Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max review

23 September 2026



Smithravi, 24 Sep 2026Man the price jump from 512GB to 1Tb this year in Germany i... moreApple asks exactly 1000€ for 1TB of Storage alone. I Bought my Edge 50Ultra for 650€

Thats the entire phone, and it came with 1TB UFS 4.0 and 4GB more Ram than the new iPhone.

    Man the price jump from 512GB to 1Tb this year in Germany is insane.
    Last year and before that: 256GB Pro Max 1450€; 512GB Pro Max 1650€; 1TB Pro Max 1950€. Difference from 256GB to 1TB is 500€
    This year: 256GB Pro Max 1600€; 512GB 1850€; 1TB 2350€. Difference from 256GB to 1TB is massive 750€. 1Tb variant alone has increased by 400 freaking euros. Is it made of titanium, only china knows. On top of that QLC (slower storage) for 1 and 2 TB versions. Apple gtfoh.

    anyone who says apple only increased 100$ or 150€ should check themselves.

    Apple just became greedy outside USA. No this has nothing to do with chip shortages. Otherwise price jump in USA should reflect them as well. Jump ain't the same.

      well the samsung fake ultra 26 is not even a competition for the iphone 🫤 it is a disgrace for iphone to even compare with that cr@p

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • AAL
        • 24 Sep 2026

        xPandamon, 24 Sep 2026iPhones could be decent phones, if they weren't stupid... moreBuy the air and a camera

          • H
          • Hypocrit
          • AAL
          • 24 Sep 2026

          I’ve read a few reviews and learnt the least from this one.
          Starting the review with “it has only 4 small incremental changes” confirms you pasted the specs and made up the rest.

            • k
            • kdss
            • p%5
            • 24 Sep 2026

            Hopefully, one day we will see an objective review of Samsung's bricks as well.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • gqH
              • 24 Sep 2026

              jiyen235, 24 Sep 2026iphone has charging as fast as samsung now but look at t... moreOppo's managed to get usable software lately as well, so the sensor size difference is something you might notice even if a lot of photographers aren't really a fan of the processing.

              Charging rate wise it looks like the Oppo gets 8:51 of battery test use in 15 minutes while the iPhone gets 9:10, they're both notably faster than the Samsung and they're both pretty good though not record breaking overall. Apple's full cycle charge time is as typical pretty lethargic but full charges tend to be an overnight thing anyway and speed matters a lot less for that, in fact that's where MagSafe / Qi2 makes the most sense to just drop it on and go to sleep.

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                • Djoko Ouidodo
                • thw
                • 24 Sep 2026

                It's funny. On the pros side, you say the photo quality is "top-notch," but on the cons side, you also say the results are less than satisfactory. Come on... Let's not beat around the bush, The iPhone may be starting to get a little "boring" due to the lack of improvements between generations. Honestly, I miss the older iPhones series, like the 12 or 13 or 14 (and even the 15 and 16)

                  Great to see Apple finally embrace variable aperture for the main wide camera, but Apple still got a long way to give true stepless aperture like in Huawei flagships and also Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Also, I finally realized how greatly useful variable aperture can be when using mobile zoom lenses on the main camera. It's literally night and day difference, especially the amount of bokeh and depth of field it can produce.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • gqH
                    • 24 Sep 2026

                    Eno2, 24 Sep 2026I'm confused. Pros: Very good photo quality across ... moreIt's a con because you'll have the 'AI' 'features' nobody asked for and nobody uses thrown at you eventually.

                      • E
                      • Eno2
                      • skD
                      • 24 Sep 2026

                      I'm confused.

                      Pros: Very good photo quality across the board.
                      Cons: Photo quality leaves something to be desired.

                      Which conclusion is true, cause they are contradictory?

                      Why is "European users won't be able to enjoy Siri AI for now (if ever)." a Con?
                      I'd personally love no AI in my phone what so every by default!

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • gqH
                        • 24 Sep 2026

                        Anonymous, 23 Sep 2026Breaking: company that has been shooting themselves in the ... moreI don't care how late it is, an upgrade is an upgrade. Maybe it'll finally encourage Sony to do something this year.

                        You also don't need to make false assumptions about somebody you don't know, because I was never an Apple or Samsung customer and never will be.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • I2Y
                          • 24 Sep 2026

                          Inedian , 24 Sep 2026Both... very good but doesn't stand a chance against 2... moreIn what way ? That they throttle to 40% ? Thats sad.

