iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro Max: Main differences to expect
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is a prime upgrade target for iPhone 14 Pro Max users. | Image by PhoneArena
While most eyes will be fixated on the foldable iPhone this fall, and rightly so, one device will stand as the undisputed most advanced iPhone out there. The crown jewel of the lineup will be the iPhone 18 Pro Max, traditionally the largest and most advanced conventional iPhone we get annually.
This year, Apple is preparing a couple of exciting upgrades for the phone. The first 2 nm Apple chip, a larger battery, and an improved camera system hint at a phone that focuses on the basics.
Sounds like a great upgrade target for users of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, a slightly aging iPhone model that has been around since 2022. That one was the last stainless-steel iPhone, the last one with a mute switch, and the first one to have the floating Dynamic Island punch-hole system. A bizarre mix of old and new features, marking the frontier between two ages.
Should iPhone 14 Pro Max users upgrade their devices this fall?
iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone 14 Pro Max expected differences:
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | iPhone 14 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Aluminum design language with an expansive camera plateau in the back | Apple's last stainless-steel iPhone with a mute switch |
| Narrower second-gen Dynamic Island at the front | The first iPhone with a Dynamic Island |
| 2 nm Apple A20 Pro chip | Apple 16 Bionic inside, built on a 4 nm manufacturing node |
| 12 GB of RAM on board | Just 6 GB of RAM, no Apple Intelligence support |
| Apple C2 modem, offering improved efficiency | Less efficient 5G modem |
| Starting at 256 GB and up to 2 TB of storage, likely | Starts at 128 GB and with a maximum of 1TB of storage |
| Variable aperture on 48MP main camera | The first iPhone with a 48MP main camera |
| Potentially wider aperture for the telephoto lens | The final iPhone with 3X telephoto camera |
| Even larger 5,200+ mAh battery | A much smaller 4,323 mAh battery |
| Possibly improved charging | 25W wired charging, 15W standard MagSafe wireless charging |
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Design and Size
Aluminum to... succeed stainless steel
No surprises here: the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be very similar to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. This essentially means an aluminum build with the expansive camera plateau in the back, where the cameras, LED flash, and LiDAR scanner are positioned. The signature iPhone flat design will also remain unchanged.
The upcoming iPhone also won't differ too much in terms of size, meaning that we can expect the same 8.75 mm thickness as the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max, on the other hand, was Apple's last stainless-steel iPhone. It was also the last one to lack the Camera Control button and customizable Action button, as it featured the iconic physical ring switch. The camera island at the rear is also refreshingly compact when you compare it to the camera plateau of today.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max was also the first iPhone to feature the floating Dynamic Island punch-hole. The iPhone 18 Pro Max will reportedly feature a much smaller Dynamic Island, roughly 40% smaller in comparison, which would free up more screen real estate for on-screen content and improve the immersion.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max is also nearly a millimeter thinner than what we expect the iPhone 18 Pro Max to be, but is quite heavy at 240 gr. The weight of the 18 Pro Max will likely match the 231 gr of the older model, although we have heard that the weight might grow a bit and even push past 240 gr, which would be unfortunate.
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mm | 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm (~12.28 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 231.0 g | 221.0 g |
See the full
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
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Colors-wise, the iPhone 14 Pro Max was available in Space Black, Silver, Gold, and the signature for the lineup, Deep Purple. Meanwhile, the new hero color of the iPhone 18 Pro Max will reportedly be Dark Cherry. The rest of the hues are possibly Light Blue (Pantone 2121), Dark Gray (426C), and Silver (Pantone 427C).
Display Differences
Surprisingly, there aren't that many differences between the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The two major differences are size and brightness.
The iPhone 14 Pro Max had a 6.7-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a 6.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion. The iPhone 14 Pro Max peaked at around 2000 nits of maximum brightness, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max will likely push past 3,000 nits.
Aside from that, the two displays wouldn't be that much different to the regular user.
However, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be housing a secret deep within. The iPhone 18 Pro Max will likely come with an LTPO+ technology, which would provide Apple with much greater control over the light emission and thus achieve greater efficiency. This will help the device achieve a much better battery life.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 6.9-inch | 6.7-inch |
| Type | |
| OLED, Variable 1-120Hz | OLED, Variable 1-120Hz |
See the full
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Both phones rely on Face ID for biometrics, but as we mentioned, the Dynamic Island on the newer device would be much more compact. We are talking about roughly 20.76 mm wide on the iPhone 14 Pro Max Pro versus potentially 13.49 mm on the iPhone 18 Pro Маx.
Performance and Software
Major differences
Not two ways about it: the iPhone 18 Pro Max will easily beat the iPhone 14 Pro Max in terms of raw performance. That's just the reality of it.
After all, we expect Apple's next era-defining chipset to be unveiled alongside the iPhone 18 range, and that would be the 2 nm Apple A20 Pro. From our historical experiences with performance for Apple devices, we can expect both improved prowess in synthetic benchmarks as well as enhanced efficiency, which is certainly the more important upgrade.
At the same time, the iPhone 14 Pro Max came with the Apple A16 Bionic chipset, built on a 4nm node. A monster in its heyday, but merely a mid-range chip these days, the A16 Bionic is decent enough for regular browsing and social media but will no longer wow in terms of performance or efficiency.
