iPhone 18 Pro Max: 9 Core Upgrades, Is It a Real Flagship?

Every time Apple releases a new flagship, the debate between "incremental upgrade" and "real generation change" never stops, and the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max in 2026 is no exception.

According to supply chain leaks, Apple's official technology roadmap and analysis by professional media (Bloomberg Mark Gurman, 9to5Mac), this new machine will bring 9 core upgrades, covering performance, imaging, battery life, interaction and other dimensions, completely breaking the "incremental upgrade" doubt.

In terms of performance, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is equipped with the TSMC 2nm process A19 Bionic chip, the CPU adopts a 1+3+4 architecture, the super large core frequency reaches 3.5GHz, and the performance is 40% higher than that of the A18 Pro; the GPU is upgraded to the 7th generation, supporting hardware-level ray tracing, and the game performance is increased by 50%; the NPU computing power reaches 30TOPS, and the AI processing capability is greatly enhanced.

In the Geekbench 6 test, the single-core score exceeds 3000 points, and the multi-core score exceeds 10000 points, far surpassing the Android flagships of the same period.

The imaging system has been fully upgraded, adopting a four-camera combination of "super variable aperture main camera + periscope telephoto + ultra-wide angle + macro".

The 48-megapixel super variable aperture main camera supports f/1.4-f/4.0 variable aperture, and the low-light shooting capability is increased by 40%; the 64-megapixel periscope telephoto supports 5x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom, with clear and noise-free image quality; new ProRes video shooting and AI computational photography functions are added, supporting 8K 60fps video recording, allowing ordinary users to shoot professional-level works.

In terms of the screen, it adopts a 6.9-inch OLED panel with a resolution of 3200×1440, the peak brightness is increased to 3000 nits, the visibility in sunlight is increased by 50%, and it also supports 120Hz ProMotion adaptive refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate.

A new low-blue light mode and dynamic dimming are added, making it more comfortable for long-term use.

In addition, the new machine adopts an aviation-grade titanium alloy body, which weighs 220g, 15g lighter than the previous generation, balancing IP68 waterproof and dustproof and thin and light feel; Face ID is upgraded to version 3.0, the unlocking speed is increased by 30%, and it can be unlocked quickly even when wearing a mask; it supports satellite communication and UWB technology, can send emergency text messages in signal-free areas, and device interconnection is more accurate. In terms of price, the starting price is the same as that of the previous generation (about 8599 RMB), but the configuration is greatly improved, and the cost performance is significantly improved.

For heavy users, professional creators and Apple ecosystem fans, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is definitely worth looking forward to.