Recent leaks suggest that Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max could be the heaviest iPhone to date, potentially weighing over 240 grams. This increase in weight is reportedly due to a larger battery and a thicker design.
According to information from Weibo leaker ‘Fixed Focus Digital,’ the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to be approximately 2mm thicker than its predecessor, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which measures 8.75mm in thickness. This would bring the new model’s thickness to around 10.75mm.
Battery capacity is also anticipated to see a significant boost. Reports indicate that the eSIM model of the iPhone 18 Pro Max could feature a 5,425mAh battery, while the version with a physical SIM tray might have a 5,235mAh battery. These figures represent a notable increase from the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which housed 5,088mAh and 4,823mAh batteries for the eSIM and physical SIM models, respectively.
Another leaker, ‘Ice Universe,’ has corroborated these claims, stating that the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s 5,500mAh battery will result in a device weighing 240 grams and featuring a 9mm-thick chassis. This would make it one of the heaviest iPhones in recent years, matching the weight of the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max, both of which also weighed 240 grams.
Apple’s choice of materials has influenced the weight of its devices in the past. The iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max utilized stainless steel, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max transitioned to titanium, resulting in lighter devices. The iPhone 17 Pro Max switched to aluminum, and current rumors suggest that Apple will continue using aluminum for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Therefore, the anticipated weight increase is likely due to internal changes, such as the larger battery and thicker design.
As Apple continues to enhance the performance and battery life of its devices, the trade-off appears to be an increase in size and weight. Consumers will need to consider whether the benefits of a larger battery and potentially longer usage time outweigh the drawbacks of a heavier and thicker device.
