iPhone 18 Pro Max in hand: New colors, smaller Dynamic Island

(Dan Tri) - iPhone 18 Pro Max officially reaches Vietnamese users. This year's generation attracts attention with new colors, a smaller Dynamic Island, and upgrades in camera, performance, and heat dissipation.

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On the morning of September 18, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max were officially opened for sale in the Vietnamese market, at the same time as many major markets around the world.

This year, Apple offers the iPhone 18 Pro series with 4 color options including black, silver, ice and Burgundy red.

In particular, Dan Tri reporters had the opportunity to actually experience 3 versions of Burgundy red, ice and silver on the first day the product was on the shelves.

At a glance, the iPhone 18 Pro Max does not feel like a completely new generation. Apple continues to maintain the familiar design language from its predecessor with a square frame, curved corners and a large camera cluster on the back.

iPhone 18 Pro Max has dimensions of 163.4 x 78 x 8.75mm, almost unchanged in overall size. However, the weight of the device increased to 249g, compared to 233g on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

When holding the two generations directly in your hand, the 16g difference does not make a noticeable difference in a short time of experience. However, with a device that is inherently large in size, the additional weight can be more noticeable when used continuously for a long time.

A small but noticeable change is in the way Apple finishes the colors on the back. The frame containing the Apple logo on iPhone 18 Pro Max is treated more in harmony with the overall color of the device.

This finishing method creates a more seamless feeling when placed next to the orange version on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which has quite a clear contrast between areas on the back.

Of the three versions tested, Burgundy red and ice are two colors that make a lot of difference compared to the previous generation.

If the iPhone 17 Pro Max once attracted attention with its striking orange color, the new options on the iPhone 18 Pro Max tend to be more muted.

Notably, the color of the device when viewed directly is different from the image Apple published on its website.

The Burgundy red version is actually darker and deeper, not too bright, while the blue color feels softer to the eye when viewed from the outside and changes slightly depending on lighting conditions.

Meanwhile, the ice blue color on iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max feels more soothing to the eyes when viewed in reality. When placed next to the blue color on the iPhone 17, the predecessor version has a darker and more personal blue color, while the iPhone 18 Pro favors a gentle, pastel tone that is gentle on the eyes.

Through practical experience, the surface of some color versions on the iPhone 18 Pro Max is also quite easy to reveal fingerprints and sweat stains. This can be clearly seen when using the device continuously without using a case.

On the front, one of the most recognizable changes is that Dynamic Island has been scaled down by Apple. This area takes up less space than the previous generation, thereby making the display above the screen more airy.

Apple also upgraded Dynamic Island to be able to display up to 3 Live Activities simultaneously.

This is not a big change in design but can be immediately noticed when placing the iPhone 18 Pro Max next to the previous generation.

Another notable upgrade on this year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is in the camera system. The 48MP main Fusion camera is equipped with a variable aperture for the first time.

Instead of using a fixed aperture like the previous generation, the main camera on the iPhone 18 Pro has 6 physical aperture blades and allows changing the aperture depending on shooting conditions.

Users can also actively adjust this parameter through the professional control mode in the Camera application.

In practical experience, users can directly observe the aperture blades inside the camera changing when adjusting parameters.

The ability to physically adjust the aperture feels quite similar to operations on a dedicated camera. This is also one of the most notable changes in the iPhone camera in recent years.

Inside, iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the A20 Pro processor manufactured on a 2nm process. Apple said the new chip has a 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU and 16-core Dual Neural Engine, with a total of 32 processing cores for artificial intelligence tasks.

The vapor chamber cooling system was also redesigned by Apple. According to the company, the heat dissipation area is 3 times larger than the iPhone 17 Pro generation. A20 Pro is directly connected to the vapor chamber to improve the ability to maintain performance when the device has to handle heavy tasks for long periods of time.

Apple also focused on upgrading battery life. According to the company's announcement, the iPhone 18 Pro Max version using only eSIM can play videos continuously for up to 45 hours.

These are parameters given by the manufacturer under specific testing conditions and the actual usage time will depend on the needs of each user.

During the short time in hand, it is not possible to accurately evaluate the improvements in performance, temperature and battery life of the device. These factors need to be verified through in-depth tests and long-term use.

In Vietnam, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are offered with 4 capacity levels including 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB. iPhone 18 Pro starts at 38,999 million VND, while iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at 41,999 million VND.

Through initial experience, iPhone 18 Pro Max does not change significantly in appearance compared to its predecessor. The more notable differences center on the smaller Dynamic Island, variable aperture camera, A20 Pro processor, and new cooling system.

The variable aperture camera is an upgrade that can be seen and experienced in a short time. Meanwhile, performance, heat control and battery life will need more actual usage time to be fully evaluated.