The new iPhone 18 Pro Max fixes one of the biggest issues I've had with iPhone cameras for years, so I took it to a real portrait photoshoot to put it to the test. In this review I'm sharing the pros and cons of every camera, from the 0.5x ultra wide to the 8x zoom, plus the new variable aperture, Pro Controls, the selfie camera and video.
Just so you know, this review isn't sponsored. I bought the phone myself so I could test it properly.
iPhone 18 Pro Max cameras at a glance
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has three 48 megapixel cameras: the ultra wide, the main camera and the telephoto. The 2x and 8x options aren't separate lenses. They crop into the sensor of the camera next to them, so they give you 12 megapixel files.
- 0.5x ultra wide: optical lens, 48MP, 14mm full frame equivalent
- 1x main camera: optical lens, 48MP, 24mm, with a variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4
- 2x: a crop of the main camera, 12MP, 48mm
- 4x telephoto: optical lens, 48MP, 100mm
- 8x: a crop of the telephoto, 12MP, 200mm
The full zoom range from the same spot, left to right: 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x.
Some samples show the photo straight out of the phone next to my edit, so you can see what the camera captures on its own. Every edited photo was edited with my Hibiscus Lightroom preset pack.
iPhone 18 Pro Max main camera (1x) review
I shot most of this portrait session on the 1x camera at its default 24mm. You can also switch it to 28mm or 35mm, but both of those crop into the 48 megapixel file. I prefer to stay at 24mm and crop a little in Lightroom later if I need to.
1x main camera, edited with Hibiscus.
UneditedEdited with Hibiscus
1x main camera: unedited (left) and edited with Hibiscus (right).
1x main camera, edited with Hibiscus.
UneditedEdited with Hibiscus
1x main camera: unedited (left) and edited with Hibiscus (right).
1x main camera, edited with Hibiscus.
UneditedEdited with Hibiscus
1x main camera: unedited (left) and edited with Hibiscus (right).
iPhone 18 Pro Max variable aperture: does it matter?
The biggest hardware change this year is a variable aperture on the main camera. You can choose between four stops: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.
On a professional camera the difference is easy to see. A low f-stop like f/1.2 lets in more light and gives you a shallow depth of field, with your subject sharp and the background soft. A higher f-stop like f/5.6 or f/8 lets in less light, and more of the background stays in focus.
The same thing happens on the 18 Pro Max, just on a smaller scale. At f/1.48 the background is softer, and at f/4 you can see more detail in it. If you prefer a sharper overall image, that's when you'd choose the aperture yourself instead of leaving it on auto. Just remember that higher f-stops need a lot of light, so indoors or at night you'll want to stay at the lower numbers.
f/1.48f/1.8
Variable aperture on the 1x camera: f/1.48 (left) and f/1.8 (right).
f/2.8f/4
Variable aperture on the 1x camera: f/2.8 (left) and f/4 (right).
With the aperture on auto, the phone picked f/1.8 for every photo on this shoot. It never chose the widest setting, I'm guessing because it was so bright.
To be honest, I'm not that excited about variable aperture for everyday photos. I'd rather the phone let in as much light as possible and give me the best quality it can. Even wide open, a phone sensor can't give you a truly shallow depth of field, and after years of using my iPhone for everyday photos, behind the scenes and travel, I've never wished my photos were sharper in the background. Even in group photos, I've never had people fall out of focus.
Where I do think it's valuable is for learning. If you're starting photography on your phone and want to move to a mirrorless or DSLR camera later, the 18 Pro Max lets you learn how aperture affects your photos before you make the jump.
iPhone 18 Pro Max 2x camera
The 2x camera is the equivalent of 48mm, and it isn't an optical lens. It crops into the 1x sensor, so you get a 12 megapixel image instead of 48. In bright light like this shoot it can look pretty decent, but it's not as sharp as the main camera, so I avoid it for anything important.
Pro Controls: manual settings in the iPhone Camera app
This is the update I'm most excited about, and it starts to fix one of the biggest issues I've mentioned in my iPhone reviews over the years. Pro Controls are manual settings built right into the native Camera app. You can change the aperture, shutter speed and white balance, and there's a histogram so you can check your exposure while you shoot.
Manual white balance, finally
I've been asking for white balance for ages. If you photograph people in lots of different places, say a forest one day and city streets the next, you'll notice skin tones don't always look good under every kind of light. Or you've probably tried to photograph a bright red sunset, only to find the colours look washed out on your phone. That's auto white balance trying to "fix" the colour of the sunset.
Until now there was no way to change this in the native Camera app. You can now choose between auto and a few white balance presets. There's still room to improve: next I'll be asking for a slider so I can pick an exact Kelvin value. But I'll take it for now!
Shutter drag and creative effects
With Pro Controls and the variable aperture together, you can create effects in camera like shutter drag, where a slow shutter speed adds motion blur. Set the aperture to f/4 in fairly low light, then lower the shutter speed manually until you see the blur.
iPhone 18 Pro Max ultra wide camera (0.5x)
With the 0.5x camera we're back to an optical lens. It also makes 48 megapixel files and is the equivalent of 14mm. I absolutely love the ultra wide and use it almost as much as the main camera, sometimes even more.
