23 iPhone Memes for Apple Fans Convincing Themselves They Need the New iPhone 18 Pro Max

Celeste Mello • Writer and Editor

Sep 9, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

It doesn't matter if you upgraded your phone last year. Apple fans are already making room in their budget for another upgrade. Wanting the new iPhone 18 Pro Max has nothing to do with necessity, but here we are anyway. By the way, have you seen that burgundy?

Yesterday, your phone was just fine. Today, you're holding it at different angles, inspecting a scratch you've ignored for months. The battery could be better, actually. Maybe your camera could be better too. The camera is totally holding you back from taking sharper pictures for your Instagram stories. Then you start convincing yourself that you'll keep the next one for years. Yes, you can trade this one in. If you divide the cost by every day you plan to use it, the number looks much more budget-friendly. You had the same internal speech during your last upgrade, but we can simply ignore that.

The fact that your current phone still works is completely irrelevant. We're not rating your phone's functionality. We are just saying that the new iPhone 18 in burgundy looks really nice. It could be much nicer if it were in your pocket… Anyway, whatever color you choose will probably spend most of its life inside a case. We can still take it out to admire the color, but that's the ugly truth.

Some people can watch a big Apple announcement, appreciate the new phone, and continue using the one they own without thinking of an upgrade. These people stay sensible and keep their phones for years. I'm that kind of person, but others need to check the options. For research. Research that includes figuring out how you would explain the purchase. Now that Apple has our attention, there's no going back. Your landlord has some reasonable concerns.

You won't talk your friend out of it if they have seen the burgundy phone. If I had to bet, I know that one's going to sell out on day one. You don't need the iPhone 18, but you only live once. See you next September for the same conversation.