iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Which upcoming iPhone is right for you?

This year's Apple September Event is going to be a little different, in that there are only three new iPhones being released. But those three newbies are all premium devices, and that makes deciding between them a much trickier endeavor. With no standard iPhone 18 on the horizon, it's not just a case of picking between the regular and one of two sizes of Pro.

Prospective iPhone users that know they don't want to wait until iPhone 18's early 2027 launch need to decide whether they should stick with a Pro or go Ultra. But what exactly is different between all these new iPhones? Various leaks and rumors show that it's not quite as simple as spotting that one of them folds and the other two don't.

Here's what we know about iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra, and what the differences between all three upcoming iPhones are.

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Rumored Specs

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Price & Availability

Price will be a major sticking point with the next wave of iPhones, due to the fact they're likely to be pretty expensive. iPhones have never been cheap, but the ongoing issues with RAMageddon and skyrocketing memory and storage prices means prices are almost certainly going to be higher than in the past.

Analysts have predicted that the iPhone 18 Pro Max could be as much as $200 more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and if that rings true we could see the starting price rise to $1,399. Even if the price hike isn't that high, I'd be surprised if Apple didn't tack on an extra $100 to both iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. In that instance both phones would start at $1,199 and $1,299, respectively.

iPhone Ultra is expected to be considerably more expensive than a non-folding iPhone, with rumors suggesting we could see a starting price somewhere around $2,400 and $2,500. While we don't have other foldable iPhones to compare this to, that would make the iPhone Ultra the most expensive foldable phone on the market — a title currently held by the $2,099 Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

As for availability, we don't expect any significant changes for the iPhone 18 Pros. Apple is a creature of habit, and pre-orders for new numbered iPhones typically begin the same week as the launch event. With the event expected to happen on September 9, that would normally put pre-order day down for Friday September 11. Though it's suspected that Apple will want to avoid the anniversary of 9/11 and open pre-orders a day later on September 12. The actual release day will likely be a the end of the following week, on September 18.

Things aren't quite so simple with the iPhone Ultra, due to various reports that Apple is struggling to produce enough units. No two sources seem to be able to agree on when the phone will actually release, with some saying it'll happen at the same time as iPhone 18 Pro, and others claiming it'll be much later in the year.

One recent report also suggested that a global launch is out of the question for the time being, since Apple may stagger the release schedule in different regions — starting with the U.S. The one thing there does seem to be consensus on is the fact that supply is likely to be limited. But with a price tag that high, it isn't likely that people will be rushing out to buy one.

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Design & Display

We're not expecting any significant design changes for the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max, which means the two phones will probably look pretty similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max at first glance. In other words we should expect to see the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, alongside the raised camera bar Apple refers to as the "forged plateau."

It's unclear if Apple will do anything to fix the durability issues that affected the iPhone 17 Pro series. Since the phones were made of anodized aluminum, rather than stronger metals like steel or titanium, there were many reports of chips and scuffs on the exterior of the phone.

Multiple Tom's Guide employees were affected by "scratchgate," as it was known, to varying degrees as well. We haven't heard rumors about this yet, though, so I wouldn't expect anything more than token changes to the exterior metal.

That said, we have heard rumors that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be thicker and the heaviest iPhone Apple has ever made, clocking in at 240g/8.47oz. It's not clear why, but it's possible that a switch to stronger and heavier materials could account for some of the extra weight — alongside changes like larger batteries.

The iPhone Ultra, on the other hand, is shaping up to be unlike any iPhone we've seen before. Dummy units show a phone that is shorter and wider than a typical iPhone, and that's just the 5.4-inch cover display. The phone will unfold to reveal a 7.8-inch cover foldable display, which is a similar size and shape to the iPad mini 7.

In contrast to the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the Ultra is expected to be ultra-thin and lightweight, with around 4.5mm of thickness when unfolded. That's thinner than the iPhone Air, which already felt like it was impossibly thin. However reports suggest it may weigh a similar amount as the Pro Max, which makes sense when you remember that this is effectively two phones in one.

Apple has apparently focussed on the durability of the Ultra, with an iPhone Air-style body made from titanium. Also rumored is a liquid metal hinge, a structural glass mid-frame and ultra-thin display glass for extra support on the foldable screen. This will also apparently have the added bonus of eliminating the display crease, though we've yet to see whether it's actually invisible or not.

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Performance

The iPhone Ultra may bear the Ultra moniker, but its performance may not be at the same level. Rumor has it that the foldable may come with an A20 chipset, compared to the A20 Pro on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. However, it will still reportedly still be built on TSMC's 2nm process, which is expected to offer a 15% improvement in speed and 20% boost to efficiency.

