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iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro Max

A Versus B

Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you will keep the phone four years or more and want the longest battery rating and the newest chip. Apple rates it for up to 45 hours of video playback, against up to 39 hours on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and it uses the A20 Pro chip. Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you find one clearly cheaper at the 1TB size you want. It has the A19 Pro chip, the same 6.9-inch size class, and storage up to 2TB. Neither is better for everyone; it depends on how long you keep a phone and how big the price gap is.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max

6.9-inch Pro Max with an A19 Pro chip, up to 39 hours of video playback, and storage up to 2TB.

Best when a 1TB offer is clearly cheaper

Score50%
Check Price
VS
iPhone 18 Pro Max

iPhone 18 Pro Max

6.9-inch Pro Max with an A20 Pro chip, up to 45 hours of video playback, and up to 30 hours of typical use.

Best for a four-year-plus keep

Score57%
Check Price
6 attributes5 differences15 pros/cons
Skip to verdictSee differences
4Sources
9Data Points
Sources:Apple — iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max specs (opens in new tab)·Apple Support — iPhone 17 Pro Max tech specs (opens in new tab)·Apple Newsroom — iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 (opens in new tab)·Apple Support — Move from Android to iPhone (opens in new tab)
TL;DRVoice-ready

Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you will keep the phone four years or more and want the longest battery rating and the newest chip. Apple rates it for up to 45 hours of video playback, against up to 39 hours on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and it uses the A20 Pro chip. Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you find one clearly cheaper at the 1TB size you want. It has the A19 Pro chip, the same 6.9-inch size class, and storage up to 2TB. Neither is better for everyone; it depends on how long you keep a phone and how big the price gap is.

Deciding factor: iPhone 18 Pro Max for a four-year-plus keep. iPhone 17 Pro Max when a 1TB offer is clearly cheaper.

Key fact: Apple rates the iPhone 18 Pro Max for up to 45 hours of video playback with an A20 Pro chip. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is rated for up to 39 hours with an A19 Pro chip.

Jump to full verdictSee all attributes

Our Verdict

AI-assisted

Best if you keep a phone four years or more: iPhone 18 Pro Max. A20 Pro, up to 45 hours of video playback, up to 30 hours of typical use. Starts at $1,299 (U.S.). Best if you find it clearly cheaper at 1TB: iPhone 17 Pro Max. A19 Pro, up to 39 hours of video playback, 233 grams. Neither is better for everyone; it depends on how long you keep a phone and how big the price gap is.

iPhone 17 Pro Max

Choose iPhone 17 Pro Max if

Best when a 1TB offer is clearly cheaper

iPhone 18 Pro Max

Choose iPhone 18 Pro Max if

Best for a four-year-plus keep

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Key Differences at a Glance

  • Who it is for:Clearly cheaper 1TB offer vs Four-year-plus keep
  • Chip:A19 Pro, 6-core GPU vs A20 Pro, 7-core GPU
  • Video playback:✓ iPhone 18 Pro Max wins(Up to 45 hours vs Up to 39 hours)
See all 5 differences

Key Differences

5 attributes compared head-to-head

iPhone 17 Pro Max
1iPhone 17 Pro Max
Evenly matched3 ties
iPhone 18 Pro Max
1iPhone 18 Pro Max
  • Who it is for

    iPhone 17 Pro Max

    Clearly cheaper 1TB offer

    iPhone 18 Pro Max

    Four-year-plus keep

  • Chip

    iPhone 17 Pro Max

    A19 Pro, 6-core GPU

    iPhone 18 Pro Max

    A20 Pro, 7-core GPU

  • Video playback

    iPhone 17 Pro Max

    Up to 39 hours

    iPhone 18 Pro Max

    Up to 45 hours(winner)

  • Weight

    iPhone 17 Pro Max

    233 g(winner)

    iPhone 18 Pro Max

    249 g

  • Main aperture

    iPhone 17 Pro Max

    f/1.78

    iPhone 18 Pro Max

    f/1.48 to f/4.0

Full Comparison

iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 18 Pro Max
Chip
A19 Pro, 6-core CPU, 6-core GPU
A20 Pro, 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU
Video playback
Up to 39 hours
Up to 45 hours
Weight
233 g
249 g
Streamed video playback
Up to 35 hours
Up to 40 hours
Telephoto
4x, 100 mm
48MP, 4x
Apple price
No longer sold by Apple
Starts at $1,299 (U.S.)

