iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max, and which colour: what the four finishes and the $100 gap get youiPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max, and which colour: what the four finishes and the $100 gap get you

Apple sells the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the same four colours, Black, Silver, Glacier and Burgundy, and in the same four storage sizes.

Both models use an aluminium unibody with Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and back, according to Apple's specifications page. No colour is exclusive to either size. Glacier is a pale blue and Burgundy a dark wine shade; Black returns after a year away and replaces last year's Deep Blue, while Burgundy takes the place of the iPhone 17 Pro's Cosmic Orange as the year's bold option.

What do they cost?

US prices from Apple's online store on 1 October 2026, unlocked, before tax:

At every tier the Pro Max is $100 more. Prices outside the US differ and are not covered here.

What does the extra $100 buy?

The larger 6.9-inch display and the larger battery that comes with the bigger body. Reviewers in our round-up of iPhone 18 Pro Max camera reviews tested the same camera system that the smaller Pro carries.

There is one difference Apple does not advertise. In the US the Pro Max uses a Qualcomm modem, while the Pro and the rest of the line use Apple's own C2. Apple's specification page names the C2 for the Pro and no modem at all for the Pro Max. Some AT&T customers with a Pro Max have reported calls and data failing, and AT&T has told them to update; nobody has shown the modem is the cause.

Which colour should you choose?

Most people will put the phone in a case, and the frame and the camera surround are what show. Black and Silver are the safe resale choices. Glacier is the subtle colour that still reads as new. Burgundy is the one that will date the phone to 2026, which is a reason to buy it or to avoid it depending on how long you keep a phone.

Our verdict

APPDOOK's view is that the size decides this, not the colour and not the $100. Anyone who reads, watches video or plays on the phone for hours should take the Pro Max for the screen and battery. Anyone who cares about one-handed use should take the Pro, which loses nothing in camera or chip.

On storage, 256GB is enough for most owners who use iCloud Photos. The 2TB tier costs $1,200 more than the base model, which is hard to justify for anyone not recording ProRes video to the phone itself. And for a US buyer on AT&T who has not yet ordered, waiting for an explanation of the Pro Max reports costs nothing, since the Pro is available in every colour today.