iPhone 18 Pro Max Beats iPhone 17 Pro Max in 6 of 7 Rounds Despite $1,299 Price
Updated
Updated · Tom's Guide · Sep 23
iPhone 18 Pro Max Beats iPhone 17 Pro Max in 6 of 7 Rounds Despite $1,299 Price
3 articles · Updated · Tom's Guide · Sep 23
Summary
A seven-category comparison gave the iPhone 18 Pro Max six wins, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max taking value on its lower $1,199 starting price and design ending in a tie.
The new model pulled ahead on hardware: an A20 Pro chip delivered roughly 22% faster single-core and 28% faster multi-core performance, while 3DMark graphics rose 45% to 67.9 fps.
Camera upgrades drove much of the gap, with a 48MP main sensor adding variable aperture and native Pro Controls; the review found better low-light shots, cleaner 40x zoom and improved selfies.
Display and battery gains were smaller but still favored the 18 Pro Max, which hit 2,326 nits versus 1,899 nits and lasted 18 hours 27 minutes versus 17:54 in a 5G web test.
Charging was the clearest everyday upgrade: 60W support pushed the 18 Pro Max to 44% in 15 minutes and 77% in 30, though the review said current 17 Pro Max owners may struggle to justify the extra $100.