The iPhone 18 Pro Max - When a New Phone is Like the One Before

The iPhone 18 Pro Max in black - it has already become a fingerprint magnet.

Once the flagship of the product line, the iPhone Duo has somewhat overshadowed this device. Once upon a time I’d have to wake up at 3 AM and keep hitting the Apple Store site trying to get my desired iPhone model before the shipping date slipped ever further into the future. Now, once the pre-order date had arrived I’d almost forgotten. On a leisurely pace, maybe around 10 AM, I opened the Apple Store and the phone I wanted was in stock, shipping the first day and available. Those heady days of fighting the store are gone. A couple days later Mac Rumors reported that iPhone Pro orders were off to a slow start. Marques Brownlee even called this an “S” update¹.

The first thing I noticed when unboxing the iPhone 18 and plugging it into power, it got hot fast. Like really fast. I unplugged the phone and let the transfer process continue and the temperature regulated. The process was speedy and there were no major issues with the eSIM move (this was the first year I had to do that). The heat issue seemed like a one-time thing, but what was that all about?

Everything else was so seamless, it was hard to tell from the outset that this was a new phone. The speed felt a little snappier, but not by much.

Trade-In

In previous years I’ve tried financing and when something new is possible, I look into whether it’s worth it. This year, Apple was advertising that I could return my old phone, an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and get a credit or refund that could go towards the new phone. This year, it was time to try it out. Since my one year old son was absolutely enthralled by sight of my current phone, I would say it has held up admirably; but by no means perfect. I’d had it in a case, but never use any sort of screen protection.

My brutally damaged Ghost case on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. It did an admirable job of protecting the phone.

Once taking my old phone out if its case, I could see what condition I’d be asking Apple to forgive. Sure, there was a super small nick on the top left, but that seemed minor. The show stopper was the perceptible bed in the phone. Wow, this probably happened from having the phone in my back pocket. Shades of the iPhone 6 #bendgate - would Apple forgive these things and return full price? I’d gotten a good image of this bend, but failed to put the SD card into my camera and lost it. I shipped the phone back same day and waited.

As I mentioned in my iPhone Duo article, the possible trade-in value for this is $1,165.00. The base model of the iPhone 18 Pro Max with 256GB is $1,899.00 ($2,147.87 after taxes). To upgrade my phone it will cost a $980.87 differential. The gray market value if my iPhone 17 Pro Max is a little better at about $1,300.00 to $1,400.00, but it still would not offset this new phone’s cost by much; and the mountains of bullshit one encounters in the gray market is not for mere mortals. All things considered, not worth it, but I’m doing it so you don’t have to.

As I waited for trade-in updates from the Apple Store app, the mention of a “trade-in” partner made me think that they might be more aggressive in their inspection (netting me less money), however, it seemed to me that they’d want to be somewhat forgiving if they wanted people to trust the process. Four days after shipping back the old phone, I was pleased to see that they were incredibly forgiving and returned the full amount quoted. The old box and charging cable wasn’t required, so you can sell that on Ebay if you’d like.

Protection

I’d included the ever-reliable Ghost case from Dbrand in my order process. They seemed to have figured out logistics with the case arriving three days before the new phone. Based on the packaging, it seems possible that the new case is compatible with both the 17 and 18, so I’ll have to test that out. And they were the same, so I didn’t need the new one, but it was nice to put on a new case with the new phone

The actual differences in phones are so minor that no one I know could tell that I had a new one. The only thing noticeable is the change of colour - I’ve gone from the royal blue to black, so that change is not as striking as a change from Orange to Burgundy. There was a time when I’d get comments on my new phone by random people but no longer encounter that.

The Camera

Apple has always focused on upgrading the mobile cameras in the Pro series. This year is no different. This year, of course, Apple says this is the biggest upgrade ever, ever. The biggest changes are not of the megapixel variety but of the introduction of professional controls in the software, and the inclusion of an aperture in the main lens. To show this off, Apple commissioned a bunch of photographers to create some stunning images.

There will doubtlessly be articles that compare the subtle differences in images produced by earlier cameras using the aperture. I’m going to skip that here, but it’s clear that the average person is not going to perceive a difference, much less actually use the aperture. The fantastic video below is worth watching if you want to dig into what’s new and what this camera system can do:

The way Apple incorporates these controls into the camera app makes a lot of sense. they’re accessible through a menu and always there. Contrast that with the camera shutter button which has mostly been an annoyance. We’ve all be trained to hunt for the camera app. Coupled with enhancements in iOS 27, there’s a great deal to offer for a casual photographer. I took a quick outside shot, cleaned up and cropped them image and came up with this (click the caption to see it bigger)

larger size, click here

To test the video, I shot some footage in Apple Log 2, Davinci’s IOS app and colour graded it - the effects are genuinely striking for a short 4K video. This phone could be used for serious production, but then previous models could too. We could be at some upper limit for what cellphone cameras can do.

The Chip

The new A20 chip is a key factor to the biggest change in this phone. At 2nm architecture, this chip brings a faster experience with better battery life. That’s supposed to be a significant bump. Again, given the way iOS performs on the iPhone 17, this is unlikely to be noticeable. If it helps with battery efficiency, that’s where it counts. In my time with this phone, it certainly seemed faster, but not so much that it would be noticible by an everyday user.

The Battery

Perhaps the most notable of all the new features this year is the bigger battery and efficiency gains from the new chip. In tests I’ve seen online, the 18 Pro Max is getting more than two hours more life than the 17 Pro Max. Once I’d done the switch, it was off to use the phone at a regular cadence and see if I notice more.

I’m happy to say that the gains are noticeable. The most common thing I do is forget to charge overnight and find that the drained battery of my phone can’t handle the next day without some kind of charge. It feels different with this new phone in a good way, like the 68% left on the battery can handle the next day without dying.

Should You Upgrade?

The lack of meaningful change is the bane of Apple’s products. These minor modifications no longer justify upgrading from a previous generation. If you are using an iPhone 14 Pro or newer, just stay put. Older than that, your looking at a camera system upgrade that might be worth your 2021 and older iPhone. iOS 27 support goes all the way back to iPhone 11.

Comparing the pricing at launch, the difference is telling. At launch the 17 Pro Max 256GB was $1,749.00, so this year’s price increase was a full $150.00. In the USA, this same phone is $1,299.00 USD or 1,826.83 CAD accounting for current currency rates.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max became available on Friday September 18th, 2026 starting at $1,899.00 CAD. Apple offers a trade in process for the value of exiting phones depending on the model and condition.