Comparison
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max or Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max?
Jen's verdict, pros and cons from both reviews side by side. The statements come from the respective review – the date of the video is the as-of date.
Review from Nov 9, 2025
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
What does Jen say about the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is a modest upgrade aimed mainly at heavy users. The camera is really good, but no longer the best on the market. Jen stays an Android user because more innovation is happening there and AI is useful in everyday life.
Pros
- High-quality build and premium feel
- Slightly bigger battery, 138 mAh more
- 48-megapixel telephoto lens and 18-megapixel front camera
- Front camera switches between portrait and landscape with a finger tap, no rotating needed
- Modern interface in iOS 26, no big bugs for Jen
Cons
- 0.5 mm thicker and 4 g heavier than its predecessor
- The vapor chamber only helps heavy users, but everyone has to carry and pay for it
- Beige color cast in photos, especially in portraits and with the front camera
- Zoom only up to 40x
- iOS: settings only via the Settings app, keyboard switching for numbers and punctuation, no app list like on Android
- AI features only rudimentary compared with Samsung, Google, and Xiaomi
Review from Sep 27, 2026
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max
What does Jen say about the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max?
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is a very strong work device with two days of battery life, plenty of graphics power and a main camera with variable aperture. In the EU, however, Siri AI, the centerpiece of the presentation, is missing. If you have an iPhone 15, 16 or 17 Pro Max, you can skip this round.
Pros
- A20 Pro: lots of power, especially graphics, and very efficient
- Battery lasts two full working days
- Body stays noticeably cooler even under load
- Main camera with mechanical, variable aperture
- Finally manual white balance for videos
Cons
- Siri AI is mostly blocked in the EU
- Zoom falls behind the competition
- No video recording in 8K
- At almost 250 g very heavy, hardly usable with one hand