There’s a lot of excitement building around the iPhone 18 series, especially with fresh rumors about meaningful battery life improvements on the Pro Max.
A new leak shared on Weibo suggests the iPhone 18 Pro Max will come with bigger batteries, and the size will vary slightly depending on the region. The European/global version (which still has a physical nano-SIM slot) is rumored to get a 5,235 mAh battery, which is an increase of about 412 mAh (roughly 8.5%) over the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The US variant, which is expected to go fully eSIM-only, could jump to 5,425 mAh from 5,088 mAh (around a 6.6% boost).
For some context, here’s how the rumored iPhone 18 Pro series batteries compare to the previous generation:
- iPhone 17 Pro: 3,998 mAh (EU) | 4,252 mAh (US)
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: 4,823 mAh (EU) | 5,088 mAh (US)
- iPhone 18 Pro: 4,056 mAh (EU) | 4,288 mAh (US)
- iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5,235 mAh (EU) | 5,425 mAh (US)
These numbers line up with an earlier leak from tipster Digital Chat Station, who had already hinted that the Pro Max would finally cross the 5,000 mAh mark. The physical SIM tray in certain regions still takes up space, which explains why the battery sizes differ by market.
Samsung’s current Galaxy S26 Ultra matches the iPhone 17 Pro Max in battery capacity on paper, but it usually delivers slightly shorter real-world endurance. The upcoming S27 Ultra is rumored to get a bump to 5,500mAh, which would be the first battery upgrade on the Ultra model since the Galaxy S20 Ultra back in 2020.
That said, the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s rumored 5,425 mAh (eSIM version) makes direct comparisons very interesting, especially given Apple’s strong hardware-software optimization.
On the other hand, Chinese brands have already made 7,500mAh batteries fairly common in their flagships. Phones like the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, Oppo Find X9 Pro, and OnePlus 15 have been outperforming both the latest iPhones and Galaxies in battery tests.
It’ll be fascinating to see how the iPhone 18 Pro Max, with its bigger battery and the new 2nm A20 Pro chip, stacks up against competitors from South Korea and China. The iPhone 18 series is expected to launch in September 2026.
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