What's even more striking is the scarce amount of RAM on board the iPhone 14 Pro Max––just 6 GB. That's far too little to support Apple Intelligence or heavier multitasking. The iPhone 18 Pro Max will have double the amount.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Apple A20 Pro (2 nm) | A17 Pro (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 12GB/2TB |
8GB (LPDDR5)/256GB (NVMe) 8GB/512GB 8GB/1024GB |
| OS | |
| iOS | iOS (18.x, 17.x) |
See the full
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Storage-wise, the base iPhone 14 Pro Max was available in 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB. The iPhone 18 Pro Max will be available in 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, and if the rumors are to be believed, also have a spacious 2 TB version that will likely push two grand.
We can expect iOS 27 to eventually power both phones. The next chapter in Apple's software will be officially previewed at WWDC'26 in early June. SO far, we expect mostly a Liquid Glass-improving update with a focus on new Apple Intelligence features and, finally, a smarter Siri.
Camera
Apples and oranges, maybe?
While the iPhone 18 Pro Max will come with the same triple 48 MP camera setup as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, don't think Apple will miss the chance to one-up its camera game.
We expect the iPhone 18 Pro Max to feature a main camera with variable aperture. A variable aperture would allow the camera to intelligently switch to a wider aperture in lower-light conditions or when the need for a shallow depth of field arises (most often when taking portraits). Conversely, the opposite narrow end of the variable aperture would boost the focus, sharpness, and detail in standard light conditions.
There are also rumors of a wider aperture on the telephoto camera, too.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP (Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.28" Pixel size: 1.22 μm |
48 MP (Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX803 Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.28" Pixel size: 2.44 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 48 MP (Ultra-wide, Sensor-shift OIS) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
12 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Sony IMX633 Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 48 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF) Optical zoom: 4.0x Aperture size: F2.8 Focal Length: 100 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
12 MP (Telephoto, Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX913 Optical zoom: 5.0x Aperture size: F2.8 Focal Length: 120 mm Sensor size: 1/3.06" Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
| Front | |
| 18 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR) | 12 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR) |
See the full
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
The iPhone 14 Pro Max was the first iPhone to feature a 48 MP main camera, while the ultrawide and the shorter 3X telephoto were 12 MP ones. More than a decent camera in its heyday, but not as impressive in mid-2026.
Battery Life and Charging
No contest
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will arrive with a battery in the 5,100+ mAh range, likely setting another record for battery size on iPhones. Currently, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the largest battery on an iPhone at 5,088 mAh.
Paired with all the efficiency gains, we might be looking at the iPhone with the best battery life ever, but let's not put the cart before the horse.
The older iPhone 14 Pro Max wasn't particularly impressive in terms of battery life due to a combination between the small-ish 4,323 mAh battery and the not-very-efficient A16 Bionic chip.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5088 mAh | 4422 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 40.0W Wireless: 25.0W |
Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
See the full
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Charging-wise, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will come with at least 40 W of wired charging and 25 W MagSafe 2.0 wireless charging. The iPhone 14 Pro Max charged at up to 25 W. The older phone also came with the first-gen MagSafe iteration, which was slower at 15 W, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max has 25 W MagSafe 2.0.
Specs Comparison
Here's a brief summary of the anticipated iPhone 18 Pro Max specs in comparison with the current iPhone 14 Pro Max specs.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| 163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75 mm | 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm (~12.28 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 231.0 g | 221.0 g |
| Size | |
|---|---|
| 6.9-inch | 6.7-inch |
| Type | |
| OLED, Variable 1-120Hz | OLED, Variable 1-120Hz |
| System chip | |
|---|---|
| Apple A20 Pro (2 nm) | A17 Pro (3 nm) |
| Memory | |
| 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 12GB/2TB |
8GB (LPDDR5)/256GB (NVMe) 8GB/512GB 8GB/1024GB |
| OS | |
| iOS | iOS (18.x, 17.x) |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5088 mAh | 4422 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 40.0W Wireless: 25.0W |
Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP (Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.28" Pixel size: 1.22 μm |
48 MP (Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX803 Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.28" Pixel size: 2.44 μm |
| Second camera | |
| 48 MP (Ultra-wide, Sensor-shift OIS) Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
12 MP (Ultra-wide) Sensor name: Sony IMX633 Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Pixel size: 1.4 μm |
| Third camera | |
| 48 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF) Optical zoom: 4.0x Aperture size: F2.8 Focal Length: 100 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 0.7 μm |
12 MP (Telephoto, Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX913 Optical zoom: 5.0x Aperture size: F2.8 Focal Length: 120 mm Sensor size: 1/3.06" Pixel size: 1.12 μm |
| Front | |
| 18 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR) | 12 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR) |
See the full
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max specs comparison
or compare them to other phones using our
Phone Comparison tool
Summary
With the iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple focuses on the basics. While it will be continuing to build on the new camera plateau design language, the hardware inside will be much more important.
A fast new 2 nm chip, 12 GB of RAM, a promising new camera system, and likely the largest battery ever fitted on an iPhone might make this one a smash-hit success in the higher ends of the premium phone market.
It also looks as if iPhone 14 Pro Max users should be keeping an ear close to the ground and upgrading if economically viable.
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