Apple sells four hardware versions of iPhone 18 Pro Max, depending on the country of sale. MacRumors laid out the split Friday after model numbers, SIM trays, 5G bands, modems, and battery filings were compared. The differences are easy to miss on a product page. They still change what you get in the box.
U.S. buyers already saw one side effect this week. The American Pro Max is the only new iPhone this month that carries a Qualcomm modem. That detail now sits next to the iFixit Pro teardown notes on how the new internals are laid out.
Four model numbers and who gets which
A3473 is the U.S. unit. It is eSIM-only. It supports sub-6GHz 5G and mmWave. TechInsights confirmed Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X80 modem inside.
A3716 is another eSIM-only cut for Canada, Japan, Mexico, and several Middle East markets. It skips mmWave.
A3717 covers most other countries, including the UK and the rest of Europe. That version keeps a physical nano-SIM tray beside eSIM.
China gets A3718 with physical nano-SIM support. Apple also lets iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max activate there on either eSIM or a physical SIM.
Modem split: X80 in the U.S. Max, C2 everywhere else
Every other iPhone 18 Pro Max uses Apple’s C2 modem. So do iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo worldwide. Apple has not said why the U.S. Max stays on Qualcomm this year.
C2 is the same family Apple’s Pro debut materials describe for the smaller 18 Pro: AI-tuned cellular quality, faster uploads versus C1X, about 15 percent less energy, and mmWave support in the U.S. on C2-equipped phones. The U.S. Max reaches mmWave through the X80 path instead. Chip-level claims for A20 Pro still sit in our A20 Pro cores and unpublished numbers tip.
eSIM trays free space for a larger battery
Regulatory filings cited by MacRumors put about 5,567mAh in the eSIM-only Pro Max models. Trays that keep a physical SIM drop to about 5,391mAh. MacRumors translates that gap as roughly an extra hour of normal use, or about two extra hours of video playback, for the eSIM-only packs.
Apple’s own Newsroom line matches the direction. eSIM-only Pro Max units are credited with up to 45 hours of video playback. The company also says eSIM-only Max models deliver the largest battery-life jump on an iPhone by reclaiming SIM tray space. That story sits next to the earlier Prepare to Ship pack under 20Wh shipping note for factory firmware.
Why the SKU list matters when you buy or travel
A U.S. A3473 cannot take a physical SIM if you land in a market that still leans on plastic cards. European A3717 units keep the tray but miss the U.S. mmWave bands. Canada and Japan eSIM models sit in the middle: no tray, no mmWave.
None of this changes the sticker price Apple lists for a given country. It does change roaming habits, carrier activation paths, and how much battery the filings imply. Week-two lead times already stretched on some Pro configs; see the Pro lead times and Duo Oct 16 pre-order brief if you are still waiting on a ship date.
Check the model number in Settings → General → About, or on the box, before you assume every Pro Max is the same inside.
Photo: Apple
Source: MacRumors, Apple Newsroom, TechInsights via MacRumors
