iPhone 18 Pro Max's larger battery reportedly comes at a cost

The iPhone 18 Pro series might also get a stainless steel vapor chamber for better cooling.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are Apple's newest flagships, set to be unveiled in September this year. The devices are expected to get a slew of upgrades, including larger batteries. However, fitting a larger battery into the iPhone 18 Pro Max's body reportedly comes at a cost.

This week, a 3C certification leaked by a Chinese tipster revealed the alleged battery capacities of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Accordingly, the iPhone 18 Pro Max for the U.S. market is listed with a 5567mAh battery, which is quite a notable bump compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max's 5088mAh battery.

Now, Ice Universe on Weibo claims that the iPhone 18 Pro Max's larger battery could increase the device's weight and thickness. The leaker says the iPhone 18 Pro Max will weigh 240 grams and be 9mm thick. In comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro Max weighed 233 grams and measured 8.75mm thick.

The drop-test video leaked after the Tata Electronics data breach gave us a first look at the thickness of the iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max. In that video, the device appeared to be noticeably thicker than its predecessor.

At 240 grams and 9mm thick, the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be on par with the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max in terms of weight. It will also be the thickest iPhone Apple has introduced since the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S (9.3mm).

So far, the larger battery appears to be the main reason for the increase in the thickness and weight of the iPhone 18 Pro models. However, a previous report by Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station suggested that Apple plans to use a stainless steel vapor chamber cooling system in the iPhone 18 Pro series, which might also make the devices thicker and heavier.

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Posted Friday 10 July 2026 at 8:08 am AEST (my time).

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