Can you use your collection of iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max cases with your new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max? And if you’re keeping your iPhone 17 Pro, will those spiffy new iPhone 18 Pro cases fit it? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Apple says no, according to Daring Fireball‘s John Gruber. Apple says the camera plateau on the iPhone 18 Pro models is slightly thicker this year. Gruber says the difference is one-tenth of a millimeter: 11.5mm vs. 11.4mm. Why, that’s less than they talk about in that old cigarette jingle! But, hey, Apple needs to sell its new cases.
Gruber says his personal testing confirmed that you can use a case for either generation on the other generation. iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max cases fit the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and vice-versa.
… In my personal testing, 17 Pro cases fit 18 Pro phones perfectly, as do 18 Pro cases (included from Apple in my review unit kit) on 17 Pro phones. I asked Apple if they’re stating that 18 Pro models are case-compatible with the iPhone 17 Pro, and they are not, because the 18 Pro camera plateaus are slightly thicker this year. I measured with a digital caliper and the difference is one-tenth of a millimeter: 11.5mm vs. 11.4mm. So Apple has raised the plateau guard lip on its own 18 Pro cases by one-tenth of a millimeter. I say that’s close enough to declare that you can use 17 Pro cases on 18 Pro iPhones and vice-versa.
Of course, there will probably be the weird third-party case that does not fit, but as a rule, they should fit either generation just fine..
