsOfficial

Memory

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
Storage (base)Same.
256GBOfficial
256GBOfficial
Storage optionsDiffers, but not ranked.
256GB/512GB/1TB/2TBOfficial
256GB/512GBOfficial
RAM
12GB3rd party
8GB3rd party

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Card slotSame.
No3rd party
No3rd party

Camera

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
Main cameraDiffers, but not ranked.
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 Dual Fusion camera system: 48MP Fusion Main 26mm f/1.6 with sensor-shift OIS; 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide 13mm f/2.2 120°; Fusion Main also enables 12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto 52mm f/1.6Official
Main sensor resolutionSame.
48MPOfficial
48MPOfficial
Main apertureDiffers, but not ranked.
f/1.48 to f/4.0 (variable)Official
f/1.6Official
Main sensor sizeDiffers, but not ranked.
1/1.28"3rd party
1/1.56"3rd party
TelephotoDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100mm (4x), f/2.8, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilisationOfficial
12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto, 52mm, f/1.6, sensor-shift OIS (enabled by 48MP Fusion Main)Official
UltrawideDiffers, but not ranked.
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2Official
48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13mm, f/2.2, 120° field of viewOfficial
Front cameraSame.
18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
18MP Center Stage, f/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsOfficial
Video captureDiffers, but not ranked.
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100 (Fusion Main) or 120 fpsOfficial
4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fpsOfficial

Battery

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
Battery capacity
5391mAh3rd partywins this row
3692mAh3rd party

iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Battery per charge
No verified data
41hOfficial
Claimed video playback
43hOfficialwins this row
30hOfficial

iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead here, by a gap you’d notice.

Battery lifespan
No verified data
1000cyclesOfficial
Fast charging
60WOfficial
40WOfficial

Marginal — most people won’t notice.

Wireless chargingSame.
25WOfficial
25WOfficial

Connectivity

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
Wi-FiSame.
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMOOfficial
BluetoothSame.
6Official
6Official
USBDiffers, but not ranked.
USB-C, USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
USB-C, USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s), DisplayPortOfficial
NFCSame.
YesOfficial
YesOfficial
PositioningSame.
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official
Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC)Official

Benchmarks

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core)
No verified data
82763rd party
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
No verified data
47153rd party
DXOMARK camera score
No verified data
1573rd party

Misc

SpecificationApple iPhone 18 Pro MaxApple iPhone 17
ColoursDiffers, but not ranked.
Black, Silver, Glacier, BurgundyOfficial
Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, LavenderOfficial
SAR (EU, head)
No verified data
1.49W/kg3rd party
Repairability (EU class)
No verified data
COfficial
2 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for

Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.

Questions

Is the iPhone 18 Pro Max better than the iPhone 17?

On the figures, neither is better overall: the iPhone 18 Pro Max wins on display size, 6.9 in against 6.3 in (both Apple UK), battery capacity, 5,391 mAh against 3,692 mAh (both GSMArena) and claimed video playback, 43 h against 30 h (both Apple UK); the iPhone 17 wins on weight, 177 g against 249 g (both Apple UK). Every other row is borderline, too close to notice, or not ranked.

Which has the better battery?

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 43 h against 30 h (both Apple UK). The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 5,391 mAh against 3,692 mAh (both GSMArena).

Which is lighter?

The iPhone 17, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 177 g against 249 g (both Apple UK).

Which has the brighter screen?

Neither: both state 3,000 nits for peak brightness (Apple UK). Both state 1,000 nits for typical brightness (Apple UK). The iPhone 18 Pro Max is brighter, narrowly: HDR peak brightness, 1,600 nits against 1,200 nits (both Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.

Which gets updates for longer?

Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 2032–2036 for the iPhone 17, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.

Which is cheaper?

The iPhone 17 is £500 cheaper at UK RRP (£799 against £1,299). Prices from iPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple UK store; iPhone 17: Apple UK store.

The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.