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Apple's iPhone 17 "Awe Dropping" event just concluded and the most exciting news out of it is without a doubt the new iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The 17 Pro Max brings a new design with fresh new colors, but most importantly big battery life upgrades, faster charging, several major camera tweaks, a new processor and a few other exciting changes. Is that enough to convince iPhone 15 Pro Max owners to upgrade?
Let's break down all the new features to find out.
iPhone 17 Pro: pre-order for as low as $0.00/mo.
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The powerful iPhone 17 Pro is finally here! You can already pre-order the new Pro with an upgraded design and a brilliant display for as low as $0.00/mo. at Verizon. You must set up a new line on an Unlimited Ultimate plan and trade in a device to take advantage.
The impressive iPhone 17 Pro Max is available for pre-order at Verizon. Right now, you can save up to $1,100 on the premium device when you activate a new line and trade in an eligible device. The promo is only available with an Unlimited Ultimate plan.
The main visual change with the iPhone 17 Pro Max is as plain as day — that giant new camera island on the back.
At the same time, the triangle shaped triple camera system remains the same so there is some design carry-over too.
What's a major paradigm shift, though, is the return to aluminum for the iPhone 17 Pro Max's frame. Sure, titanium is premium, but there's nothing inherently wrong with aluminum either and it is just as light and practically as durable too. It's just strange that Apple has changed course on this so quickly, after claiming that titanium was such a special and innovative material just a couple of years ago.
The glass on the back features Ceramic Shield for better drop protection
Size-wise, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is just slightly bigger than the 15 Pro Max. The most notable change is a slight increase in thickness — at 8.75 mm it's a hair thicker than the 8.25 mm 15 Pro Max. It's also nearly 5% heavier too, weighing 233 grams vs the 221 grams on the 15 Pro Max.
We only hope the larger camera island doesn't make the phone too top-heavy, which has definitely been the case with many high-end Android phones recently.
Other than that, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is mostly similar to the iPhone 15 Pro Max — same flat design language with a Dynamic Island notch up front, a Camera Control and a customizable Action Button.
iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Thickness 8.75 mm
Thickness 8.25 mm
Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is largely the blueprint that shaped its successors in more ways than one. It was the first titanium iPhone, the first to adopt a USB-C port at the bottom, and also the first iPhone to ditch the iconic mute switch for a customizable Action Button.
iPhone 17 Pro comes in Silver, Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue
In terms of colors, the 17 Pro Max brings color back. A new copper-like Cosmic Orange hue looks rather snazzy, and we also get a Deep Blue model. Certainly a welcome change over the fairly drab selection that the iPhone 15 Pro Max was available in: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium, and Natural Titanium colors.
However, it's a bit sad to see only three color options this year as there is no true black version on the 17 Pro Max.
Display Differences
3,000 nits of peak brightness outdoors and less reflections
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion that enables a smooth 120Hz refresh rate (essentially, same size as the 16 Pro Max). The 15 Pro Max features a slightly smaller, 6.7-inch screen, but the same ProMotion.
Moreover, Apple is allegedly sourcing Samsung's M14 OLED panel for the 17 Pro Max, which boosts the efficiency of the panel and its peak brightness.
This is a welcome improvement that boosts outdoor legibility.
We are also very curious about a new seven-layer anti-reflective coating on the screen that should boost visibility both indoors and outdoors.
Anti-reflective coating on iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16
While this coating is not as strong as the anti-reflective screen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, you can clearly see that it makes a difference in a direct comparison with the iPhone 16 series in the these images from a hands-on video by YouTuber MrWhoseTheBoss.
iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Screen size 6.9-inch
Screen size 6.7-inch
Peak brightness 3,000 nits
Peak brightness 2,000 nits
The new Ceramic Shield 2 on the front of the 17 Pro Max is also a welcome addition, adding up to 3X better scratch resistance, according to Apple.
Performance and Software
The next chapter in performance for Apple
A19 Pro is faster in sustained loads and handles on-device AI better
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It probably will come as no surprise that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is powered by the next mobile Apple chipset in line, the Apple A19 Pro.
We suppose that this is once again built on TSMC's 3nm manufacturing node.
Still, be it a 3nm or a 2nm chip, the A19 Pro is certainly an improvement over the A17 Pro that clicks and ticks inside the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The benchmark results show a big jump in performance:
34% faster single-core CPU performance
44% faster multi-core CPU performance
The latter was the first 3nm chipset used on an iPhone, and actually the first 3nm chip on a mobile device.
iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Chip Apple A19 Pro
Chip Apple A17 Pro
Node 3nm
Node 3nm
*Memory 12GB
Memory 8GB
*speculative, Apple does not reveal official RAM figures, but it did mention that memory was improved.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features 12 GB of RAM for futureproofness' sake, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro Max boasts 8 GB of RAM. Both phones support Apple Intelligence equally, though (if only there was more of it, though).
The iPhone 17 Pro Max also comes with a passive vapor chamber that could potentially immensely help during intensive tasks.
iOS 26 introduces Liquid Glass
The software of choice on both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max isiOS 26. It features a complete wardrobe change called "Liquid Glass," which is styled after visionOS' aesthetics and resembles, well, glass in a digital form.
