iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: What's new?
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Apple has just unveiled its new iPhone 17 series and there is no doubt that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is still the heavy-hitting model.
One thing is clear about it from the get-to — it looks different. Along with the redesigned body comes an improved camera, an even faster chip and a few welcome improvements such as a brighter display with new anti-reflective coating. But the real upgrade? If you ask us, it's the longer battery life and much faster charging.
However, is all of this enough to convince users to upgrade? And what about AI?
We unwrap everything new about the iPhone 17 Pro Max and compare it against last year's iPhone 16 Pro Max below.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max differences:
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| New dual-tone design with a camera strip at the back | Flat design language with a large but conventional camera island at the back |
| Slightly thicker 8.75mm aluminum frame | Thinner at 8.25mm, with a titanium frame |
| Triple 48MP cameras at the rear | 48MP main and ultrawide, but a 12MP periscope camera |
| New 48MP periscope camera, with 4X native and up to 8X lossless zoom | Standard 5X periscope camera |
| 18MP Center Stage camera | Lower-res 12MP FaceTime camera |
| Apple A19 Pro chipset, 3nm | Apple A18 Pro chip on board, 3nm |
| Upgrade to 12GB of RAM | 8GB RAM |
| Brighter 6.9-inch screen (3,000 nits) | Dimmer 6.9-inch screen (2,000 nits) |
| New anti-reflective screen coating | - |
| A 5,088 mAh battery | A 4,685 mAh battery |
| New copper and deep blue color options joining the selection | Four colors: Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
An iPhone with a new look
iPhone 17 Pro Max comes with an aluminum unibody
The large camera island at the back of the iPhone 17 Pro Max certainly makes it stand out in a crowd of older iPhones. If there is one comparison that comes to mind, it's to the Google Pixel series, but those models typically come with a camera bar that is not as wide.
Compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the cameras are still arranged in the same triangle formation, so the new model does not look completely foreign. Apple analyst Mark Gurman suggests that Apple is planning to change the looks of future iPhones much more often in the next few years too.
The glass on the back features Ceramic Shield for better drop protection
We are only curious that this new look does not change how well the iPhone weight is distributed. No one likes an unbalanced, top-heavy phone.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
Thickness 8.75 mm | Thickness 8.25 mm |
The iPhone 17 Pro Max also uses different materials. Gone is the titanium body of recent models, replaced with a new aluminum frame. Apple's explanation? Aluminum is far better at dissipating heat and works nicely with the new vapor chamber. Strange that the company did not have that realization earlier.
The new 17 Pro Max body also uses less glass on the back and the frame itself is a much bigger part of the phone. Hopefully, this means the rear glass will break less often.
The Camera Control and Action Button remain a staple here, with no changes made to them.
iPhone 17 Pro comes in Silver, Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue
In terms of colors, we have two new options a copper-like orange color and a deep blue hue. Surprisingly, we only have one other color option, the silver one, but no fourth (usually a black) model.
In contrast, the iPhone 16 Pro Max launched only in muted tonalities (Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium), so Apple is bringing some color back.
Display Differences
The screen can reach 3,000 nits of peak brightness and fights reflections better
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display, same size as the 16 Pro Max.
Of course, 120Hz ProMotion for smooth scrolling is on board too.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
Screen size 6.9-inch | Screen size 6.9-inch |
Peak brightness ~3,000 nits | Peak brightness 2,000 nits |
While Apple does not say it officially, chances are this new screen uses a Samsung M14 OLED panel, which allows for much higher peak brightness. The 16 Pro Max can get as bright as 2,000 nits, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max can hit 3,000 nits when used outdoors on a sunny day.
Apple upgraded the minimum brightness to go as low as 1 nit on the 16 Pro Max, and this carries over to the 17 Pro Max as well.
We also get a new seven-layer anti-reflective coating on the iPhone 17 series.
And while this 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.
Performance and Software
Even better performance thanks to a third-gen 3nm chipset
Faster and better for on-device AI
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features Apple's new A19 Pro chipset. This is the company's third-gen 3nm chipset, so polish is definitely the right word for it.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
Chipset Apple A19 Pro | Chipset Apple A18 Pro |
| Node 3nm | Node 3nm |
RAM 12GB | RAM 8GB |
While the faster processor might not be immediately noticeable in daily use, you could notice the 12GB of RAM inside the 17 Pro Max, a notable 50% increase over the 8GB of RAM on the 16 Pro Max.
Having more RAM helps with multitasking (you can have more apps running in the background without reloading), plus it sets up the 17 Pro Max for the much awaited Apple Intelligence rollout in 2026.
As you can see, the A19 Pro achieves another remarkable jump over the A18 Pro from last year. In single core CPU performance, the iPhone 17 Pro Max with A19 Pro scores nearly 20% higher than the previous model.
And in multi-core CPU performance, the result is nearly 30% higher than the 16 Pro Max. Truly impressive. Both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max run on iOS 26, so there is no difference in software.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max comes with a new passive vapor chamber on deck that might greatly help with heat dissipation during intense tasks. The aluminum chassis also dissipates heat well.
Here is a quick look at the new design of Apple's latest iOS.
The recurrent theme is the drastic "Liquid Glass" redesign, which Apple is touting as its most significant visual change in a decade. You can embrace the chaos and enable the "Clear Look" – a fully transparent, glassy theme if you wish, and you will get something that looks a lot like it crawled back from the Windows Vista days, or you can just stick with the more toned-down and traditional style.
