iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: Main differences to expect
The iPhone 15 Pro Max was a great iPhone, but all good things come to an end. | Image by PhoneArena
One thing is certain –– Apple is launching the iPhone 18 Pro Max this fall.
While the iPhone Fold will likely dominate Apple's keynote, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will certainly rule the box office and be among the best-selling iPhones. That's because it's a well-established conventional iPhone that usually has the most advanced hardware and offers the best experience, all despite its large size.
Should you consider the iPhone 18 Pro Max if you're using the iPhone 15 Pro Max?
Well, it's a tough question to answer just now. On one hand, the device is already nearly three years old, so it's about to enter that upgrade window where you can definitely upgrade if you desire, but the phone is still completely usable and feeling as contemporary as it gets.
That's precisely what the iPhone 15 Pro Max is. A phone unveiled back in 2023, but it still feels as adequate as it gets. Of course, it lacks some of the newest features and the hardware isn't nearly as impressive as it would be on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but the phone is still decent enough for regular use.
iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max expected differences:
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Aluminum design language with an expansive camera plateau in the back | Apple's first titanium iPhone, with a sleek and lightweight build |
| Narrower second-gen Dynamic Island at the front | A regular Dynamic Island |
| 2 nm Apple A20 Pro chip | Apple 17 Pro inside, built on a 3 nm node |
| Apple C2 modem, offering improved efficiency | A Qualcomm modem inside, older and less efficient |
| Up to 2TB of storage, likely | A maximum of 1TB of storage |
| Variable aperture on 48MP main camera | The first one with a 48MP main cmaera |
| Potentially wider aperture for the telephoto lens | The first iPhone with a 5X telephoto camera |
| Even larger 5,200+ mAh battery | A much smaller 4,422 mAh battery |
| Possibly improved charging | 25W wired charging, 15W standard MagSafe wireless charging |
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Design and Size
Aluminum versus titanium
The iPhone 18 Pro Max won't be much different from the iPhone 17 Pro Max, so it will most certainly come with the same aluminum design with a well-pronounced camera plateau that houses the triple camera, the LED flash, and the LiDAR scanner in the rear.
Hopefully, Apple addresses the criticisms surrounding the not-so-durable edges of the camera plateau on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. These dented and chipped easily, which is logical to expect of a soft metal like aluminum, which is what the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max were made of.
This can't be said about the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which was Apple's first titanium iPhone ever. It also had the older-style camera island, which is much more compact and, subjectively speaking, way more aesthetic looking (at least to me).
|
|
| 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
Phone Comparison tool
In terms of size, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will remain mostly similar to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, most certainly in thickness, which will remain at 8.75 mm. On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was slightly thinner at 8.25 mm.
Thanks to the titanium build, it was also much lighter and more compact, weighing just 221 gr, whereas we expect the iPhone 18 Pro Max to match or surpass the 231 gr that the iPhone 17 Pro Max weighed.
A smaller Dynamic Island is one major upgrade slated to arrive on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Apple will reportedly shrink the notch by roughly 40%, mirroring the move it did with the iPhone 13 Pro Max versus the iPhone 12 Pro Max generation a few years ago.
The new hero color of the iPhone 18 Pro Max will reportedly be Dark Cherry. Yes, Cosmic Orange is out. The rest of the hues are possibly Light Blue (Pantone 2121), Dark Gray (426C), and Silver (Pantone 427C).
Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was available in quite a drab selection of colors: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, Natural Titanium.
Display Differences
Thanks to a combination of thinner bezels and a larger size, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a larger 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is mostly similar, boasting a slightly smaller 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display covered with Ceramic Shield for protection.
Of course, both support 120 Hz ProMotion.
The main differences between the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, aside from the size itself, will be the peak brightness: the iPhone 15 Pro Max achieved around 2,000 nits, whereas the iPhone 18 Pro Max will likely push past 3,000 nits of brightness.
One major upgrade that Apple might bring to the iPhone 18 Pro Max is 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.
The biggest improvement with the screen of the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be the smaller Dynamic Island at the front. Reportedly, the Face ID module on the left side of the notch would be significantly smaller (20.76 mm wide on the iPhone 17 Pro versus ~13.49 mm on the iPhone 18 Pro), massively improving the immersion.
|
|
|
| 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
The main differences between the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro Max, aside from the size itself, will be the peak brightness: the iPhone 15 Pro Max achieved around 2,000 nits, whereas the iPhone 18 Pro Max will likely push past 3,000 nits of brightness.
One major upgrade that Apple might bring to the iPhone 18 Pro Max is 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.
Performance and Software
A significant spread
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will come with the 2nm Apple A20 Pro chip, which will deliver major performance and efficiency gains. One thing is for certain: the delta with the older A17 Pro chip that powers the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be expansive.
We expect the Apple C2 modem to make an appearance on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. This matters because it will allow for tighter hardware integration, and thus, efficiency gains.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will arrive with 12 GB of RAM, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max came with 8 GB of RAM, the minimum for Apple Intelligence to work.
In terms of storage, things are fairly similar, with 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB storage being shared by the two. The difference is that the iPhone 18 Pro Max might boast a 2 TB storage option.
|
|
|
| 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
iOS 27 will arrive out of the box on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max will get it in September as well. We will be seeing what's new with iOS 27 at the upcoming WWDC'26 developer summit in early June.
Camera
Like night and day, or not?
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will come with a triple 48 MP camera, just like the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The major upgrade will be a variable aperture for the main camera. 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 as well.
|
|
|
| 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
On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was the first device to come with a 48 MP main camera with a large 1/1.28" sensor. It was also the first iPhone Pro Max with a longer 5X telephoto camera. The rest of the cameras are 12 MP ones, which was how iPhones used to roll.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will come with an 18 MP Center Stage camera, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro Max had a standard 12 MP FaceTime camera. Center Stage is great, as it automatically keeps you in frame during video calls and allows you to capture truly wide selfies. A great upgrade.
Battery Life and Charging
Sheer dominance
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is potentially coming with a battery that's larger than 5,100 mAh, potentially reaching 5,200 mAh. This would make it the iPhone with the largest battery, beating the current record holder (the iPhone 17 Pro Max with its 5,088 mAh) cell.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max was humbler in terms of battery capacity as it was equipped with 4,422 mAh battery.
Naturally, we expect the iPhone 18 Pro Max to have a much better battery life than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, not only due to the larger battery but also thanks to the efficiency improvements implemented over the past couple of years.
|
|
|
| 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
In terms of charging, the iPhone 18 Pro Max won't be scoring an upgrade, but nonetheless, it will still charge at up to 40 W, which is nearly twice as fast as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which supported up to 25 W of wired charging.
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 complete breakdown of the anticipated iPhone 18 Pro Max specs in comparison with the current iPhone 15 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
There are some serious upgrades between the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Sure, the older iPhone is more compact and has the sleek titanium design, but it probably won't be able to match the iPhone 18 Pro Max in most crucial areas.
It will be bested in terms of performance, battery life, and likely camera prowess.
Still, even with that in mind, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is still a wildly capable phone to this day. I speak this from my personal experience, as I've used it in the past couple of weeks, and it doesn't feel outdated at all.
So, maybe only upgrade if you're itching for new tech.
Yet, if you are planning to buy a new iPhone in the fall, get the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
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