The A20 Pro is also expected to be built on the 2nm process, though we don't know as much about the kind of improvements this chip will offer. If past experience tells us anything, we should expect even stronger computing and graphical performance compared to the standard A20 chip. However, we won't know by how much until we actually benchmark all three phones and compare.

We should expect all three to come with 12GB of RAM, which is currently the minimum needed to power some of the more intensive Siri AI features that launched with iOS 27 — including the new dictation and expressive voices.

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Cameras

We're not expecting any major changes with the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max's cameras this year, which means we're likely to see the same trio of 48MP lenses covering the duties of primary, ultrawide and telephoto photography — plus an 18MP Center Stage selfie camera.

However there are still some changes rumored, including the inclusion of variable aperture, and an adjustment to the Camera Control button. Variable aperture would allow iPhone users to adjust the amount of light that enters the camera lens on the fly. It's a feature that we've seen on other cameras, but it would be a first for iPhones — though some rumors suggest that this may be exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

Various rumors have discussed the possible changes to Camera Control, including tweaking its capacitive capabilities and ditching the current design in favor of a mechanical button. Whether any of those predictions will come true or not isn't clear right now, but it's unlikely that any of those changes will affect the iPhone Ultra as much as they do the iPhone 18 Pro.

The main thing to note about the iPhone Ultra is that it only has two main cameras, which are expected to be 48MP main and ultrawide lenses. The lack of a dedicated telephoto lens is expected to be a point of contention among the die-hard iPhone fans likely to buy this device. Apple does offer limited "optical quality" digital zooming, but that's never going to replace the quality of a standalone zooming lens. Especially not with a 48MP main camera.

We're expecting to see two selfie cameras, both offering 24MP, but it's unclear whether they will utilize a hole-punch design or if they will be hidden under the display. My gut says the former, but renders and dummy units haven't been particularly forthcoming on this point. Don't expect to see Face ID, though, since reports claim Apple is ditching Face ID in favor of a Touch ID fingerprint sensor in the power button.

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Battery

Battery size has never been high on Apple's list of priorities, but that hasn't stopped the company offering some of the best phone battery life in recent years. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max may take that a little further, by offering even larger batteries than we've seen before: 4,288 mAh and 5,321 mAh respectively.

Admittedly that's a pretty minor increase for the 18 Pro, but it's still a small improvement in overall capacity. Combined with the extra efficiency of the A20 Pro chipset, and inherent optimization between every aspect of iPhone's Apple-made software and hardware we're expecting to see a noticeable boost in battery life.

Those factors will also likely aid the iPhone Ultra, though the larger internal screen will likely eat up more battery life than you'd expect from a non-folding model. That's true of Samsung foldables anyway, with the 5,000 mAh Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra lasting a few hours less than a similar 5,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Reports have suggested we'll see a 4,833 mAh battery, which sits in the middle of the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max's rumored battery packs. Though we'll have to wait and see how that might translate into real-world battery life.

Expect all three phones to come with MagSafe wireless charging, as well as varying degrees of fast wired charging — though since Apple is also pretty secretive about charging speeds we may have to wait before we can figure out just how fast each model is.

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Software

Software is one of the few things that iPhone users don't need to worry about, since the general experience is the same regardless of which kind of phone you use. Often there are exclusive features to the Pro models, though that typically only affects the people who would want to buy the non Pro models like iPhone 18 or iPhone Air 2. I don't see Apple restricting the iPhone Ultra from accessing any premium features without a very good reason.

The software on the iPhone Ultra is going to have to be very different, on account of it essentially being an iPhone and iPad rolled into a single device. This isn't likely to affect the kind of features that are on offer, but it does mean iPhone Ultra's software is going to have to ensure apps can adapt to both screens — and transition whatever you're doing when you switch to a different display.

Likewise it would be a missed opportunity if Apple didn't offer some kind of multitasking capabilities that weren't available (or not as useful) on regular iPhones. Sadly we haven't heard anything about that, so it remains a mystery as to how iPhone Ultra will let users have multiple app windows open at once.

iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 18 Pro Max vs iPhone Ultra: Outtlook

The differences between iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are likely to be (mostly) superficial and based around the differing sizes of both phones. However, the fact that variable aperture may be exclusive to the Pro Max means there may be some things further differentiating the two devices.

However the iPhone Ultra is set to be unlike any other device Apple has produced so far, which throws a wrench into the usual decision-making process. The fact we've never seen a foldable iPhone before means it's difficult to get an idea of what to expect — and how the Ultra will differ from other foldables already on sale.

Choosing between them all is not quite a matter of ticking off the right boxes and seeing which phone fits your needs the best. You're signing up for a very different iPhone experience than most people are used to. It's also worth considering that the Ultra has been nerfed in some key areas, but the benefit of having a larger and more productive screen could help make up for it.

Then again, if you can't justify spending over $2,000 on a brand new smartphone, the point might be totally moot.

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