Motorola Signature 27 vs iPhone 18 Pro: When the iPhone is Cheaper

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The Motorola Signature 27 has a battery that is 26 to 30 percent larger than the one inside the iPhone 18 Pro Max, at least on paper. It is also lighter, charges faster, and costs about $100 more when you compare the 512GB versions.

Motorola sells the Signature 27 in just one configuration in the US, with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $1,599.99. Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max costs $1,499 with the same storage, while its 256GB version starts at $1,299. Motorola doesn’t sell a 256GB version in the US.

The Signature 27 has a 6.8-inch display, just slightly smaller than the 6.9-inch screen on Apple’s flagship. But there’s more to this comparison than screen size and price, particularly when it comes to battery life, cameras, and software.

The Motorola Signature 27 is the lighter phone

Despite having a larger battery, the Motorola Signature 27 is both thinner and lighter than the iPhone 18 Pro Max. It measures 162.01 x 77.04 x 7.99mm and weighs 227g, compared to Apple’s phone at 163.4 x 78.0 x 8.75mm and 249g. That’s a 22g difference, with Motorola’s phone also being 1.4mm shorter, 1mm narrower, and 0.76mm thinner.

Apple has kept the aluminum unibody design of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, along with Ceramic Shield 2 and an anti-reflective coating protecting the front. The phone carries an IP68 rating and comes in Black, Silver, Glacier, and Burgundy.

Motorola built the Motorola Signature 27 with an aluminum frame and contoured edges. The camera panel combines ceramic with brushed aluminum. Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 covers the front. The phone is rated IP68 and IP69. Motorola says it passed 14 MIL-STD-810H procedures across 16 categories. It comes in Pantone Coal Smoke with a Tactical Weave back. A second color called Pantone Capulet Olive has a brushed textile finish.

The battery gap is real but smaller than it looks

Apple doesn’t publish the battery capacity of its iPhones, but iFixit’s teardown found a 5,567mAh battery inside the US eSIM-only iPhone 18 Pro Max. The version with a physical SIM tray has a slightly smaller 5,391mAh unit.

Motorola, meanwhile, has fitted the Signature 27 with a 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, with a rated capacity of 6,790mAh. Depending on which iPhone version you compare it against, that’s roughly 26 to 30 percent more capacity.

Of course, a bigger battery doesn’t automatically translate into the same increase in battery life. If Apple’s numbers are to be believed, it offers up to 45 hours of video playback. Apple’s chip and software also play a part in keeping power consumption down, so the difference in everyday use may not be as large as the battery capacities suggest.

Charging, however, is the area where the Motorola phone has an advantage on paper. It supports 90W wired and 50W wireless charging, with Motorola claiming 12 minutes of wired charging is enough to provide power for the day. You’ll need to buy the chargers separately.

Cameras

The iPhone 18 Pro Max has three 48MP rear cameras, including a main sensor with a variable aperture. Its six-blade mechanism can move between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4, giving users more control over how much light enters the camera. Apple’s new Pro controls also let you adjust aperture, shutter speed, and white balance manually, with a histogram available in the camera app.

The other two cameras include a 48MP periscope telephoto with 4x optical zoom and 8x optical-quality zoom, along with a 48MP ultrawide camera covering 120 degrees. Digital zoom goes up to 40x. Around the front, Apple has an 18MP Center Stage camera with a square sensor.

Motorola’s main camera is a 50MP Sony LYTIA L910 sensor with an f/1.6 lens and LOFIC technology. The company says LOFIC helps preserve details in both bright and dark areas of the same image. There’s also a 200MP periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Super Zoom Pro can reach 100x, although its generative AI sharpening plays a part at higher zoom levels.

The remaining cameras include a 50MP ultrawide with a 122-degree field of view and a 50MP front camera. Motorola has also included a dedicated EVS Action Sensor for capturing fast-moving subjects in low-light conditions.