Pros & Cons

8 pros·7 cons across both

iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 18 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max

+4-4

Pros

Up to 39 hours of video playback (Apple Support)
233 grams, 16 grams lighter than the 18 Pro Max
48MP main camera and 4x telephoto
Storage from 256GB to 2TB

Cons

Up to 6 fewer hours of video playback than the 18 Pro Max
Older A19 Pro chip with a 6-core GPU
Fixed f/1.78 main aperture
No longer sold by Apple, so the price depends on the seller
iPhone 18 Pro Max

iPhone 18 Pro Max

+4-3

Pros

Up to 45 hours of video playback and 30 hours of typical use (Apple)
A20 Pro chip with a 7-core GPU
Variable main aperture from f/1.48 to f/4.0
50 percent charge in about 15 minutes with a 60W adapter (Apple)

Cons

249 grams, the heavier of the two
Starts at $1,299 (U.S.)
Battery hours are Apple test ratings and results vary

Frequently Asked Questions

6 questions

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  1. 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.

Analysis: iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro Max

Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you plan to keep the phone four years or more and want the longest battery rating and the newest chip. Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max if a carrier or retailer offer at 1TB is clearly cheaper. Neither is better for everyone; it depends on how long you keep a phone and how big the price gap is.

Battery

Apple rates the iPhone 18 Pro Max for up to 45 hours of video playback, up to 40 hours of streamed video, and up to 30 hours of typical use. Apple Support rates the iPhone 17 Pro Max for up to 39 hours of video playback and up to 35 hours streamed. That is a 6-hour gap on video playback. For a four-year keep, battery capacity fades with age, so a higher starting rating gives more room later.

Read 13 more paragraphs

Chip

The iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the A20 Pro: a 6-core CPU with 2 super cores, a 7-core GPU, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. The iPhone 17 Pro Max uses the A19 Pro: a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU. A newer chip generation usually means a longer runway of iOS updates, but Apple does not commit to a fixed number of years for either phone.

Cameras

Both have a 48MP main camera, a 48MP 4x telephoto, and an 18MP front camera. The difference is on the main lens. The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4.0. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a fixed f/1.78 aperture. If camera settings are low on your list, this one should not decide it.

Body, storage, and charging

Both use a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display. The iPhone 18 Pro Max weighs 249 grams and measures 163.4 mm by 78.0 mm by 8.75 mm. The iPhone 17 Pro Max weighs 233 grams, so the newer one is 16 grams heavier. Both come in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max charges to 50 percent in about 15 minutes with a 60W adapter. Both use USB-C, so Android-era USB-C cables still work.

Price

Apple says iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 (U.S.). Apple no longer sells the iPhone 17 Pro Max, so any price for it comes from a carrier or retailer. Compare both at the same 1TB size before deciding. A gap of a few hundred dollars is the main reason to take the 17 Pro Max.

Switching from Android

Apple's Move to iOS app, from Google Play, moves contacts, message history, SMS messages, camera photos and videos, photo albums, and files. A supported Android 17 device can transfer without the app. During setup the iPhone creates a temporary Wi-Fi network for the transfer, and a USB-C cable between the two phones makes it faster. Keep both phones on power until the iPhone's loading bar finishes. The process is the same for either model.

Who should buy which

Choose the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you will keep the phone four years or more and the battery rating and newer chip matter most.

Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you can buy one at 1TB for clearly less and you are fine with the A19 Pro and a 39-hour video-playback rating.

Drafted with AI from web research. How we research
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