23:19Machine-translated from Azerbaijani by AIRead in Azerbaijani
iPhone 18 Pro Max Shows a Major Advantage in Prolonged Gaming Test
Along with delivering high performance, Apple’s A20 Pro processor produced more stable results during prolonged gaming on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Tests show that the new model begins thermal throttling later than the iPhone 17 Pro Max and can maintain high performance for longer.
Heat is one of the main obstacles to high performance in smartphones. In phones without an active fan system, the heat generated by the processor is dissipated mainly through passive cooling and a vapor chamber. When the temperature rises, the system attempts to protect the device by reducing processor performance.
Apple used a larger vapor chamber in the iPhone 18 Pro series. Tests conducted in Resident Evil 4 Remake and Death Stranding demonstrated the new cooling system’s effect on sustained performance.
Resident Evil 4 Remake was tested at 1320p resolution with Balanced graphics settings and MetalFX Quality. At the start of the test, the iPhone 17 Pro Max reached approximately 35 FPS, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max reached 44 FPS.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max entered the “Moderate” thermal state after just 2 minutes and 39 seconds, followed by the “Serious” state at 8 minutes and 13 seconds. On the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the “Moderate” thermal state was recorded after 8 minutes and 13 seconds, while the “Serious” state was recorded after approximately 14 minutes and 13 seconds.
By the end of the approximately 34-minute test, performance on the iPhone 17 Pro Max had fallen from 35 FPS to around 26 FPS. The iPhone 18 Pro Max dropped from its initial 44 FPS to approximately 35 FPS. The new model was therefore able to maintain its advantage during prolonged use in addition to offering higher initial performance.
A similar result was observed in the Death Stranding test. At 900p resolution and High graphics settings, the iPhone 18 Pro Max began the test at approximately 40 FPS, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max started at 32-33 FPS.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max entered the “Moderate” thermal state at 6 minutes and 31 seconds. The iPhone 18 Pro Max did not reach this state until 11 minutes and 27 seconds. The new model reached the “Serious” thermal state after 19 minutes and 57 seconds.
At the end of the approximately 34-minute and 40-second test, the iPhone 18 Pro Max was still running at around 37 FPS. On the iPhone 17 Pro Max, the figure had fallen to approximately 24.5 FPS.
According to calculations based on the test results, the performance loss caused by thermal throttling on the iPhone 18 Pro Max was approximately 23% lower in Resident Evil 4 Remake and approximately 69% lower in Death Stranding.
Notably, the A20 Pro did not achieve this result by reducing performance. While the new processor maintains higher levels of performance and power consumption, the improved cooling system allows the heat it generates to be managed more effectively.
The results show that the main improvement in the iPhone 18 Pro Max is not only the A20 Pro’s maximum power, but also how long that performance can be maintained during gaming. This creates a noticeable difference compared with the previous generation, particularly during long gaming sessions.
Apple is also reportedly working on dedicated gaming controllers for the iPhone. According to leaks, such accessories could include features such as two analog sticks, a D-pad, analog triggers, vibration, and motion controls. Adding active cooling to this type of accessory in the future could further improve the iPhone’s sustained gaming performance. However, there is currently no confirmed information about the development of such a cooling system.