As the iPhone 18 Pro Max is now available in Turkey, we’ve unboxed the black model and are directly examining our first impressions, design changes, and key differences from its predecessor, the iPhone 17 Pro! While last year’s popular orange iPhone 17 Pro is a thing of the past, the new series particularly stands out with its purple and matte black options.

The box includes a braided cable and SIM ejector tool, while the most noticeable details on the case are the millimeter-sized increase in thickness around the camera area, the increased weight to 249 grams, and the battery capacity upgraded to 5,391 mAh. Additionally, the color difference between the edges and the back of the case has been eliminated, creating a unified design language.

What Has Changed in Hardware and Design?

Apple displays show that the Dynamic Island area has been reduced in size during the device’s presentation stage and can now display three different functions simultaneously. The most critical hardware innovation is the variable aperture technology in the main camera, which can be adjusted manually and automatically between f/1.48 and f/4.0; This provides much more flexible control in low-light shots and portrait background blur.

The expanded cooling block and the A20 Pro processor, developed using a 2nm process, especially with its improved image processing capabilities on the GPU side, allowing for much faster and less overheating processing of photos taken in quick succession. However, the fact that Siri AI support is still not active in Turkey, the body’s tendency to show fingerprints on the black color, and the slight protrusion on the camera island mean that older cases may not fit properly are the most obvious drawbacks.

A20 Pro and AI Experience

Productive AI tools like Image Playground allow for smooth visual creation on the device with iOS 27. Considering the optical advantages brought by the variable aperture and the processing power offered by the A20 Pro, whether there is a difference worth upgrading from the iPhone 17 series to this model depends on users’ usage habits.

What did you think of the innovations offered by the iPhone 18 Pro Max? Do you think the variable aperture and the new matte black color are enough reasons to upgrade? Don’t forget to mention your thoughts and the details you especially want us to test in the detailed review in the comments.