For the truly adventurous, there’s a new "Clear Look" option that makes everything transparent, with a design language that harks back to Windows Vista. Yep, this reference just revealed that the author of this article now has plenty of gray hair.
The most exciting developments, however, are the ones that promise peace. A Call Screening feature will finally be deployed to battle telemarketers. Pixel users are laughing somewhere in the background, having had this feature for years.
Naturally, there’s a raft of other tidbits. Polls are coming to group chats, threatening to impose actual structure on the beautiful chaos of a dozen people trying to agree on a pub. All in all, it’s a list of perfectly reasonable changes, to be honest.
Thankfully, many updates simplify the experience, perfect for the rest of us. The Camera app is being streamlined, hiding most modes by default. Apple is organizing the Photos app, after it decided to turn it into total chaos with the previous iOS update.
Live Translate is also coming to calls, which could be wonderful, or it could lead to me accidentally misinterpreting a $50 bill for a $500 one.
Camera
Gradual evolution in action
Higher quality zoomed photos
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a triple camera system, like most of its predecessors. The 48MP main and utlrawide cameras are joined by a new and 56% larger 48MP periscope camera. This makes all cameras at the back 48MP troopers.
The new tetra-prism periscope camera now has a native 4X zoom (100mm), down from 5X (120mm) on the 15 Pro Max. That's actually great news offering a bit more flexibility for portraits, as 5X is just a bit too zoomed in for many scenarios.
As it now features a 48MP sensor, we get sensor cropping on the telephoto as well, enabling lossless quality 8X zoom (200mm equivalent).
That helps the iPhone 17 Pro Max join the long-zooming phones out there, and we are very curious to test these new cameras against quickly evolving Android rivals.
iPhone 17 Pro Max Official Sample Photos
And here is a comparison of the camera specs:
iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Main 48MP F1.8
Main 48MP F1.8
Ultrawide 48MP F2.2
Ultrawide 12MP F2.2
Periscope 48MP F2.8 4X
Periscope 12MP F 2.8 5X
Front 18MP
Front 12MP
We also get a new 18MP FaceTime camera, a long anticipated upgrade over the 12MP FaceTime camera that has been at the front of iPhones for years.
This new camera uses a square sensor rather than a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio sensor. This allows you to capture landscape photos from a vertical orientation, a very cool party trick.
Front Camera Detail
< 17 Pro16 Pro >
In the above image captured by photographer and YouTuber Tyler Stalman, we can clearly see far less noise on the iPhone 17 Pro and a much cleaner shot.
It is not just the reduced noise, however, as there is just more detail all around.
Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max now supports Dual Capture, with both the front and rear cameras recording simultaneously. That's something that has been available on many Android phones for over a decade now, but it's still nice seeing it on an iPhone.
As for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it has an 48MP wide camera, but the ultrawide and telephoto lens are both 12MP ones.
The 15 Pro Max also does not have a Camera Control button.
Battery Life and Charging
Now that's a welcome improvement
The new iPhone lasts longer and charges faster
Apple's iPhones are on an upwards trajectory when it comes to battery size and endurance. Last year's iPhone 16 Pro Max featured a large 4,685mAh battery, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max from a year earlier, featured a 4,422mAh battery.
While Apple does not reveal the battery size of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it is likely around 5,000 mAh.
What matters most is that this results in big gains in battery life numbers. Here are the official battery life estimates by Apple:
iPhone 17 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Battery size ~5,000 mAh
Battery size 4,422mAh
Battery Life:
39 hours video playback
35 hours video streaming
Battery Life:
33 hours video playback
30 hours video streaming
Wired charging 40W
Wired charging 25W
Wireless charging 25W
Wireless charging 15W
As you can see, the 17 Pro Max scores 5 hours more of video streaming thanks to its larger battery, a nearly 17% improvement.
We are also incredibly excited to see support for faster wired charging. The iPhone 15 Pro Max could only charge at about 25W rates, while the 17 Pro Max hits 40W charging speeds with a wire.
This means you can get up to 50% charge in just 20 minutes, a task that took 35 minutes previously.
Wireless charging speeds via MagSafe are 25W on the 17 Pro Max, again much faster than the 15W MagSafe on the 15 Pro Max.
Specs Comparison
Here is how the iPhone 17 Pro Max specs compare against the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max might not be a game-changer, but it upgrades a few fundamental aspects of the iPhone experience.
The improved battery life and the much faster charging are the two upgrades that catch the eye the most, and while everything else seems secondary, it also adds up. The new 4X zoom camera seems way more practical and with a much larger sensor and 8x lossless quality, it's a big ugprade for those who care.
We are also excited to test the new anti-reflective coating and the more durable design is another welcome change.
Less impactful but still notable are the new A19 Pro chipset and improved cooling system. These are impressive on their own, but we doubt many people play console-grade games on their iPhones to truly appreciate the changes.
So... should you upgrade? The answer is definitely maybe. The iPhone 15 Pro Max still does 90% of what this new model does, so it seems that you will not miss out on too much if you just keep it for one more year, but if you just want to have that latest technology, the 17 Pro Max is definitely not just about new looks.
Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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