Apple launching the iPhone Air does not mean the company is changing its ways. After what happened with the iPhone 6 Plus, they decided never to let thin designs get in the way of durability or functionality. And that principle has worked in Apple’s favor for years. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is probably built on the same logic.
Apple intends to make the iPhone 18 Pro Max even thicker. The news came from Ice Universe, so there’s probably a credible source behind it. His Weibo post says the newcomer could be 8.8mm thick this year. The design is updated from an already bulky 8.75mm iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The difference isn’t huge, but Apple’s going against the tide. The rest of the industry is pushing for thinner and thinner devices each year. The leak came up right after another tipster exposed the exact weight of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. It’s 240 grams, heavier than the 233g iPhone 17 Pro Max. Based on the latest reports and available listings as of March 2026, here are the latest iPhone prices for the new Apple iPhone 17 series.
There’s a reason why this newcomer is thicker and heavier, and most of you probably wouldn’t mind the trade-off. There’s a new battery with more capacity on the 18 Pro Max. The version we have right now is 5,088 mAh on the iPhone 17 Pro Max eSIM model.
The new capacity could be 5,200 mAh. That doesn’t seem to be a huge upgrade. But a few milliamperes usually translate to hours of screen time at the flagship level. They redid the designs for the current generation, so not a lot will change in 2026, appearance-wise.
The leak about a smaller Dynamic Island on the iPhone has become a distant dream. The reports say Apple has no intention to change the iPhone Pro designs in 2026 whatsoever. They’d rather have better hardware in the Pro class.
That’s also the case with the iOS 27 update, which is meant for stability and performance fixes. It won’t be a huge visual overhaul. This update will make Apple Intelligence and Siri more usable and competent. It’s obvious that most of the changes will be internal, which is a good thing. We’ll get some upgrades for largely the same prices.