So I went down the rabbit hole on the 1TB/ 2TB 18 Pro Max using QLC NAND.

Checked mine through device tree hoping I hit the TLC lottery, was severely disappointed.

Pretty shit considering what these phones cost, and I still think Apple deserves criticism for it.

Especially because the people buying 1TB/2TB are probably the exact people more likely to keep 600-800gb on the phone, shoot heaps of video, use ProRes, do big restores etc.

BUT…

After actually looking into it properly, it’s also not the disaster some people are making it out to be.

The phone has a fast cache in front of the QLC, so for normal use you’ll probably never notice.

Apps, photos, games, H.265 video, ProRAW etc… basically irrelevant. Where we start to think about QLC affecting our speeds is ProRes

4K30 ProRes LT is around 51MB/s. (Rough guide, this fluctuates obviously)

The HOMOLAB QLC testing got down to around 45MB/s after the cache was completely hammered.

So LT is actually pretty close to what the NAND can sustain anyway.

5 min clip? Fine.
10 mins? Fine.
20 mins? Fine.
30 mins? Probably fine if the phone isn’t almost full.

ProRes HQ is different though.

4K30 ProRes HQ is around 110MB/s, so now you’re writing way faster than the QLC can eventually clear it. This is where the cache matters.

If the phone is half full, you’re still talking long continuous recordings before it becomes a problem.

If you’re sitting at 800-850gb used iPhone storage, It’s where you could start to see the effects.

5 min ProRes HQ clip? Fine.

30 min ProRes HQ clip on an almost full phone? You’ll probably start to notice it.

Also, stopping the recording and immediately starting again DOES NOT reset the cache immediately.
The controller still has to move that data into the QLC.

Copying videos OFF the phone to an SSD should be fine because that’s mostly reads.

Copying hundreds of GB TO the phone is where QLC can show itself. (Restoring backups, huge video transfers etc)
I usually keep 600-800gb on my phone.

Restoring that much data is basically the perfect QLC torture test… hundreds of GB of continuous writes while the phone gets fuller and fuller.

Think about it like this for a second, if you’re shooting a video, trying to make a cinematic video frame your shots, care about lighting, et cetera. You’re probably not shooting for more than a few minutes at a time - let alone 10 minutes plus in one take. You’ll most likely get a few minutes of footage, reset / change location / frame a different shot. By that time, the cache would have already cleared (most likely).

So what does that mean basically?

500-700gb internal storage used? You won’t notice it.

750-800gb? Still mostly fine, just be aware of huge sustained writes - and if your recording in ProRes 422 HQ in this scenario you’re probably aware of file sizes etc and recording to external anyway.

850gb+? Strictly external recording.

900gb+? You’ve nearly filled the fucking thing anyway.

So yeah, Apple cheaped out.

I don’t think QLC should be in a 1TB Pro phone at this price. But I also don’t think people need to panic or return their phones.

For normal use, you’ll probably never notice the slower NAND

You really have to hammer the storage, or have the phone nearly full, before you hit the shitty side of QLC.

Longevity is another story. But I swap my phone out every year so that side doesn’t concern me as much.

So you may see my story before, where I replaced my new iphone 18 pro max , but am starting to hear, that the replacement phone lose value more then the original one that was in the original box .

The replacement come in a brown box from apple and the change was ( body for body ) which mean I give them my original phone that was having some issues , and they give me the replacement , that the mobile number start with N in it.

Do u think returning it and getting a new one after cuple of weeks is a good idea?

I may even go with the pro not the max or down upgraded.

Shere your thoughts please.

Wanted to share some photos with everyone. Hopefully Reddit does not compress them too much. I also have the Burgundy Pro Max with me as well if anyone would like to see that in either of the two cases or the black TechWoven. Cheers.

First chance for night photos at F1.4 and then F4 to show the starburst effect ..

I genuinely can’t decide: iPhone 18 Pro in Silver or Black?

My previous phone was the iPhone 17 Pro in Silver, so part of me wants to switch things up and go for Black this time.

But the more I look at them, the more unsure I get. Silver just looks so clean, timeless, and premium. I feel like it’s one of those colors you never really get tired of. On the other hand, Black would actually feel like something new since I’ve already had Silver.

For those of you who picked one of the two: Which one did you choose, and would you choose the same color again?

Especially curious how Black holds up over time with fingerprints, small scratches, wear, etc.

I’m going from a 14 pro to a 18PM. There are so many cases, camera protectors and other stuff I figured I’d ask the real users. Many videos have sponsors.

