When Apple announced its thin and light iPhone Air, some people questioned who had asked for a thinner phone. Shortly after, the company moved in the opposite direction by announcing a slightly thicker and bulkier iPhone 17 Pro lineup. With this move, Apple addressed those requests by creating a phone with a thicker form factor to house a larger battery, which in turn leads to better performance. While the Pro phones received more iterative updates this year, aside from the new orange color, people who purchase them will still experience the benefits.
The first thing you will notice with the iPhone 17 Pro is the new unibody build made from aluminum, along with a new camera bump design on the back that includes space for MagSafe-based accessories below it. Having grown accustomed to cross-body camera bumps like the one on the Pixel 10, the new design choice from Apple is not bothersome. Apple states that this design makes the phone more sturdy, but it has also increased the weight of the 17 Pro Max to 233 grams compared to the 227 grams of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The heft of the phone was more noticeable when switching between the ultra-light iPhone Air and the 17 Pro Max.
The company added Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and the first-generation Ceramic Shield on the back, beneath the camera plateau. After having shattered the back of an old iPhone 15 Pro Max, which only had a textured glass layer, the extra protection provided by the new shielding and the aluminum frame is appreciated.
The color options are also worth mentioning. The silver-colored unit is the most boring of the three available colors. The blue is much more appealing, and the orange clearly stands out. While the phone is typically used without a case, the new TechWoven blue case, made with custom 100% recycled polyester yarn, is something to consider for changing the phone’s look. Although there have been many posts and videos discussing how the new device’s back is susceptible to scratches, not many have been noticed on this unit so far.
Apple has managed to fit a larger battery into the iPhone 17 Pro Max thanks to its unibody design. Consistent screen time of more than five hours was achieved with varying usage. In terms of capacity, the 17 Pro Max has a 4,823 mAh battery compared to the 4,685 mAh battery in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you purchase an eSIM-only version in countries where it is available, you get an even larger 5,088 mAh battery, which may last a bit longer than the version with a physical SIM.
The new design also introduces vapor chamber cooling to the iPhones, meaning the phone gets less hot during resource-intensive tasks like gaming. While playing War Thunder at 60 FPS for an extended period, the Pro Max ran much cooler compared to the iPhone Air.
Another strong upgrade is the increased charging capacity. The phone is compatible with USB-PD 3.2 standards. While it does not reach the extreme 100W+ charging capacities of some Chinese manufacturers, the new iPhone can theoretically charge at 40W compared to the previous 30W. This means you can charge your phone much faster when using a 40W or higher adapter.
The larger phone also supports higher speed, Qi2-based wireless charging at 25W. If you have a wireless stand at your work desk, this new top iPhone can take full advantage of it.
The display size of the iPhone 17 Pro Max remains the same as last year’s Pro Max. However, the display now achieves a peak brightness of 3,000 nits and features a new anti-reflective coating, making it easier to use in bright conditions. Brighter displays have been a trend this year with smartphones like the Pixel 10 Series and Honor V5 Magic, and they are a welcome addition. Some review videos indicate that other devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S25, have a better reflective material on the screen.
The Pro iPhone models received two notable camera updates this year. First, all three rear cameras now have a 48-megapixel sensor. The ultrawide camera was upgraded last year, and this year it is the telephoto lens getting a boost. As someone with three pets in the household, better zooming capabilities are always appreciated for taking candid photos without moving and potentially losing a pose.
Until last year, the Pro Max had zoom options of 2x and 5x. This year, the company has adjusted the focal lengths. You now get 2x, 4x, and 8x, which is a 2x crop. While you might lose some details in an 8x shot, the photos are generally good even at that level of zoom.
Phones like the Pixel 10 Series, Xiaomi 15T Pro, and the Honor Magic V5 offer digital zoom augmented with generative AI to artificially improve pictures. Apple, however, offers a digital zoom of 40x without any generative processing. The results are not impressive, as the images are noisy and lack detail.
While the telephoto update is for Pro models only, all iPhones received a selfie camera upgrade with a new 18-megapixel square sensor. Beyond the upgraded resolution, the front camera gains a Center Stage feature, which automatically zooms in and out and changes the orientation based on the number of people in the frame without manual intervention. This is very helpful during festive seasons when friends want to cram into the frame.
Despite nice hardware upgrades, Apple Intelligence was hardly mentioned as part of the new iPhones’ release. This stands in contrast to last year’s launch and rival phone launches like Google’s new Pixel lineup. The device will receive iOS 26 features, such as using the full screen as context to ask ChatGPT or Google questions about what is on the screen, but there are no new Apple-native AI features.
The new Pro iPhones are powered by A19 Pro chips, which Apple says have better neural performance. This could be useful for developers who are using Apple’s local AI models. However, we may have to wait until next year’s Worldwide Developer Conference to see if Apple gives Siri a much-awaited AI upgrade.
For the last few years, Apple has positioned its Pro line of phones to aid the creative process, in addition to being top-notch devices. With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, that is even more the case. With a new design, improved battery, and better thermal performance, creators can shoot longer videos. The company also introduced new features like ProRes RAW and Log 2, along with genlock, which allows creators to use multiple iPhones to take time-locked shots.
If you are not a creator, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is more of an iterative update. Like many new phone releases each year, it does not scream that you must update. If your phone is more than two years old, you will see substantial gains in all departments, including battery life, performance, screen, and camera. But if you have bought a phone after the iPhone 15 Pro was released, there is not as much reason to update.