After three years, iPhone 15 Pro Max owners are likely to consider upgrading to the newest version. Here's how the iPhone 18 Pro Max fares against its 2023 counterpart.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is Apple's latest premium model of smartphone, if you ignore the iPhone Duo. As the top of the line in many respects, it's what consumers wanting the ultimate iPhone will get, especially if they value photography and videography. However, it's also three years after the introduction of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which made major changes to the camera setup.

Three years is about the time smartphone owners will consider upgrading to a newer model. That means iPhone 15 Pro Max users will be having a good, long look at the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Here's how the two models compare, and if a three-year upgrade is worth it.

Key specifications show the iPhone 18 Pro Max starting at $1,299 versus $1,199 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The newer model measures 3.07 x 6.43 inches at 8.75mm thick and weighs 8.78 ounces, compared to 3.02 x 6.29 inches at 8.25mm thick and 7.81 ounces for the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Display improvements include a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR with 3,000 nits max brightness versus 6.7-inch with 2,000 nits on the 15 Pro Max.

Camera upgrades feature a 48MP Fusion Main with variable aperture, 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, and 48MP Telephoto with 8x optical-quality zoom on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, compared to 48MP Main, 12MP Ultra Wide, and 12MP Telephoto with 5x optical zoom on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Battery life extends to up to 45 hours video playback on the iPhone 18 Pro Max versus 29 hours on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.