iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: All the differences
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The iPhone 15 Pro Max was a great iPhone, but all good things come to an end. | Image by PhoneArena
Apple has just announced the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and it's by far the best iPhone ever released. We get faster performance, better battery life, a fancy new camera, and faster charging. Not many upgrades, but after all, we don't want the iPhone 18 Pro Max to outshine the iPhone Duo, do we?
While the iPhone Duo dominated Apple's keynote, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will certainly rule the box office and be among the best-selling iPhones. That's just how it is with Apple's top flagships.
But 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, that device is already nearly three years old, so it's about to enter that peculiar window where it's neither too old to ditch but upgrading would make sense in most cases, provided that it's economically viable.
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.
iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max 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 2 TB of storage | A maximum of 1TB of storage |
| Variable aperture on 48MP main camera | A regular 48 MP camera |
| A 48 MP periscope with 4x optical zoom | The first iPhone with a 5X telephoto camera |
| Even larger 5,567 mAh battery (5,391 mAh in the nano-SIM variant) | A much smaller 4,422 mAh battery |
| Faster 60 W wired charging, 25 W MagSafe 2.0 wireless charging | 25W wired charging, 15W standard MagSafe wireless charging |
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Design and Size
Aluminum versus titanium
The iPhone 18 Pro Max isn't much different from the iPhone 17 Pro Max, so it comes 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 has addressed 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 aesthetically 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 (~13.49 mm with camera bump) | 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm (~12.28 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 249.0 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 is identical to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with a thickness of 8.75 mm at the frame. 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 the iPhone 18 Pro Max weighs the staggering 249 grams.
A smaller Dynamic Island is one of the major upgrades on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Apple has shrunk the notch by roughly 35%, mirroring the move it did with the iPhone 13 Pro Max versus the iPhone 12 Pro Max generation a few years ago.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max arrives in Black, Glacier, Silver, and Burgundy colors.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max was available in quite a drab selection of colors: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium.
Display Differences
Thanks to a combination of thinner bezels and a larger size, the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a larger 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen with Ceramic Shield 2 up front. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has 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.
The biggest improvement with the screen of the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the smaller Dynamic Island at the front.
Of course, both support 120 Hz ProMotion.
|
|
|
| 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.
Apple must have positioned some Face ID modules under the screen or slimmed down existing ones to minimize the Dynamic Notch significantly: it was 20.76 mm wide on the iPhone 17 Pro Max versus 13.49 mm on the iPhone 18 Pro Max), massively improving the immersion. The new solution allows more interface elements to fit, like up to three Live Activities, which is a good upgrade.
Performance and Software
A significant difference
The iPhone 18 Pro Max comex with the 2 nm Apple A20 Pro chip, which delivers 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 is as wide as a canyon, especially in synthetic benchmarks.
There's also the Apple C2 modem on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. This matters because it allows for tighter hardware integration, and thus, efficiency gains.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max arrives 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 boasts 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 (LPDDR5X)/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 12GB/2TB |
8GB (LPDDR5)/256GB (NVMe) 8GB/512GB 8GB/1024GB |
| OS | |
| iOS (27.x) | 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 arrive out of the box on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max will get it this September as well.
Camera
Like night and day, or not?
The iPhone 18 Pro Max comes with a triple 48 MP camera, just like the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The major upgrade is the variable aperture for the main camera. It can now intelligently switch between f/1.48 and f/4.0 depending on ambient lighting and the user's own creative needs. Yes, the iPhone 18 Pro Max finally scores manual controls in the camera that allow you to manually change aspects like aperture, shutter speed, and others.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP (ToF 3D depth sensing, Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX905 Aperture size: F1.5/F4.0 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) Sensor name: Sony IMX972 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) Sensor name: Sony IMX973 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 second iPhone 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 is how iPhones used to roll.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max comes 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
Apple has been upgrading the batteries of its pro iPhones with every generation for the past few years, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max doesn't deviate from that pattern.
Apple has put a truly massive 5,567 mAh battery inside the eSIM variant of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which would make it the iPhone with the largest battery ever! Well… until the next one comes along, probably.
At the same time, international models with a physical nano-SIM card arrive with a 5,391 mAh battery, which is still significantly larger than what the iPhone 15 Pro Max carried. As a refresher, that iPhone had a 4,422 mAh battery, which is much smaller than what the iPhone 18 Pro Max carries.
With the added efficiency of the new chip and the larger battery, we can only come to expect that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will easily beat the iPhone 15 Pro Max in terms of battery endurance.
|
|
|
| Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5567 mAh | 4422 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 60.0W 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 has scored a 60 W wired charging upgrade, which is more than 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 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 (~13.49 mm with camera bump) | 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm (~12.28 mm with camera bump) |
| Weight | |
| 249.0 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 (LPDDR5X)/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 12GB/2TB |
8GB (LPDDR5)/256GB (NVMe) 8GB/512GB 8GB/1024GB |
| OS | |
| iOS (27.x) | iOS (18.x, 17.x) |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| 5567 mAh | 4422 mAh |
| Charge speed | |
| Wired: 60.0W Wireless: 25.0W |
Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W |
| Main camera | |
|---|---|
| 48 MP (ToF 3D depth sensing, Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF) Sensor name: Sony IMX905 Aperture size: F1.5/F4.0 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) Sensor name: Sony IMX972 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) Sensor name: Sony IMX973 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, making upgrading viable.
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