{"slug":"iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","title":"iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: Which Should You Buy?","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","faqCount":6,"faqs":[{"question":"Is the iPhone 18 Pro Max worth paying more than the 17 Pro Max?","answer":"It is if you keep phones four years or more and want the newer A20 Pro chip plus about 6 more hours of rated video playback. Apple says iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 (U.S.). Apple no longer sells the iPhone 17 Pro Max, so its price depends on the carrier or retailer you buy from. If that offer at 1TB is a few hundred dollars lower, the 17 Pro Max is still a 6.9-inch Pro Max with a 48MP main camera and a 4x telephoto."},{"question":"Which has better battery life, iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone 18 Pro Max?","answer":"The iPhone 18 Pro Max, on Apple's ratings. Apple lists up to 45 hours of video playback, up to 40 hours streamed, and up to 30 hours of typical use. Apple Support lists the iPhone 17 Pro Max at up to 39 hours of video playback and up to 35 hours streamed. Apple says real-world results vary with use and settings."},{"question":"Which chip is in each Pro Max?","answer":"The iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the A20 Pro, with a 6-core CPU that has 2 super cores, a 7-core GPU, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. The iPhone 17 Pro Max uses the A19 Pro, with a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU. Chip names are not a speed score."},{"question":"Do I need 2TB of storage?","answer":"Most people do not. Both phones come in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. 1TB is plenty for a large photo library plus offline video. 2TB makes sense mainly if you shoot a lot of high-resolution video and keep it on the phone."},{"question":"Does the variable aperture on the 18 Pro Max matter?","answer":"Only if you care about camera control. The iPhone 18 Pro Max main camera has a variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4.0. The iPhone 17 Pro Max main camera has a fixed f/1.78 aperture. Both have a 48MP main camera, a 4x telephoto, and an 18MP front camera. If the aperture is low on your list, decide on battery, price, and how long you will keep the phone."},{"question":"How do I move from Android to either iPhone?","answer":"Use Apple's Move to iOS app from Google Play, or the built-in transfer on a supported Android 17 device. During setup the iPhone shows a code, creates a temporary Wi-Fi network, and pulls contacts, message history, SMS messages, camera photos and videos, photo albums, and files. A USB-C cable between the two phones makes the transfer faster. It works the same on both models."}],"faqPageSchema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#faq","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","inLanguage":"en-US","name":"iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: Which Should You Buy? — FAQ","description":"Frequently asked questions about iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: Which Should You Buy?","dateModified":"2026-10-12T00:00:00.000Z","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"},"isPartOf":{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#article"},"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#faq-speakable","cssSelector":[".faq-answer"]},"mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#q1","name":"Is the iPhone 18 Pro Max worth paying more than the 17 Pro Max?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#a1","text":"It is if you keep phones four years or more and want the newer A20 Pro chip plus about 6 more hours of rated video playback. Apple says iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 (U.S.). Apple no longer sells the iPhone 17 Pro Max, so its price depends on the carrier or retailer you buy from. If that offer at 1TB is a few hundred dollars lower, the 17 Pro Max is still a 6.9-inch Pro Max with a 48MP main camera and a 4x telephoto.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#q2","name":"Which has better battery life, iPhone 17 Pro Max or iPhone 18 Pro Max?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#a2","text":"The iPhone 18 Pro Max, on Apple's ratings. Apple lists up to 45 hours of video playback, up to 40 hours streamed, and up to 30 hours of typical use. Apple Support lists the iPhone 17 Pro Max at up to 39 hours of video playback and up to 35 hours streamed. Apple says real-world results vary with use and settings.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#q3","name":"Which chip is in each Pro Max?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#a3","text":"The iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the A20 Pro, with a 6-core CPU that has 2 super cores, a 7-core GPU, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. The iPhone 17 Pro Max uses the A19 Pro, with a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU. Chip names are not a speed score.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#q4","name":"Do I need 2TB of storage?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#a4","text":"Most people do not. Both phones come in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. 1TB is plenty for a large photo library plus offline video. 2TB makes sense mainly if you shoot a lot of high-resolution video and keep it on the phone.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#q5","name":"Does the variable aperture on the 18 Pro Max matter?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#a5","text":"Only if you care about camera control. The iPhone 18 Pro Max main camera has a variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4.0. The iPhone 17 Pro Max main camera has a fixed f/1.78 aperture. Both have a 48MP main camera, a 4x telephoto, and an 18MP front camera. If the aperture is low on your list, decide on battery, price, and how long you will keep the phone.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#q6","name":"How do I move from Android to either iPhone?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max#a6","text":"Use Apple's Move to iOS app from Google Play, or the built-in transfer on a supported Android 17 device. During setup the iPhone shows a code, creates a temporary Wi-Fi network, and pulls contacts, message history, SMS messages, camera photos and videos, photo albums, and files. A USB-C cable between the two phones makes the transfer faster. It works the same on both models.","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://www.aversusb.net/compare/iphone-17-pro-max-vs-iphone-18-pro-max","upvoteCount":1,"author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.aversusb.net/#organization","name":"A Versus B"}}}]}}