The screens are close in size

The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a 6.9-inch LTPO OLED display with a resolution of 2,868 x 1,320 pixels, giving it a pixel density of 460ppi. Its refresh rate ranges from 1Hz to 120Hz, while brightness reaches 1,000 nits in typical use, 1,600 nits for HDR content and up to 3,000 nits outdoors.

The display also supports Dolby Vision. Apple has made the Dynamic Island smaller this year, and it can now show up to three Live Activities at once.

Motorola’s Signature 27 has a slightly smaller 6.8-inch tandem OLED panel with a resolution of around 1.5K. Display databases list it at 1,264 x 2,780 pixels, while Android Headlines reports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

The bigger claim comes from brightness. Motorola advertises peak brightness of up to 12,000 nits, which is four times Apple’s quoted outdoor peak. However, Motorola measured that figure in specific lab scenarios, so it isn’t directly comparable with Apple’s number. Independent measurements will give us a better idea of how the two displays compare in everyday use.

Both chips are on 2nm

Apple’s A20 Pro is built on a 2nm process and has a six-core CPU. The company says its two super cores are 20% faster than the previous generation. There’s also a seven-core GPU and a dual Neural Engine with 32 cores for AI-related tasks. The phone comes with 12GB of RAM.

Motorola has gone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, which is also manufactured using a 2nm process. Its prime CPU cores can reach 5.01GHz, with Qualcomm claiming a 13% CPU improvement and a 44% GPU improvement over the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

Both companies have plenty to say about their latest processors, but everyday tasks probably won’t reveal much of a difference. Gaming and on-device AI workloads are more likely to show where one chip has an advantage. We’ll have to wait for benchmarks from retail Motorola units before making that call.

iOS 27 or Android 17 is half the decision

Hardware is only part of the comparison, and the software experience could be just as important when choosing between any phone.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max ships with iOS 27 and Siri AI, bringing new camera and photo features along with it. Siri Mode in the camera app is one addition, while Spatial Reframing and the Extend and Clean Up tools are available in Photos.

The phone also works closely with Apple’s other products. Pairing it with an Apple Watch, AirPods, or a Mac is straightforward, and existing iMessage conversations and paid iPhone apps can make switching to Android less appealing.

Motorola ships the Signature 27 with Android 17, along with Gemini Intelligence and Motorola Qira. The latter helps users find and recall information across their apps, although it requires a Motorola or Lenovo account and at least 12GB of RAM. Android Headlines also lists GrapheneOS support.

Another addition is audio by Bang & Olufsen. The company has also promised seven OS upgrades and up to seven years of security updates.

What each phone costs

Storage	iPhone 18 Pro Max	Motorola Signature 27
256GB	$1,299	Not sold in the US
512GB	$1,499	$1,599.99
1TB	$1,899	Not sold in the US
2TB	$2,499	Not sold in the US

Apple raised the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro Max by $100 compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with even larger increases for the 1TB and 2TB versions.

Motorola, on the other hand, has kept things simple with a single unlocked configuration in the US. The phone is available through Motorola.com, Amazon, and Best Buy, although no carrier has confirmed plans to sell it in stores. Apple sells the iPhone through its own stores and carrier partners.

At 512GB, the Signature 27 costs around $100 more than Apple’s phone. But someone looking for the entry-level version can get the iPhone for $300 less than Motorola’s only US configuration. In the UK, the Signature 27 starts at £1,299.

Who should buy which

The iPhone 18 Pro Max makes more sense if you want to spend less, particularly if 256GB of storage is enough. It has a slightly larger and sharper display, more manual camera controls, and Apple’s familiar ecosystem. It’s also the easier choice if you already own an Apple Watch, Mac, or other Apple devices.

The Motorola Signature 27 is a better option if battery capacity, charging speed, and weight matter more to you. It packs a considerably larger battery into a lighter body, supports faster wired and wireless charging, and comes with a seven-year software update promise. Its 200MP periscope camera and 50MP selfie camera also give it some interesting hardware advantages. You’ll pay $1,599.99 for the only US configuration, though.