- 0-20%: Unlikely - Lacks credible sources
- 21-40%: Questionable - Some concerns remain
- 41-60%: Plausible - Reasonable evidence
- 61-80%: Probable - Strong evidence
- 81-100%: Highly Likely - Multiple reliable sources
55%
Plausible
Apple will introduce one of the biggest battery upgrades to the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but in the world of consumer electronics, if you’re getting something, then you’re giving up something in return. According to the latest rumor, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s successor will weigh as much as the Cupertino firm’s older-generation models with a stainless steel frame, but you might very well ignore the heft when you learn the kind of battery life you might experience.
At 240 grams, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will weigh as much as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple’s last flagship to ship with stainless steel before moving to titanium alloy
If the iPhone 18 Pro Max can last as long as Android flagships equipped with a 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, then Ice Universe’s latest claim concerning its weight can be ignored by those who value ‘screen on’ time over bulkiness. The tipster previously stated that the eSIM version will ship with a 5,567mAh cell, making it the highest capacity that Apple has ever incorporated in its smartphones and surpassing the 5,000mAh battery powering the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s innards.
| iPhone's weight, material and battery capacity | iPhone 14 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max | iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material | Stainless steel | Titanium alloy | Titanium alloy | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Weight | 240 grams | 221 grams | 227 grams | 233 grams | 240 grams (rumored) |
| Battery capacity | 4,323mAh | 4,441mAh | 4,685mAh | 4,823mAh (non-eSIM version) 5,088mAh (eSIM version) | 5,567mAh (eSIM version) 5,391mAh (non-eSIM version) |
Unfortunately, this upgrade will come at the cost of the iPhone 18 Pro Max being not just thicker at close to 9mm, but also weighing 240 grams. If you look at the table above, the last time an iPhone weighed this much was in 2022, when the iPhone 14 Pro Max launched. Since then, Apple has been really careful about the mass of its devices, even switching over to titanium alloy to shed several grams. Now that aluminum is being adopted again for improved heat dissipation, the company cannot compromise on weight.
The only way for Apple to increase an iPhone’s battery capacity while maintaining an adequate amount of thickness and weight is if it transitions to silicon-carbon technology, but we don’t see this adoption for at least another couple of years. Furthermore, the inclusion of the A20 Pro and iOS 27’s improved CPU scheduler will likely aid the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s runtime, meaning that critics could potentially be blown away by what’s arriving later this year.
News Source: Ice Universe
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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