iDevice advice
FINE TO BUY
The Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max came out Sep 18, 2026, and its best price today is $1,299 at Apple. For a model this new, iDevice's advice is to buy it if you want it, not to wait for a drop.
Latest on Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max
More newsApple's updates are meant to stop the outage spreading, but a phone that has already lost service has to be replaced, and Apple hasn't said why it happens.
Read the storyApple says iOS 27.0.1 and a carrier settings update only prevent the AT&T outage on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. A phone that has already lost service gets replaced.
Read the storyWi-Fi calling still works, and a fix may arrive with iOS 27.0.1 next week. Launch buyers are still inside the return window if it doesn't.
Read the storyComparison
Compare phonesPrice
$1,299
The official list price to buy it.
Weight
249g
Grams in your hand. Lower is lighter.
Battery life
~45 hrs
How long it lasts on its own, away from a charger.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max$1,299
Apple iPhone 17 Pro$1,099
Apple iPhone 18 Pro$1,199
Google Pixel 11 Pro XL$1,299
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra$1,399.99
Current list prices.
The handset as sold, without a case.
Hours of video playback, as each phone's own company reports it. A phone whose company gives only a typical-use figure or a battery capacity is not on this chart: those are different measures.
If not this one
Stronger on big-screen multitasking, in iDevice's view.
THIS PRODUCTApple iPhone 18 Pro Max
COMPARE WITHApple iPhone 17 ProCurrent offers
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Frequently asked questions
Apple's updates are meant to stop the outage spreading, but a phone that has already lost service has to be replaced, and Apple hasn't said why it happens.
Apple says iOS 27.0.1 and a carrier settings update only prevent the AT&T outage on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. A phone that has already lost service gets replaced.
Wi-Fi calling still works, and a fix may arrive with iOS 27.0.1 next week. Launch buyers are still inside the return window if it doesn't.
A stress test hit 1.1MB/s once the fast cache ran out, which matters for long ProRes recordings. Apple doesn't say which storage chip a phone ships with, and supply looks mixed.
The Pro Max battery clears 20 watt-hours, so Apple added a Prepare to Ship step that discharges it before repair or trade-in, with an undo that can wait 14 days.
A TechInsights teardown puts Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 in the American iPhone 18 Pro Max. Every other iPhone 18 this year runs Apple's C2.
Tom's Guide benchmarked both A20 Pro phones. Peak speed is nearly identical, but under a long stress test the Pro Max kept 79.4% of its performance and the Pro kept 62.8%.
Apple's percentages are its own generation-to-generation comparisons, published with no test conditions behind them. The only measured A20 Pro score in public is an unverified leak.
There is no A20, no standard iPhone 18 and no Air 2, so the tier that would normally carry a non-Pro chip does not exist in 2026. Three phones have this year's silicon and all three are Pro-priced.
The Pro Max gets a much bigger battery this year and the Pro barely any, so the smaller phone's longer rating is mostly down to the chip and modem.
Dark Cherry and Sky Blue have been the expected colors for weeks, which is exactly what makes them cheap to fake.
