iPhone 18 Pro Max Hits 18:27 Battery Life as OnePlus 15 Leads at 25:13

Q: With the radical iPhone Duo looming, is buying the iterative iPhone 18 Pro actually a massive mistake for upgraders?

No — for most upgraders, buying the iPhone 18 Pro is not a massive mistake, but it is only clearly smart for a specific kind of buyer. The evidence across reviews points to an “S-year” device: familiar design, same screen sizes, and modest visible changes beyond the smaller Dynamic Island and new finishes. The real gains are in the camera, battery life, and chip. The variable-aperture main camera, added manual controls, and Apple Reference Image are meaningful if you care about photography, video, or image authenticity. The A20 Pro also appears to deliver a notable efficiency and performance jump, and battery life is one of the strongest positives, especially on the Pro Max. That said, the case for upgrading depends heavily on what you own now. If you have an iPhone 17 Pro, or even a 16 Pro that still performs well, the higher starting price — $1,199 for the Pro and $1,299 for the Pro Max — makes this a harder sell unless you specifically want the new camera controls, better endurance, or top-tier performance. Siri AI is not yet a decisive reason to buy because it remains inconsistent, region-limited, and in some cases tied to rollout constraints. The looming iPhone Duo changes the psychology, not necessarily the math. At $1,999, it is far more expensive, unproven as a first-generation foldable, and not shipping yet. Buyers who want Apple’s safest, best-developed flagship phone today are still better served by the 18 Pro. Buyers mainly tempted by novelty should wait.

3 articles · Updated · Tom's Guide · Sep 16

Tom’s Guide measured 18 hours 27 minutes for the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 16 hours 17 minutes for the iPhone 18 Pro in its web-browsing battery drain test.
Those results mark only modest annual gains despite Apple’s A20 Pro efficiency push: the Pro Max lasted 33 minutes longer than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, while the Pro added 56 minutes over its predecessor.
Against Android rivals, the Pro Max beat the Galaxy S26 Ultra by 1 hour 47 minutes and the Pixel 11 Pro XL by nearly 4 hours, while the smaller Pro trailed Samsung’s flagship by just 23 minutes.
OnePlus 15 still dominated the field at 25 hours 13 minutes—more than 6.5 hours ahead of the iPhone 18 Pro Max—helped by a 7,300 mAh silicon-carbon battery.
The test suggests Apple’s latest Pro phones improve endurance but still lag the battery-life ceiling Android makers are reaching with newer battery chemistry.