From a variable-aperture camera and longer battery life to Face ID and a telephoto lens, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to offer a range of features that Apple’s new foldable iPhone may lack.

Variable-aperture main camera could lift iPhone photography

One of the most notable upgrades rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro Max is a main camera with a variable aperture. The iPhone Ultra, meanwhile, is unlikely to feature the technology.

Variable aperture has appeared in iPhone rumors for some time, although exactly how Apple might implement the technology has yet to become clear.

In theory, the system could bring significant improvements to iPhone photography, particularly Portrait mode.

Being able to adjust the aperture would give users greater control over depth of field. This could help subjects stand out more clearly from their backgrounds while producing a more natural and flexible bokeh effect.

A variable-aperture camera could also significantly improve photography in low-light conditions.

Apple could optimize the amount of light reaching the sensor depending on the environment, potentially producing brighter images with less noise in certain situations.

The technology, however, comes with an important drawback: the components required for a variable-aperture system are believed to be larger than those used in the current main camera. That could make the technology difficult to accommodate within the iPhone Ultra’s ultra-thin design.

If the leaks prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro Max would have a clear photography advantage, while the iPhone Ultra could have to sacrifice some features in pursuit of a thinner body and foldable display.

iPhone 18 Pro Max could retain the battery-life crown

The iPhone Ultra is still expected to deliver good battery life despite its unusual design and foldable screen. But for users who put battery endurance first, the Pro lineup - particularly the iPhone 18 Pro Max - is likely to retain the advantage.

According to leaks, the iPhone 18 Pro Max could feature a physical battery around 10% larger than the one in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That alone would be a significant upgrade, but it may not be the whole story.

The device is also expected to benefit from improved energy efficiency delivered by the A20 Pro chip and C2 modem.

Those hardware efficiency gains could allow Apple to optimize power consumption and extend real-world battery life.

Combined with a larger battery and a new generation of more power-efficient chips, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is expected to become the longest-lasting iPhone yet.

Assessing the iPhone Ultra’s battery performance, meanwhile, will be more complicated because of its completely different foldable design.

Battery capacity figures alone cannot fully reflect real-world endurance.

Its ultra-thin design and limited internal space mean the iPhone Ultra is unlikely to accommodate a battery as large as the one in the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

For users who regularly need their phone to last all day and do not want to carry a charger, the iPhone 18 Pro Max could therefore be the more practical choice.

Face ID could become a major iPhone 18 Pro Max advantage

Another notable difference could involve biometric security. After nearly a decade, Apple is believed to be preparing its first premium iPhone without Face ID.

That device is the iPhone Ultra.

According to current rumors, the foldable iPhone will switch to Touch ID, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max will retain the familiar Face ID system.

The reason is believed to lie in the space constraints created by the iPhone Ultra’s ultra-thin design.

Face ID requires multiple components, sensors and dedicated cameras, making it difficult to integrate into a device with an extremely thin body.

The challenge becomes even greater with a foldable iPhone. Apple would have to design a biometric authentication system that works appropriately with both the external and internal displays.

That could potentially require two sets of Face ID components rather than the single system used on a conventional iPhone.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max could therefore hold a clear advantage in authentication. Face ID is not only convenient for unlocking the phone but is also deeply integrated into many security and payment features across Apple’s ecosystem.

Telephoto camera remains a key iPhone 18 Pro Max strength

The telephoto camera is another important difference between the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Ultra.

According to leaks, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will remain the models equipped with a dedicated telephoto camera.

The iPhone Ultra, meanwhile, is expected to feature main and ultra-wide cameras but no dedicated telephoto lens for optical zoom.

That could be a deciding factor for people who regularly photograph distant subjects. A dedicated telephoto camera allows users to bring subjects closer while retaining better image quality than relying solely on digital zoom.

Notably, Apple is also rumored to be upgrading the telephoto camera on its next-generation iPhones by using a wider aperture.

If that happens, the system could improve both low-light image quality and portrait photography.

For users who consider the camera the most important factor when buying an iPhone, the iPhone 18 Pro Max could therefore become the more straightforward choice.

Beyond these hardware features, the iPhone 18 Pro Max has another advantage that is harder to quantify: the traditional iPhone experience.

It is not a specific technical feature, but it could still matter greatly to many users.

The iPhone Ultra will be fundamentally different from every iPhone that has come before it. The device is expected to feature both an outer and inner display, with sizes, aspect ratios and shapes that are quite different from the familiar iPhone experience.

Users will also have to become accustomed to opening and folding the device rather than simply using a single screen.

For people who have never used a foldable smartphone, that transition could take time.

What matters is that the iPhone remains popular in part because of its familiar design and the way people have grown accustomed to using it.

Foldable smartphones certainly have their own audience, but not everyone needs a device capable of transforming between different forms of use.

For mainstream users, particularly those who are less interested in adopting new technologies, the iPhone 18 Pro Max could offer a simpler and more familiar experience than the iPhone Ultra.

Hai Phong