Apple’s latest Pro Max model introduces a fresh selection of colours alongside updates to its camera, design and performance. After spending a day with the newly launched iPhone 18 Pro Max, here’s a closer look at its design, camera features, performance and everyday experience. From the iPhone 18 Pro Max camera reframe feature to its latest colour options, we take a quick look at what stands out. If you’re deciding which iPhone 18 Pro Max colour to get or want to know more about its camera upgrades, here’s a concise summary of our initial impressions and key features.
The top-end iPhone 18 Pro Max in the 2 TB version comes at a hefty price tag of Rs 3.32 lakh, taking it far beyond the aspirational segment, into an outright luxury accessory. This will, undoubtedly, be the phone spotted in the palms of celebrities, sportsmen and HNIs this year. For our Robb Report India readers, this is, undoubtedly, the tech splurge of the month (till an even pricier iPhone Duo launches in October).
If you are looking for cosmetic or design changes, you might be disappointed. The iPhone 18 Pro Max retains the design of its predecessor, and everything that’s new is on the inside with the hyper-performative A20 chip and other features. The Cupertino tech giant effectively banks strongly on the tactile experience of holding a device, and this one, with its smooth matte texture, minimalistic silhouette, and gentle curves, makes holding the device particularly satisfying.
Much to the delight of photographers and content creators, the iPhone 18 Pro Max comes with a variable aperture on the 48MP Fusion Main camera, giving you even more control over the content as you shoot. Apple claims that this is the most advanced camera on an iPhone, allowing you to control depth of field and lighting as you shoot. The photo screen now comes with a toggle to adjust your aperture. This is a cool feature that I did experiment with, especially in low-light settings - I photographed a string of lights, with the aperture set to f/4.0, which results in a beautiful starburst effect.
There are certain enhancements to the video capabilities as well. I shoot a lot of cinematic videos, and this new camera lets me add cinematic effects even after I have shot a normal video.
While Apple announced this feature a couple of months ago, it comes built into this phone. Point and shoot a portrait and then use the Reframe trick to reorient the picture, almost like you are moving the camera angle - after the photo is shot.
Apple’s artificial intelligence game shines through in the new models with Siri AI (AI for Apple and not artificial intelligence, in case you were wondering) and a bunch of updates come through. Siri AI is the ubiquitous Siri’s new avatar, which proactively engages with the user and securely dives into other phone apps to give results, like, say, pulling out photos or a chat from WhatsApp or iMessage. The Siri mode in the camera works as an active search engine for what’s in front of me, akin to uploading an image to ChatGPT.
When shooting images in Reference mode, the phone stores a non-modifiable photo, a digital negative of sorts. You can compare an edited or modified image alongside the original reference image to gauge any changes or AI touch-ups. This feature is particularly fascinating.
All eyes are on the burgundy - yes, for novelty’s sake, it really is a stunning, rich shade, reminding me of a glass of the famous wine by the same name. But this colour option could be a fingerprint magnet from what I observe. Opt for the burgundy if you want to change things around a bit, but my personal favourite is the black with its stark monolithic appeal, or even the new delicious Glacier colour.