                            • A
                            • Aerni68
                            • 0$c
                            • 24 Sep 2026

                            Very nice in-depth review! Thank you very much, dear GSMARENA team! I would love to hear some details about the reception quality in the light of a new modem out of the Apple shelf. Very ridiculous from Apple is, that they promote the SoC as "desktop-class level". But when you connect that phone to an external 16:9 monitor through DisplayPort, than all the desktop hype is gone. Stupid screen mirroring happens and the mess with the fix orientation of iOS homescreens and variable orientation of Apps will finally destroy any idea of an acceptable desktop experience. With regards to the cameras the variable aperture might be relevant from an architectural implementation standpoint. The results shown "out of camera" in this review leave a lot more to be desired. Nice that professionals are happy with the camera results. But I'm sure, they invest a lot of time in post-processing activities to improve the medium-level output from IPhone's camera system. Other smartphones directly deliver superb output without tons of post-processing actions. Maybe the IPhone 20 generation might show more meaningful improvements at this front. This 18th-generation is nothing, which deserves a position at the buying short-list in 2026 - especially in light of the such crazy price tags and the poor storage implementation (QLC) for the variants with 1TB and 2TB.
                            Greets
                            Aerni68

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • M8r
                              • 24 Sep 2026

                              TSMC's "2nm" (N2) process is not literally based on a 2 nm transistor feature size. Like modern 7 nm, 5 nm, and 3 nm nodes, "2nm" is primarily a technology generation name rather than a direct physical measurement.

                              Approximate Physical Dimensions of TSMC N2
                              The values of 45 nm contacted gate pitch and 20 nm metal pitch are consistent with industry roadmaps for the 2 nm node class.

                              Comparison with Previous Nodes

                              Why the Name Is Misleading
                              In the early semiconductor era, node names roughly matched a real transistor dimension. That stopped more than a decade ago. Today:
                              •2 nm does not mean a 2 nm gate length.
                              •2 nm does not mean a 2 nm transistor width.
                              •2 nm does not mean wires are 2 nm apart.
                              Instead, the node name represents a combination of:
                              •higher transistor density,
                              •lower power consumption,
                              •higher performance,
                              •new transistor structures (such as GAA nanosheets).

                              What Is Actually New in TSMC N2?
                              TSMC N2 is the company's first mass-production node using GAA nanosheet transistors, replacing the FinFET architecture used from 16 nm through 3 nm. This improves electrostatic control, leakage, and power efficiency.
                              Bottom line: TSMC's "2nm" process is not physically 2 nm. The most critical dimensions are closer to 20-45 nm, while the 2 nm label mainly identifies the generation of technology rather than a literal feature size.

                              The Same AS Samsung, Intel and so on... Just Marketing Figures

                                The weight of the iPhone 18 pro max is same as my iPhone 14 pro max at 240g and the iOS File Management is so the same, like you have to find it for yourself or just ask the google search for that one.

                                Still up to date on my device, soon i’ll buy the 17 series like the iPhone 17e. Just an average user on iPhone.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • vV5
                                  • 24 Sep 2026

                                  The f4.0 shots are clearly sharper than the f1.48 shots. I don't know why gsmarena keeps dismissing the variable aperture option.

                                    I only partly agree with this review. Compared with the 17 Pro Max, the improvement in automatic image quality is not huge, and the ultra-wide, telephoto and front cameras are largely unchanged. On that point, you are right. However, I think it is too reductive to judge the 18 Pro almost entirely through 100% crops and automatic shooting. The main camera does use a new sensor, even if it remains 48MP and roughly the same size. The same resolution does not mean the same sensor, as readout speed, noise, dynamic range and signal processing can still change. More importantly, there is now a real variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4, together with controls for shutter speed, focus, white balance, histogram and ProRAW. I also find it significant that several professional photographers have been much more positive after actually using it in the field. Austin Mann spent a week shooting with it and produced very convincing images even in difficult and low-light conditions, especially at f/1.48, where the extra light allows faster exposures and more natural depth of field, with impressive results in landscapes and night-sky photography. Jaron Schneider at PetaPixel shot around 1,000 photos and found image quality very strong, noting that the main camera reaches excellent sharpness around f/2.8, while f/1.48 gives up some edge sharpness in exchange for a real low-light advantage; he also preferred the rendering of the new Photographic Styles and found the new texture options surprisingly convincing. Tyler Stalman highlighted the more natural rendering of skin, highlights, grain and halation from the new Styles, as well as the creative flexibility of the variable aperture. DPReview also recognizes a real light-gathering and flexibility advantage, while remaining more cautious about the improvement over the 17 Pro. None of this means the camera is perfect, but if several professional photographers with different approaches are producing high-quality images and coming away positive after actually using it in the field, there is probably a reason. So yes, for someone coming from a 17 Pro Max and shooting mostly in auto, the improvement may feel limited, but saying that very little has changed overall feels unfair to me. One thing I completely agree with you on: Apple should have upgraded the ultra-wide as well, because it is now clearly the weakest part of the camera system.

                                      iPhones could be decent phones, if they weren't stupidly heavy. As someone that usually uses a decent case plus a stand of some sort, that is just unacceptable

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                                        • Inedian
                                        • L7q
                                        • 24 Sep 2026

                                        Dometalican, 23 Sep 2026"Very good photo quality across the board" AND &q... moreBoth... very good but doesn't stand a chance against 2025 flagship anroids.

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