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 piling up, giving us a good idea of the changes the company could bring in during the final year of Tim Cook’s reign as CEO.

Leaks suggest Apple is planning to keep the overall design of the iPhone 18 Pro Max similar to its predecessor while introducing a number of major upgrades under the hood. Here are five big changes expected on the next flagship iPhone.

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

1) Smaller Dynamic Island

Apple could finally reduce the size of the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro lineup by shifting more Face ID components under the display.

If leaks are accurate, the Dynamic Island could shrink from around 20.76mm on the iPhone 17 Pro Max to 13.49mm on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, marking roughly a 35% reduction.

The display sizes are expected to remain unchanged at 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch respectively, although Apple may introduce upgraded LTPO+ display technology for improved efficiency.

2) Satellite connectivity upgrades

Apple is reportedly planning to ditch Qualcomm in favour of its in-house C2 modem on the iPhone 18 Pro series.

Apart from better power efficiency and reduced heat generation, one of the biggest upgrades could be support for 5G NR-NTN or “New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks”.

This could allow the new iPhones to automatically switch to satellite connectivity whenever cellular coverage becomes weak or unavailable, making the transition much more seamless than current satellite SOS features.

3) Variable aperture camera

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to retain a triple 48MP rear camera setup similar to last year’s iPhone.

However, Apple could introduce a variable aperture system for the main sensor, allowing users to manually control how much light enters the camera.

This could help improve low-light photography, deliver more natural depth-of-field effects and give users greater creative control while taking photos.

Apple is also reportedly testing an upgraded telephoto lens with a wider aperture for better zoom performance and reduced image noise in darker environments.

4) More powerful processor

The new A20 Pro chipset inside the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to be built on TSMC’s latest 2nm process.

Leaks suggest the chip could deliver up to 15% faster performance while improving power efficiency by as much as 30% compared to the A19 Pro found in the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The new chipset is also expected to improve on-device AI processing for future Apple Intelligence features.

5) Bigger battery and longer battery life

Battery life could also see a major jump this year, with rumours suggesting Apple plans to increase the battery size on the iPhone 18 Pro Max to around 5,100-5,200mAh.

Combined with the more efficient LTPO+ display, new 2nm chipset and Apple’s in-house C2 modem, the larger battery could lead to meaningful gains in overall battery life for the next-generation iPhone.