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Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone XS

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone 18 Pro MaxAppleiPhone XS
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2026September 2018
Display
Screen size6.9″5.8″
Resolution2868 × 13202436 × 1125
Sharpness458 pixels per inch463 pixels per inch
PanelLTPO OLEDOLED
Refresh rate120 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness3,000 nits625 nits
Display typeSuper Retina XDR OLED display with a smaller Dynamic Island (up to three Live Activities)Super Retina HD display; 5.8-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED Multi-Touch display with rounded corners; 5.85 inches measured as a standard rectangle
Pixel density460 ppi458 ppi
Brightness detail1,000 nits max (typical); 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 1 nit minimum625 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 coatingHDR display; True Tone; wide colour display (P3); 3D Touch; 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
Performance
ChipA20 ProA12 Bionic
Memory12 GB4 GB
Storage256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB64 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
CPU6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores; 2-nanometre processSix-core (2x 2.5 GHz Vortex + 4x 1.6 GHz Tempest) (GSMArena); 4 GB of Micron LPDDR4X RAM (iFixit)
GPU7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracingApple-designed four-core GPU (GSMArena)
AI engineDual 16-core Neural EngineNext-generation Neural Engine (8-core)
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 MP12 MP
Optical zoom4×2×
Front camera18 MP7 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 photos12MP wide-angle, ƒ/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilisation, six-element lens, quad-LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync
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 photos12MP telephoto, ƒ/2.4 aperture, optical image stabilisation, 2x optical zoom
Front camera18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus Pixels7MP TrueDepth camera, ƒ/2.2 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 40x2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 10x (photos) and 6x (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 24, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 30 or 60 fps; 720p at 30 fps; extended dynamic range up to 30 fps; optical image stabilisation for video; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; stereo recording
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 fps1080p HD at 30 or 60 fps; extended dynamic range at 30 fps
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 ControlSmart HDR; Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control; Portrait Lighting with five effects; Animoji and Memoji; Live Photos; panorama (up to 63MP); HEIF and JPEG
Battery and charging
Battery5,391 mAh2,659 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 43 hoursUp to 14 hours
Wireless chargingUp to 25 WYes (wattage not published)
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 cyclesLasts up to 30 minutes longer than iPhone X; talk time up to 20 hours; internet use up to 12 hours; wireless video playback up to 14 hours; wireless audio playback up to 60 hours; 3.81 V, 10.13 Wh, 2,659 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)Up to 50% in 30 minutes with an 18W adapter or higher (available separately)
Wireless chargingMagSafe and Qi2 up to 25W; up to 50% in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter or higherWorks with Qi chargers
Connectivity
Satellite messagingYes–
Mobile networkApple C2 modem; 5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A3717Gigabit-class LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA; model A1920: FDD-LTE (bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71), TD-LTE (bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46); VoLTE; Wi-Fi calling
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); dual eSIM supportDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO; Apple N1 wireless networking chipWi-Fi 802.11ac with 2x2 MIMO
BluetoothBluetooth 6; ThreadBluetooth 5.0
Ultra WidebandApple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip–
NFCNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserveNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserve
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; 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, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular; iBeacon microlocation
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight249 g177 g
Thickness8.75 mm7.7 mm
Height × width163.4 × 78 mm143.6 × 70.9 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68IP68
MaterialsAluminium unibody design with colour-matched backGlass front and back with a surgical-grade stainless steel band
ColoursBlack, Silver, Glacier, BurgundyGold, Space Grey, Silver
ButtonsAction button; Camera Control; side button; volume up/downVolume up/down; ring/silent; side button
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529IP68 (maximum depth of 2 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
BiometricsFace IDFace ID, enabled by the TrueDepth camera
SensorsLiDAR Scanner; barometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensorsFace ID; barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakersWider stereo playback
MicrophonesFour studio-quality mics; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes–
Software
Operating systemiOSiOS
Software at launchiOS 27iOS 12
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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