0.5x ultra wide, edited with Hibiscus.
UneditedEdited with Hibiscus
0.5x ultra wide: unedited (left) and edited with Hibiscus (right).
0.5x ultra wide, edited with Hibiscus.
0.5x ultra wide, edited with Hibiscus.
iPhone 18 Pro Max telephoto camera (4x)
The 4x camera is another optical lens with 48 megapixel files, at the equivalent of 100mm. This camera moved to 48 megapixels on the 17 Pro, and when I tested it last year I didn't have enough light, so my photos looked slightly soft. In full sun this year it looks super nice. Without lots of light, though, you'll still get soft photos, just like on the 17 Pro.
I'm also a huge fan of the telephoto going back from 5x (on the 16 Pro) to 4x. With the 16 Pro I kept using 2x because 5x was too zoomed in and an awkward focal length. 4x is the sweet spot for portraits.
4x telephoto, edited with Hibiscus.
iPhone 18 Pro Max 8x zoom
Just like 2x, the 8x option crops into a 48 megapixel sensor, this time the telephoto's, to give you a 12 megapixel image at the equivalent of 200mm. I wouldn't use it for anything important. It's there for when you really need the reach.
iPhone 18 Pro Max selfie camera
Center Stage, which arrived with the iPhone 17 Pro, lets you take horizontal or vertical selfies without turning your phone. Here are a few selfie examples. The front camera is fine, but I'd love to see it improve next year. A lot of people who make content rely on the back camera for better quality, which means attaching a screen or filming without seeing yourself and hoping for the best!
Selfie camera, normal view.
Selfie camera, wide view.
NormalWide
Selfie camera against a terracotta wall: normal (left) and wide (right).
iPhone 18 Pro Max video review
I recorded sample footage on every camera in ProRes Apple Log 2. All the clips in the video are converted with my own Rec 709 conversion preset for Premiere Pro, the same one I use on all my YouTube videos. It's called LOG to Rec 709 Essentials, and you'll find more in my Video LUTs collection.
In 4K you can record up to 120fps on the main camera and up to 60fps on the ultra wide and telephoto. In ProRes you can record up to 4K 120fps on any camera. These are the same as the 17 Pro, and you still need an external NVMe drive to record ProRes 4K.
Smart focus tracking
The main new video feature is smart focus tracking, a nice quality-of-life improvement. To test it, I asked Asha to stand in the middle of a lot of leaves and filmed the same shot twice, with as many leaves in the foreground as I could. With tracking on, the focus stayed locked on her. With it off, the focus jumped straight to the leaves. It's great for filming someone in a busy location or using foreground objects in your shots, and it works in photo mode too.
Add cinematic mode after filming
You can now add the Cinematic mode blur to a video after you've filmed it. On older models you had to choose Cinematic mode before you hit record. On the 18 Pro Max, you can apply it to any video filmed on the main camera.
Stabilisation
As always, I'm a big fan of Apple's stabilisation. I moved around a lot while recording, and the footage looks stable but still natural. Phone stabilisation can sometimes be too strong and make the footage jolt, but that didn't happen here.
Should you upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro Max?
From the iPhone 17 Pro: most of the specs and features are the same. It comes down to three things: Pro Controls, smart focus tracking and adding the depth of field effect after filming. If you'd actually use any of those, that's your reason to upgrade. If not, you're not missing much this year.
From the iPhone 15 Pro or 16 Pro: this is a much bigger jump. On top of Pro Controls and everything above, you get all three cameras at 48 megapixels, plus selfie camera upgrades including Dual Capture, better stabilisation and Center Stage. If you're on an even older phone, you can see how far things have come in my iPhone 14 Pro Max camera review.
Overall, Pro Controls are a huge step in the right direction for Apple's Pro iPhones. I'm so excited they're finally in the native Camera app, and I can't wait to see what Apple does with them next.
iPhone 18 Pro Max camera FAQ
Does the iPhone 18 Pro Max have a variable aperture?
Yes. The 1x main camera has a variable aperture with four stops: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4. The ultra wide and telephoto cameras have fixed apertures.
Is the 2x camera on the iPhone 18 Pro Max an optical zoom?
No. The 2x option crops into the 48MP main camera and gives you a 12MP photo. The 8x option does the same with the telephoto camera. The optical lenses are 0.5x, 1x and 4x.
Can you change white balance on the iPhone 18 Pro Max?
Yes. Pro Controls in the Camera app let you choose auto or one of several white balance presets, and also change the aperture and shutter speed, with a histogram to check exposure.
Is the iPhone 18 Pro Max worth upgrading from the iPhone 17 Pro?
Only if you'll use Pro Controls, smart focus tracking or adding Cinematic mode after filming. Most other camera specs are the same as the 17 Pro.
Want your iPhone photos to look like the edited samples in this post? They were all edited with Hibiscus. You can browse all my packs in the Lightroom Presets for Portraits collection. They work in Lightroom Mobile too, and if you're stuck between a few, you can buy any 3 presets and save 10%.
model asha
makeup amy
video dan
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