Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max review (2027)

What problem does the iPhone 18 Pro Max solve?

Battery life is the problem this phone is built to answer. Tom's Guide's own battery rundown measured the iPhone 18 Pro Max at 18 hours 27 minutes, which the publication calls the longest-lasting iPhone battery it has ever measured. That figure is 33 minutes longer than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Tom's Guide frames it as enough for almost two full days of moderate use.

The second problem is the usual one for buyers who want the biggest screen: historically you paid more and got the same core hardware as the smaller model anyway. Here you do not lose anything. The iPhone 18 Pro Max carries the same A20 Pro chip and the same variable-aperture camera as the smaller iPhone 18 Pro. Tom's Guide's verdict calls it "easily the best phone money can buy," with the caveats being a $100 price rise and extra weight.

How did we score the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

The phone finished with 9.1 points out of 10 overall, first in a category of 14 tested smartphones. That total comes from five weighted criteria.

• Performance — 9.5 out of 25. This criterion covers chipset generation and real-world speed under gaming, multitasking and sustained load, judged from official specs and reviewer benchmarks.
• Battery — 9.5 out of 25. Capacity, charging speed and reviewer-measured runtime under mixed use. This is where the 18 hours 27 minutes from Tom's Guide sits.
• Camera — 9.5 out of 20. Photo and video quality across lighting conditions, per reviewer consensus.
• Display — 9 out of 15. Panel type, refresh rate, brightness and outdoor visibility.
• Value — 7 out of 15. Price against what the phone delivers relative to its peers. This is the lowest-scoring criterion of the five, and it lines up with the $100 increase over the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Performance, battery and camera all land at 9.5, so the phone is not carried by one standout result. The display score of 9 out of 15 is close behind, and value is the only criterion that clearly drags.

What are the standout strengths?

The first strength is the battery. Tom's Guide measured 18 hours 27 minutes, the longest-lasting iPhone battery the publication has recorded, and 33 minutes more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max managed. For anyone who has watched an iPhone die before dinner, that is the headline number.

The second strength is parity with the smaller Pro. The A20 Pro chip and the variable-aperture camera are the same as on the iPhone 18 Pro, so choosing the larger model does not mean settling for different internals.

The third strength is charging. Tom's Guide lists the fastest charging yet on an iPhone as one of the phone's tested positives, which matters given how much of the battery score depends on charging speed alongside runtime.

Where does the iPhone 18 Pro Max fall short?

Two tested negatives stand out. That increase is the clearest explanation for the value criterion scoring 7 out of 15, the lowest of the five criteria.

The second is weight. Combined with the larger body, that is a real consideration for anyone who uses a phone one-handed or keeps it in a pocket all day.

Nothing else in the tested material counts against it. There is no reported loss in camera quality, performance or display to offset the gains.

How does it compare with the competition?

Two rivals are worth putting side by side with the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which scored 9.1.

The OnePlus 15 CPH2749 North America 512GB 16GB Infinite Black scored 9.1, level with the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Its listed original price is $999.99. On the numbers available, the OnePlus 15 matches the iPhone's overall score while sitting at a lower listed price, so the Apple phone's advantage rests on the measured 18 hours 27 minutes of battery runtime and the A20 Pro chip and variable-aperture camera rather than on the score itself.

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro scored 9.0, just behind the Pro Max. It shares the A20 Pro chip and the variable-aperture camera, so the gap between the two comes down to the larger model's measured battery result and its extra size and weight.

Against both, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is ahead on measured battery runtime and level or slightly ahead on overall score. Against the OnePlus 15 it is behind on listed price. Against the smaller iPhone 18 Pro it gives up nothing in chip or camera but asks you to accept more weight.

Who should buy the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

Buy it if battery life is the thing you care about most. An 18 hour 27 minute measured runtime, the longest Tom's Guide has recorded on an iPhone, is the reason to pick this model over the iPhone 18 Pro, which shares the same A20 Pro chip and variable-aperture camera.

Buy it if you want the largest iPhone without giving up flagship internals. The chip and camera parity with the smaller Pro means the size decision is about screen and battery, not about performance.

Think carefully if you are price-sensitive or weight-sensitive. The $100 increase over the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the heavier build are the two tested drawbacks, and the value criterion's 7 out of 15 reflects the price side of that. If neither matters to you, the rest of the scorecard — 9.5 on performance, 9.5 on battery, 9.5 on camera and 9 out of 15 on display — leaves little to argue with.