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Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone SE (1st generation)

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone 18 Pro MaxAppleiPhone SE (1st generation)
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2026March 2016
Display
Screen size6.9″4″
Resolution2868 × 13201136 × 640
Sharpness458 pixels per inch326 pixels per inch
PanelLTPO OLEDLCD
Refresh rate120 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness3,000 nits500 nits
Display typeSuper Retina XDR OLED display with a smaller Dynamic Island (up to three Live Activities)Retina display; 4-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
Pixel density460 ppi326 ppi
Brightness detail1,000 nits max (typical); 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 1 nit minimum500 cd/m² max brightness (typical)
Always-on displayYes–
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield backFingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
Display featuresProMotion adaptive refresh; HDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical); anti-reflective coating800:1 contrast ratio (typical); full sRGB standard
Performance
ChipA20 ProA9
Memory12 GB2 GB
Storage256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB
CPU6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores; 2-nanometre processA9 chip with 64-bit architecture and embedded M9 motion coprocessor; dual-core 1.84 GHz Twister (GSMArena); 2 GB of SK Hynix LPDDR4 RAM (iFixit)
GPU7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracingPowerVR GT7600 (GSMArena)
AI engineDual 16-core Neural Engine–
CoolingNext-generation vapour chamber with three times the surface area of iPhone 17 Pro's–
Cameras
Main camera48 MP12 MP
Ultra wide camera48 MPNone
Telephoto camera48 MPNone
Optical zoom4×None
Front camera18 MP1.2 MP
Main camera48MP Fusion Main with variable aperture (ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, ƒ/4.0), 24 mm, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos12-megapixel camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture, five-element lens, autofocus with Focus Pixels, True Tone flash, sapphire crystal lens cover, backside illumination sensor, hybrid IR filter
Ultra wide camera48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 120° field of view, Hybrid Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos–
Telephoto camera48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100 mm (4x), ƒ/2.8 aperture, Hybrid Focus Pixels, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilisation and autofocus, tetraprism design; 24MP and 48MP photos–
Front camera18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus PixelsFaceTime HD camera with 1.2-megapixel photos, ƒ/2.4 aperture, Retina Flash
Zoom12MP optical-quality 2x (48 mm) from the Main camera and 8x (200 mm) from the Telephoto camera; 8x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out (16x optical-quality zoom range); digital zoom up to 40xDigital zoom up to 5x (photos) and 3x (video)
Video recording4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps, and at 100 or 120 fps on the Fusion Main camera; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps, with effects applied after capture; Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps (Fusion Main); ProRes up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording; ProRes RAW; Apple Log 2; ACES; genlock; spatial video at 1080p 30 fps; Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; HEVC, H.264, ProRes and ProRes RAW4K at 30 fps; 1080p at 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps; time-lapse with stabilisation; cinematic video stabilisation (1080p and 720p); 8MP stills while recording 4K
Front video4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; ProRes up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording; ProRes RAW; Apple Log 2; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps720p HD
Camera featuresPro controls for aperture, shutter speed, white balance and histogram; Apple Reference Image; Photographic Styles 3; smart focus tracking; Photonic Engine; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 5; Night mode; ProRAW; spatial photos; 48MP macro photography; Adaptive True Tone flash; LiDAR Scanner; four studio-quality mics; Camera ControlLive Photos with stabilisation; panorama (up to 63 megapixels); auto HDR; burst mode; timer mode; local tone mapping; face detection
Battery and charging
Battery5,391 mAh1,624 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 43 hoursUp to 13 hours
Wireless chargingUp to 25 WNone
Battery life detailUp to 29 hours typical use; up to 38 hours streamed video playback; EU energy label class A, 62 hours per charge, at least 1,000 charge cyclesTalk time up to 14 hours on 3G; standby up to 10 days; internet use up to 12 hours on 3G and 13 hours on LTE or Wi-Fi; video playback up to 13 hours; audio playback up to 50 hours; 3.82 V, 6.21 Wh, 1,624 mAh (iFixit)
Wired chargingUp to 50% in around 15 minutes with a 60W-capable USB PD 3.1 adapter with Adjustable Voltage Supply (sold separately)Charging via USB to a computer or power adapter
Wireless chargingMagSafe and Qi2 up to 25W; up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter or higher–
Connectivity
Satellite messagingYes–
Mobile networkApple C2 modem; 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A3717Model A1723: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA; GSM/EDGE; LTE (bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28); TD-LTE (bands 38, 39, 40, 41); VoLTE; Wi-Fi calling
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); dual eSIM supportNano-SIM
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO; Apple N1 wireless networking chipWi-Fi 802.11ac
BluetoothBluetooth 6; ThreadBluetooth 4.2
Ultra WidebandApple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip–
NFCNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserveNFC for Apple Pay
Satellite featuresEmergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite; Find My via satellite–
USBUSB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); video out up to 4K HDRLightning connector; 3.5 mm headphone jack; video mirroring and video out up to 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (sold separately)
PositioningPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC); digital compass; iBeacon micro-locationAssisted GPS and GLONASS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular; iBeacon microlocation
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight249 g113 g
Thickness8.75 mm7.6 mm
Height × width163.4 × 78 mm123.8 × 58.6 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68–
MaterialsAluminium unibody design with colour-matched backBead-blasted aluminium with matte-chamfered edges and a colour-matched stainless steel inset Apple logo
ColoursBlack, Silver, Glacier, BurgundySpace Grey, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
ButtonsAction button; Camera Control; side button; volume up/downTouch ID sensor; volume up/down; ring/silent; on/off, sleep/wake
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529–
BiometricsFace IDTouch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button
SensorsLiDAR Scanner; barometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensorsTouch ID fingerprint sensor; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakers–
MicrophonesFour studio-quality mics; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes–
Software
Operating systemiOSiOS
Software at launchiOS 27iOS 9
Software updatesSecurity, corrective and functionality updates for at least 5 years after it stops being sold (EU product information sheet)–
AI featuresApple Intelligence; Siri AI (beta, English at launch); Visual Intelligence–
Safety featuresCrash Detection–
In the boxiPhone 18 Pro Max, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m); no power adapter–

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