iPhone 18 Pro Max Said to Be Thicker and Heavier Than Predecessor

[MacRumors]

Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max could be noticeably thicker and heavier than its predecessor, suggesting a trade-off behind the device's rumored larger battery.

Chinese leaker Ice Universe today claimed the iPhone 18 Pro Max will measure around 9mm thick and weigh approximately 240 grams. That would make the device around 0.25mm thicker and roughly 7 grams heavier than the current iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The latest claim comes off the back of recent regulatory filings indicating the iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a 5,391mAh battery in China and a 5,567mAh battery in the U.S. – an increase of nearly 500mAh over the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Ice Universe suggested the added thickness and weight are a direct result of the larger battery, but Apple is also said to be adopting a new type of vapor chamber that uses stainless steel, which could also be a contributing factor.

The rumor builds on an earlier claim that Apple's next flagship could become the heaviest iPhone ever. If so, it would have to be heavier than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which also weighed 240 grams, so it may turn out that there are only milligram-level differences between the two.

Apple's use of titanium instead of stainless steel made the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro models. Apple then switched away from titanium to less-dense aluminum for the iPhone 17 Pro models, but internal changes and slightly thicker designs bumped up their weight again.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to launch alongside Apple's first foldable iPhone this September.

Article Link: iPhone 18 Pro Max Said to Be Thicker and Heavier Than Predecessor

 

[MathersMahmood]

Interesting. If it needs to be heavier they wont mind as thats whats the Air is for. Almost rationalising the Airs existence.

 

[Pitogyro]

A quarter of a millimetre thicker and 7 grams heavier is not "noticeably thicker and heavier" by any stretch of the word.

 

[TechRunner]

13 grams heavier than my pocket-brick 16PM. I hope the benefits make up for the extra heft.

 

[ChrisMac47]

Makes my 130gram iPhone 12mini look better and better as each day passes. 🙂

 

[vantelimus]

For the Americans on the website: 0.25mm = 0.00984 in (i.e., less than one one-hundredths of an inch or less than the thickness of three sheets of copy paper), and 7g = 0.247 oz. (i.e. less than the weight of half a tablespoon of water).

 

[Forti]

"We’re removing the headphone jack to make the phone thinner."

🤡

 

[abatabia]

Gotta be sure to sell those cases and accessories that won’t fit the 17PM. I’m waiting for the air 2 myself.

 

[fabianrain]

That sounds way more reasonable than the initial reports stating a 2mm increase in thickness for a single-generation jump.
Won't even notice 0.25mm in thickness as long as the edges on the back stay rounded just like the 17 Pro series. A screen protector is ~0.75mm and I don't mind that either.

 

[Keyser Tomassi]

I love it! Being slightly thicker and heavier while having a meaningfully larger battery capacity and a more capable vapor chamber cooling system is a trade-off that is worth taking.

To this day, my ideal thickness for an iPhone is that of the iPhone 4 and 4S, which was 9.3 mm. I would say I'm okay with Apple progressively increasing the thickness over the next few years - up to a maximum of around 9.9 to 10 mm - as long as we get features that justify that, including:

- Larger camera sensor sizes across the board

- A battery capacity of over 6,000 mAh (assuming Apple does not shift away from lithium-ion technology anytime soon). The extra thickness would be needed to break the 6,000 mAh barrier over the next couple of years using the same technology, and would give Apple enough headroom in the future to perhaps go well above 10,000 mAh once they shift to pure silicon or silicon-carbon batteries.

 

[sc00ba]

And just as easy to damage with that Aluminium frame🙄.

 

[ab2c4]

Samsung and a few other Android phone makers manage to put bigger batteries in their phones and still keep weights reasonably low, why can’t Apple?

 

[fatTribble]

I’m honestly curious where this goes in the coming years.
Adding thickness and weight each year for many years seems to have its limits in terms of usability.

 

[GDF]

Pro’s are already to heavy/bulky. Apple has been going the wrong since the 15 Pro/Max.

 

[Greenmeenie]

I don't mind a thicker & heavier iPhone Pro if it means better cameras & longer battery life. I hope Wpple does the same thing with the iPad Pros. Leave the thinness for the iPhone Airs & iPad Airs.

 

[orbital~debris]

Nute Gunray: This is getting out of hand! Now, there are two of them iPhone Pro Max is even thicker and heavier!
Rune Haako: We should not have made this bargain.

 

[Steve Adams]

The 17 pro/Max are already bricks.

 

[Seanm87]

I want a telephoto lens, and not a brick phone.

Can they get something halfway between an air and a pro?

 

[maverick786us]

After years of using an iPhone Pro Max, device weight doesn't really bother me anymore. Of course, a slimmer and lighter phone is always nice to have, but not if it means compromising on speaker quality, battery life, or overall user experience. I'd rather carry a slightly heavier phone that excels in the areas I use every day than a lighter one that makes too many compromises.

 

[HouseLannister]

 

[syklee26]

Using chinese DRAMs will need more cooling? Tim Cook blames Korean and Taiwanese DRAM price hike as reasons for 30% price jack, and then he turns around and buys cheap DRAMs.

Acting like a nice guy but he really is a sleazy crook. Can't wait until September.

 

[ghostface147]

Well I guess some of y’all need to start hitting the gym to handle the immense increase in grams.

 

[contacos]

Kind of wild when you consider Chinese foldables with a 7,000 battery, pencil support and 3 screens are lighter

 

[The Game 161]

Kind of wild when you consider Chinese foldables with a 7,000 battery, pencil support and 3 screens are lighter

and next year they are bringing out 8000 mah batteries

 

[MN7119]

Wondering if Apple will call this a “new feature”.