New iPhone

My social media was abuzz around the launch of the new iPhones. I have a 15 Pro Max and was thinking that the 18 might be the generation I’d make the upgrade for. I used to do every other year but I didn’t see the leaps and bounds in improvements with the 17 to tickle that FOMO gland into forking over oodles of cash.

The new Duo looked compelling and all the videos made it look like Apple has created an enjoyable user experience around it. After reviewing specs, I realized that while the form factor is different than what I have now, it didn’t really improve on anything like the camera or any app that I use with regularity. Switching from watching TikTok on a small screen to a slightly larger screen isn’t enough. A number of videos say that Apple Pencil support is coming and it’ll be like a small iPad. But I already got rid of my small iPad and haven’t been on the hunt for a new one.

As such, I dismissed it and shifted my gaze upon the new iPhone 18 Pro Max. The new camera and extended battery life are the two things that were compelling enough for me to pull the trigger.

The phone arrived and I’ve had a week or so with it. My initial thoughts are that the things I wanted are better. It definitely has a better camera and it has a better battery life. And that’s it. At the same time, I’m not sure what the phone could have, feature-wise, that would’ve left me absolutely thrilled with the upgrade. Design-wise, it feels like a regression with the rounder edges and a difficulty (for me) to tell screen-side from backside just by touch alone. I don’t notice the smaller “island”. The camera button is annoying more than anything, since it sits right where I tend to pick up the phone.

If you were also on a 15 or newer, would I recommend that you upgrade? Probably not. You could easily wait another generation or more without feeling like you’re missing out on much.