[DigitalToday intern reporter Seung-a Yoo] Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, with attention focused on whether they use the company’s in-house modem and on battery life as key differences between the two top-end models.

On Sept. 9 (local time), overseas media outlets including 9to5Mac reported that the two devices share similar overall specifications, but the iPhone 18 Pro includes Apple’s next-generation in-house cellular modem, the C2. The iPhone 18 Pro Max, by contrast, does not use the C2. Battery life also improves by a wider margin on the Pro Max.

Apple began shifting to its own cellular modem starting with the iPhone 16e in early 2025. After introducing the C1 and C1X, it has now adopted the next-generation C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro. Apple says the C2 significantly improves upload speeds compared with the C1X and cuts power consumption by 15 percent. In the United States, it also supports millimetre wave (mmWave), an ultra-high frequency above 28 GHz.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max, however, does not use the C2. Apple’s official technical specifications state that the iPhone 18 Pro is equipped with the C2 cellular modem, but it does not separately disclose the modem maker or specific model name used in the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Both models support 5G and mmWave.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max’s advantage is clearer on battery. Apple says that for eSIM-only models, video playback time is up to 36 hours for the iPhone 18 Pro and up to 45 hours for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max offered maximum video playback times of 33 hours and 39 hours, respectively, meaning the iPhone 18 Pro adds 3 hours and the Pro Max adds 6 hours. Apple explained that the iPhone 18 Pro Max delivers the biggest battery-life increase in iPhone history.

The two models also differ in charging performance. The iPhone 18 Pro can charge to up to 50 percent in about 15 minutes with a compatible power adapter. The iPhone 18 Pro Max can provide up to 7 hours of video playback with a 5-minute charge.

Ultimately, the choice between the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max is expected to come down to the in-house modem and battery life. The iPhone 18 Pro uses Apple’s in-house C2 modem, while the Pro Max offers longer battery life. The Pro Max in particular doubles the increase in battery life from the previous model, widening the battery gap between the two models further.

In South Korea, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at 1.99 million won for the 256GB model, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at 2.19 million won for the 256GB model. Both are offered with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB of storage.