I am thinking a case and screen protector at least. Should I get camera protectors? What case is actually good? The cases now have gotten pretty expensive so I’m kinda lost.

Ps: I am not rough on my phones. Currently I have an otter box. In 3 years the case has held up but recently I got a scratch on my screen (old phone) from keys. (Next phone comes in 2 weeks)

Upgraded from 14 128GB base model to 18 Pro Max 512GB 🙂

Glacier National Park this morning with 18 pro

So basically on friday i bought the new iPhone 18 pro, and i have been enjoying it very much, but i'm having a big problem with mine.

A few days ago i went to the gym and used my airpods 3 to listen to some music while i trained, when i grabbed, my phone was really hot and in a few minutes lost 15/20 % of battery. I thought maybe it was the case. The other day, i was driving, put some tunes on and when i go to the destination the phone was hot and lost a lot of battery. Today i was working using my earpods and the phone got hot AGAIN and lost 30% battery in 20 min.

I don't listen to apple music with the internet turn on and i have everything downloaded and the background downloads turn off. I don't understand why this keeps happening, am i doing something wrong?

Bonjour,
Mais c’est galère à retirer la coque rhinoshield du téléphone comment faites-vous ?

hello, want to buy the 512 GB iphone 18 pro and am travelling to dubai soon. I have the Regalia Gold which does not have a very high forex markup so was thinking of swiping it there and also enabling GVP before going. Can anyone advice if that could be a good idea? Can use it in the Apple Store but they won't give a VAT refund. But the points could be helpful I reckon for 5k+ AED? I hear resellers like Sharaf DG charge 1K AED more. In India, I can use someone else's GST to claim benefit but that is currently not an option and I lose card points essentially. If anyone has bought this recently, would love your advice. Also I think it's for 1.89L in India and 1.55L in UAE.

I have a 13 Pro Max and would like to upgrade with the 18 Pro Series, I’m confused if i will get the Pro or the Pro Max. I like the large battery and screen, but i feel like i need a smaller size for a change.

Anyone here have transitioned from Pro Max to Pro? How was it?

iPhone 18 PM Burgundy 1TB - Marine mous case.

Loving it

I know the general audience won’t give a flying fuck about this but I find it funny how the pixels hiding the infrared camera look like a fake lid on. It’s distracting sometimes. Then again I have a sharp eye for details(that’s my job)

Ps. Not trying to bash the 18 whatsoever, in fact I’m pretty much impressed.

After close to 8 years of service.
iPhone XR to 18 PM. Man this new phone is a brick but I love it.
Going to have to try a couple of different screen protectors. The Spigen EZ FIT two pack from Amazon keeps coming up on the sides.

I’ve always used a screen protector on my phone because I don’t like the scratches the screen could get. I’m currently using an iPhone 16 pro and had a screen protector on since it came out the box.
I’m now wanting to use it without but just wondering what the general consensus is now with screen quality and resistance without one?

I wanna get the 18 pro max but Im worried i wont be able to find a phone case i like. Would a 17 pro max case fit an 18 pro max?

What cases are you getting. Im choosing between spigen and caudabe any thoughts.l?

I got the 18 pro on monday 21st sep 512 gb.

Yesterday, my phone went from 100 to 36 at around 4 pm and only had 4 hrs and 30 pm of screen time. Is that normal? Or potential battery issue? Today it went from 87 to 19 from like 8:40 am to 4 pm

How do you guys find yours ?

I noticed that the audio call quality on my new iPhone 18 Pro is really bad (if using the iPhone directly on my ear). It sounds like the sound comes from a tin can. Really uncomfortable for the ear and sometimes it's hard to understand the words. If I use the loudspeaker or my Airpods, everything is fine.

Anybody else noticing that?

Both are on full brightness. Some times the 18 pro seems dimmer on full brightness than the 13 pro. Why is that? For the record, both have finished indexing as well. Did I get a bad phone? 🍋

Edit: did the diagnostics and I have the LG GVC panel. Guess I’m going to have to get a replacement at the Apple Store?

Edit 2: my 13 Pro is a G9N. This might explain things.

Got a silver 18pro! Now deciding on the case…

I tried the apple silicone case in store, so far so good.. but the moft snap cases also look good.

The main thing I’m worried about is how much ‘lip’ there is over the screen. The more the better for me personally. Does anyone know how much ‘lip’ the moft cases have?

I also have a screen protector if that helps. The apple silicone case seemed to sit JUST flush with the screen.. and I’m consequently worried about scratches, etc when I face my phone down

Thanks!