Whether or not you need to buy Apple’s largest iPhone Pro in order to get the best camera features has varied by generation. So far, reporting has mostly suggested that there will be no camera differentiation between the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, but a leaker today casts some doubt on this.

Specifically, they say that two new features expect to come to both Pro models “may” now be exclusive to the Pro Max …

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max offer identical camera specs, with all three rear-facing cameras having 48MP sensors. Apple says that the optical zoom of the telephoto lens extends to 8x, though this is achieved by taking a 24MP crop, so it would be more accurate to say that it has 4x optical zoom with the option for a cropped 8x image.

We’ve so far been (mostly) expecting that camera parity will be retained in this year’s Pro models, both getting the variable aperture main lens and wider-aperture telephoto lens, the latter giving better low-light performance.

However, Leaker Ice Universe says that the two new telephoto lens features may be exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The Pro Max model may exclusively feature 6x optical zoom and more advanced five-refraction prism technology, while the Pro version might offer 5x–6x zoom.

If accurate, this would mean you’ll need to buy the Pro Max model if you want the greatest reach from the telephoto lens as well as the best low-light performance. However, the use of the word “may” suggests they aren’t confident about this idea, perhaps having seen conflicting evidence in Apple’s supply chain.

It has also been suggested that the variable aperture system for the main camera might be exclusive to the Pro Max, though there are conflicting reports on this.

If you normally prefer the smaller of the two Pro models, would you upgrade to the Pro Max if this gives you better camera features? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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