The most practical changes are aimed at communication. A new Call Screening feature arrives to save us from calls about our non-existent car accidents, a public service if ever there was one. This handy filtering will also apply to spammy texts.
Live Translate for calls is also making its debut on iOS. We are cautiously optimistic about this, but let's wait and see if this becomes a game-changer for travel or simply a source of hilarious mistranslations.
Aside from looks alone, there are some genuinely useful-sounding updates. The Camera app is being decluttered to just photo and video by default, a quiet relief for the minimalists among us. And Apple is promising to finally sort out the Photos app mess, making albums easier to find.
Naturally, there are other bits and bobs. You’ll get polls in group chats so that your friends can finally decide on a restaurant and custom backgrounds to liven up your chats. It all sounds perfectly sensible. All of those features are available on both the 17 Pro Max and 16 Pro Max.
Camera
Apple Magic
Bigger sensor for the telephoto camera
Aside from the fact that the camera island on the 17 Pro Max could soon rival the Las Vegas Strip in terms of size, the cameras themselves are getting some welcome upgrades.
The most significant change is the 56% bigger sensor for the tetra-prism telephoto camera. It's now a 48MP sensor, and it is coupled with a 4X zoom lens, a more practical one compared to the 5X zoom on the previous model, which did not work great for portrait snaps. This sensor bump delivers significantly better detail at
The main and ultra-wide cameras have unchanged hardware compared to the 16 Pro Max.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Main camera 48MP F1.8 | Main camera 48MP F1.8 |
| Ultrawide camera 48MP F2.2 | Ultrawide camera 48MP F2.2 |
| Telephoto 48MP F2.8 4X 1/2.55-inch sensor (56% larger) 100mm FoV | Telephoto 12MP F2.8 5X |
| Front camera 18MP | Front camera 12MP |
Another surprising but very welcome change is the switch to a square sensor for the front camera. This allows the 17 Pro Max to capture landscape photos while you hold the phone in vertical orientation. Speak about a party trick! It's also a higher-resolution 18MP sensor, so your selfies will have more detail too.
With iOS 26, both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Pro Max have scored a new photographic style, dubbed Bright, which delivers a punchy and strong visual style to your photos.
iPhone 17 Pro Max Official Sample Photos
Front Camera Detail
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.
Apple has also included Dual Capture video, overlaying the camera feed from the rear and front cameras. And with the improved stabilization from the square front camera, this should look even better than on rival Android phones. Keep in mind, though, that Dual Capture video is recorded as one file, so you cannot remove the front camera feed after the recording is done.
When it comes to Pro features, you get ProRes RAW video that allows you to squeeze the most dynamic range out of the camera, and GenLock, which makes syncing between multiple cameras in larger productions much easier. Those are nice features, but they mostly serve a niche professional audience, so we doubt that everyday users will care about them or even notice them.
Battery Life and Charging
Give me more
It lasts longer and charges faster
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is the current title holder when it comes to battery sizes on iPhones, but rumors claim that glory might soon come to its swift end. The 4,685 mAh battery on board could be overtaken by the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is reportedly scoring a 5,000 mAh battery, or thereabouts.
Apple does not disclose the battery size on its pages, so we have to wait for the teardowns to see the exact numbers.
If true, though, that would make the 17 Pro Max the one with the largest battery in the history of iPhone… so far.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Battery 5,000 mAh | Battery 4,685 mAh |
Battery Life 39 hours video playback 33 hours video streaming - | Battery Life 33 hours video playback 29 hours video streaming 105 hours audio streaming |
| Wired charging 40W | Wired charging 25W |
| Wireless charging 25W | Wireless charging 25W |
In Apple's official battery life estimates, we learn that the 17 Pro Max gets six hours more of video playback and four hours more video streaming. That's one solid upgrade.
The other big upgrde on the new model is faster charging speeds. The 17 Pro Max supports 40W wired charge, much faster than the 25W speeds on the 16 Pro Max.
In practical terms, that means you can reach 50% charge in just 20 minutes, a task that used to take 35 minutes on the 16 Pro Max.
MagSafe wireless charging remains unchanged at 25 watt speeds.
Specs Comparison
Here's how the iPhone 17 Pro Max compares against the iPhone 16 Pro Max specs.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 163.4 x 78 x 8.75 mm 233 grams | Size, weight 163.0 x 77.6 x 8.25 mm 227 grams |
| Screen 6.9" OLED 120Hz ProMotion 3000 nits peak brightness | Screen 6.9" OLED 120Hz ProMotion 2000 nits peak brightness |
| Processor A19 Pro 3nm | Processor A18 Pro 3nm |
| Versions: 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 12GB/2TB LPDDR5 | Versions: 8/256GB 8/512GB 8/1TB - LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 48MP main 48MP ultra 48MP 4X zoom 18MP front | Cameras: 48MP main 48MP ultra 12MP 5X zoom 12MP front |
| Battery: ~5,000 mAh | Battery: 4,685 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 40W wired 25W MagSafe 2.0 | Charging: USB-C 25W wired 25W MagSafe 2.0 |
Summary
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is mostly about the upgrade to battery life and the faster charging speeds, as well as the tweaks to the camera system with that larger telephoto camera sensor with more practical 4X native zoom lens.
The new aluminum unibody also helps the phone be more durable and there are other little cool tweaks such as the anti-reflective coating on the screen.
The new and faster chipset with better cooling is also great news for gamers.
Is this a "must-buy" kind of upgrade compared to the 16 Pro Max? Not really, but it's not just a small change in looks either. And that is not a small thing in a mature smartphone market.
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