ApplesmartphoneLast featured Oct 2026
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max
I'd buy itI'd buy this.
A really good phone with excellent battery life, big performance headroom and much better image processing, though not an exciting upgrade for 17 Pro owners.
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- Price when I covered it
- $1299
- Featured in
- 4 videos · 2026–2026
- Category
- Phones · Flagship
What I liked
- Longer battery life than the Duo
- Better thermal performance
- Telephoto camera and Face ID
- World-class battery efficiency
- Performance headroom for 3 to 4 years
- Better image processing
What I didn't
- Not an exciting upgrade from the 17 Pro
- Main camera sensor not upgraded in 4 years
- Weak Apple Intelligence
- Body gets the hottest in tests
- Most expensive iPhone ever with the 2TB model
- Starts at $1299 after a $100 rise
In my words
Straight from the video. Tap a timestamp to hear me say it.
“I think it's a better phone.”
“this isn't just good battery for an iPhone. This is world-class because it's so efficient now.”
“This is not the most exciting upgrade, but I think it's one of the safest ones because it creates so much headroom.”
“the Pro Max's battery life is 45 hours”
“Definitely a valid reason to consider Pro Max over Pro this time”
Every time I covered it
Most recent first, so you can see if my view has changed.
2:20iPhone Duo is Messier Than You ThinkThe better default choice than the Duo, with longer battery life, a telephoto camera and Face ID.
Watch this bit
0:08iPhone 18 Pro Review - My Last iPhone?A really good phone with excellent battery life, big performance headroom and much better image processing, though not an exciting upgrade for 17 Pro owners.
Watch this bit
0:40iPhone 18 Pro Unboxing - This Needs ExplainingHuge battery jump and the strongest performance of any phone tested, though it runs the hottest because the vapor chamber moves heat outwards.
Watch this bit
0:00iPhone Duo/18 Pro Hands On - I wasn’t readyThe battery gap over the regular Pro is the biggest yet, making it a valid choice for battery life, though it costs $100 more than last year.
Watch this bit
Why it's on these shelves
- Iterative
“To act like the average 17 Pro user picking up one of these on launch day is going to be like, "Oh, what an incredible upgrade." is false.”
▶ 12:16 - Battery hero
“different ballgame. In fact, different stadium, to be honest, with 12 hours and 32.”
▶ 2:21 - Battery hero
“Definitely a valid reason to consider Pro Max over Pro this time”
▶ 12:21
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