iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5 big upgrades Apple may finally bring in 2026

While Apple is still months away from unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro Max, rumours about the phone have already started peaking giving us a good hint at what kind of changes the company plans to bring in last year of Tim Cook's reign as CEO.

Rumors suggest that Apple is plannng to keep the overall design of the iPhone 18 Pro Max very similar to its predecessor while bringing in a number of changes under the hood. Here are 5 big ugprades that you can expect from the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5 big changes expected

1) Smaller Dynamic Island:

Apple could finally reduce the size of Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro lineup by using under-display Face ID technology. If leaks are to be believed, the Dynamic Island could go from 20.76 on the iPhone 17 Pro Max to 13.49mm on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, marking around a 35 percent reduction.

The screen size is expected to remain the same at 6.3 and 6.9-inch respectively but Apple could also be planning to use LTPO+ technology for the display this time around.

2) Satellite connectivity:

Apple is said to be planning to ditch Qualcomm for its in-house C2 modem on the iPhone 18 Pro lineup. Apart from power efficiency and heat reduction, one big upgrade that could come with this change is the support for 5G NR-NTN or “New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks”

This should allow the new iPhones to automatically switch to satellite connectivity whenever the cellular covetage becomes weak or unavailable.

3) Variable aperture camera

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to feature a triple 48MP rear camera setup like the previous year's iPhone.

But a major upgrade that we could see this year is with the addition of a variable aperture main sensor that could allow iPhone users to manually adjust how much light enters the camera sensor.

Potentially, this could allow for better low-light photography, improved depth-of-field effects and more creative control while taking photo

Apple is also reportedly testing upgraded telephoto lens with a wider aperture for improved zoom shots and reduced noise in low light environments.

4) Powerful processor:

The A20 Pro on the iPhone 18 Pro Max is tipped to not only be the most powerful Apple iPhone ever but extremely power efficient owing to it being built on the latest 2nm process from TSMC.

The new chip is rumoured to deliver up to 15 percent faster performance while also improving power efficiency by as much as 30 percent compared to the A19 Pro on iPhone 17 Pro Max.

5) Bigger battery and longer battery life

Battery life could see another major improvement with the iPhone 18 Pro Max with rumours suggesting that Apple plans to increase the battery size on its flagship model to 5,100-5,200mAh. This along with the LTPO+ display, new 2nm process and C2 modem should lead to meaningful increases in battery life for the new iPhone.