Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro Max is virtually indistinguishable from the previous iPhone 17 Pro Max model, according to testing by technology news website GSMArena.
Journalists at the publication tested both flagship devices and reported that the two smartphones are impossible to tell apart from one another during regular operation.
Both handsets represent the most expensive flagship mobile phones of their respective product generations from Apple Inc., the technology company based in Cupertino, California.
Display and body specifications
The specialists noted that the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro Max share identical body dimensions. Both devices feature 6.9-inch OLED display panels with a 120 hertz refresh rate, alongside IP68 water and dust protection ratings.
In mobile technology, OLED panels illuminate individual display pixels independently to achieve high contrast levels. A 120 hertz refresh rate updates the screen image 120 times every second, offering smoother visual motion, while the IP68 rating designates high resistance against dust ingress and liquid immersion.
Performance and camera capabilities
Hardware testing revealed that the A20 Pro chip inside the new iPhone 18 Pro Max is approximately 30 percent more powerful than the A19 Pro processor in the older model during benchmark evaluations. Synthetic benchmark tests measure computing performance by running standardized software stress tests across processor cores.
Despite the synthetic benchmark performance gap, the reviewers stated that device owners are unlikely to notice any difference in real-world everyday usage.
The main technological innovation of the iPhone 18 Pro Max was identified as its camera featuring a variable aperture mechanism. A variable camera aperture allows physical adjustment of the lens opening to regulate light exposure and depth of field. However, during standard photo and video capture, images produced by both smartphones turned out to be very similar.
Review findings and price drops
GSMArena recognized the iPhone 18 Pro Max as the overall superior smartphone, citing advantages in battery life, charging speed, and raw hardware performance. Nevertheless, specialists concluded that upgrading to the new model is not necessary for existing owners of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, describing the differences between the two devices as minor.
The evaluation comes following reports from technology website Appleinsider in early October regarding secondary pricing trends in Russia. According to Appleinsider, the iPhone 17 Pro experienced a record low price in the Russian market.
The iPhone 17 Pro was spotted at retail for 70,000 rubles, down from its price of 165,000 rubles recorded one year earlier. Russian consumer technology prices are denominated in rubles across domestic retail networks.
