Will Your iPhone 17 Pro Case Fit the New iPhone 18 Pro?
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This year’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max come in a stunning new burgundy finish, but if you look beyond that, you’ve probably already noticed that the overall design doesn’t appear to have changed much from last year’s iPhone 17 Pro models.
In fact, if you’re thinking it hasn’t changed at all, you’d be almost entirely correct. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have nearly the exact same physical dimensions as their predecessors, not just in the standard height, width, and depth, but also in the camera plateau.
I say “nearly” because there is a very subtle difference that leads to Apple “officially” declaring iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max cases incompatible with this year’s iPhone 18 Pro models: the camera plateau is (wait for it) — one-tenth of a millimeter thicker.
That’s according to John Gruber’s review of the new models at Daring Fireball, who took the time to measure the difference with a digital caliper. His findings? 11.5 mm on the iPhone 18 Pro versus 11.4 mm on the iPhone 17 Pro (and the same for their Pro Max counterparts).
Apple’s official iPhone 18 Pro cases have raised the lip around the camera cutout by that same amount to ensure the new cameras are properly protected, and this might also make a slight difference if you want your new iPhone to lay flat, depending on the case you’re using. However, for all intents and purposes, iPhone 17 Pro cases should fit their respective iPhone 18 Pro models without any issues.
The math makes it clear, but to prove a point, I decided to have a dress-up session with the collection of iPhone 17 Pro Max cases I was sent to review for last year’s models.
I can confirm that every single one of my iPhone 17 Pro Max cases fits my brand-new iPhone 18 Pro Max like a glove.
More importantly, many of them have lips that are sufficiently raised above the camera array. I specifically tested the assortment of cases I reviewed last year, including the Rhinoshield SolidX, Smartish Gripzilla, Casetify Impact, and MOFT Movas Snap Case, comparing them to Apple’s new TechWoven case for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. They all offer the same level of coverage over the camera plateau as the TechWoven — and I’m more than comfortable using any one of them on my new iPhone.
This means that if you’re upgrading from an iPhone 17 Pro to an iPhone 18 Pro, you can continue using the same cases. However, even if you’re upgrading from an older model or buying your first iPhone, you’ll have the advantage of a vast selection of iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max cases to choose from — in some cases at better prices.
It’s the first time in the iPhone Pro era that we’ve actually had essentially full case compatibility between two models. The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro came close, but the new model gained 0.25 mm in thickness, and, more importantly, featured a significantly larger and deeper camera bump.
Every iPhone Pro model after that has had slightly different dimensions overall, but massive enough camera bump changes to make even the most stretchy and forgiving cases non-starters. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max change that game entirely. Granted, you might still want to pick up a new case purely for aesthetic reasons (I went with the burgundy TechWoven as it’s such a great match), but there’s no reason to worry about a new case if all you’re concerned about is protection, and there’s no reason to ditch your favorite iPhone 17 Pro case.
