Iphone 17 Pro Max Review: Orange You Glad The Battery Is Bigger

When Apple announced its thin and ray iPhone Air, immoderate group said, “Who asked for a thinner phone?” Moments later, nan institution went successful nan different guidance and announced a somewhat thicker and bulkier iPhone 17 Pro lineup.

With this, Apple did what those group had wanted: it made a telephone pinch a thicker shape facet to accommodate a larger battery, starring to amended performance. Out of nan caller iPhones, nan Pro phones received much iterative updates (unless you count nan caller orangish color). But group who bargain these phones will still reap nan benefits.

The build

The first point that you’ll announcement pinch nan iPhone 17 Pro is nan caller unibody build pinch aluminium, alongside a caller camera bump creation connected nan backmost pinch abstraction for MagSafe-based accessories beneath it. I’ve gotten utilized to cross-body camera bumps for illustration nan 1 connected nan Pixel 10, truthful I don’t mind nan caller creation prime from Apple

Apple said that utilizing this creation has made nan telephone much sturdy. But it has besides made nan 17 Pro Max heavier astatine 233 grams arsenic compared to nan 227 grams of nan iPhone 16 Pro Max. I felt nan heft of nan telephone a spot much arsenic I was juggling betwixt nan ultra-light iPhone Air and nan 17 Pro Max.

Image Credits: Ivan mehta

The institution added Ceramic Shield 2 connected nan beforehand and nan first-gen Ceramic Shield connected nan back, beneath nan camera plateau. I had shattered nan backmost of my aged iPhone 15 Pro Max, which conscionable had a textured solid layer, truthful I admit nan other protection on pinch nan aluminium framework connected nan back.

I can’t skip nan build conception without talking astir colors. I’ve sewage a metallic colored unit, which I consciousness is nan astir boring colour retired of each three. I personally for illustration nan bluish a batch more, and don’t mind nan orange, which intelligibly stands out. I usually usage my caller telephone without a case, but I scheme to effort nan caller TechWoven bluish lawsuit that’s made pinch a civilization 100% recycled polyester yarn to alteration nan look of nan phone.

And while I’ve seen many posts and videos astir really nan caller device’s backmost is susceptible to scratches, I haven’t noticed galore connected my portion arsenic of yet.

Better battery, amended performance

Apple has managed to cram much artillery into nan iPhone 17 Pro Max acknowledgment to its unibody design. I consistently sewage much than 5 hours of surface time, contempt varying usage. In position of sheer numbers, nan 17 Pro Max packs a 4,823 mAh artillery arsenic compared to 4,685 mAh successful nan iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you snag an eSIM-only type successful countries wherever it is available, you will get an moreover bigger 5,088 mAh battery, which mightiness past a spot longer than nan instrumentality pinch nan beingness SIM.

The caller creation besides brings vapor enclosure cooling to nan iPhones, which intends that your telephone will get little basking while doing resource-intensive tasks specified arsenic gaming. I played War Thunder astatine 60 FPS for an extended play of time, and arsenic compared to nan iPhone Air, nan Pro Max ran overmuch cooler.

Image Credits: Ivan Mehta

Small upgrades you’ll appreciate

Another beardown upgrade successful nan artillery section is nan accrued charging capacity.

The telephone is compatible pinch USB-PD 3.2 standards. While it is not reaching nan whacky 100W+ charging capacities of immoderate of nan Chinese manufacturers, nan caller iPhone tin theoretically complaint astatine 40W arsenic compared to 30W. This intends you tin charge your phone overmuch faster erstwhile utilizing a 40W aliases higher adapter.

The bigger telephone besides gained support for higher speed, Qi2-based wireless charging astatine 25W. If you person an accessory position astatine your activity table pinch a wireless stand, this caller apical iPhone tin return advantage of it.

The show size of nan iPhone 17 Pro Max is nan aforesaid arsenic past year’s Pro Max. But nan show gets an upgrade arsenic it tin execute a highest brightness of 3,000 nits. It besides has a caller anti-reflective coating, making it easier to usage successful brighter conditions. Beyond nan iPhone, brighter displays person been a inclination this twelvemonth pinch smartphones for illustration nan Pixel 10 Series and Honor V5 Magic, and they’re a invited addition.

Some of nan reappraisal videos show that different devices, specified arsenic nan Samsung Galaxy S25, person a amended reflective worldly connected nan screen, however.

Let’s talk cameras

The Pro iPhone models received 2 notable camera updates this year.

First, each 3 rear cameras now person a 48-megapixel sensor. The ultrawide had an upgrade past year, and this year, it’s nan telephoto lens getting a boost. (As personification who has 3 pets successful nan household, I ever admit having amended zooming capabilities, truthful I tin return candid photos of them without moving, which mightiness consequence successful a mislaid pose.)

Image Credits: Ivan mehta

Until past year, nan Pro Max had zoom options of 2x and 5x. This year, nan institution has changed its focal lengths a bit. So now you get 2x, 4x, and 8x (which is simply a 2x crop). You mightiness suffer immoderate specifications successful an 8x shot, but nan photos are mostly bully moreover astatine that level of zoom.

Phones for illustration nan Pixel 10 Series, Xiaomi 15T Pro, and nan Honor Magic V5 do connection integer zoom augmented pinch generative AI to artificially amended nan picture. But Apple conscionable offers a integer zoom of 40x without immoderate generative processing. The results aren’t thing to constitute location about, arsenic nan images are noisy and don’t person details.

While nan telephoto is simply a Pro-only update, each iPhones sewage a selfie camera upgrade pinch a caller 18-megapixel quadrate sensor. Apart from upgraded resolution, nan beforehand camera gets a Center Stage feature, which automatically zooms successful and retired and changes nan predisposition based connected nan number of group successful nan framework — without you having to do it manually. (This is very adjuvant successful nan festive play successful India, erstwhile you meet friends and group want to cram into nan frame!)

Apple gave Intelligence a miss

Despite bully upgrades to nan hardware, Apple Intelligence was hardly mentioned arsenic portion of nan caller iPhones’ release. This was a opposition compared to past year, arsenic good arsenic rival telephone launches for illustration Google’s caller Pixel lineup.

The instrumentality will person iOS 26 features, for illustration utilizing nan afloat surface arsenic discourse to inquire ChatGPT aliases Google questions astir what is connected nan screen. But location aren’t immoderate caller Apple-native AI features.

The caller Pro iPhones are besides powered by A19 Pro chips, which person amended neural performance, Apple says. This could travel successful useful for developers who are utilizing Apple’s section AI models. But we whitethorn person to hold for adjacent year’s Worldwide Developer Conference to spot if Apple gives Siri a much-awaited AI upgrade.

Who is this iPhone for?

For nan past fewer years, Apple has positioned its Pro lines of phones to assistance nan imaginative process more, isolated from being top-notch devices successful its lineup. With nan iPhone 17 Pro Max, that is moreover much truthful nan case.

With a caller design, battery, and thermal performance, creators tin sprout longer videos. Plus, nan institution introduced caller features for illustration ProRes RAW and Log 2. It besides has genlock, which allows creators to usage aggregate iPhones to return time-locked shots.

If you’re not a creator, iPhone 17 Pro Max is much of an iterative update. Just for illustration a batch of caller telephone releases each year, it doesn’t shriek that you person to update. If your telephone is much than 2 years old, however, you will spot important gains successful each departments, including artillery life, performance, screen, and camera. B

ut if you person bought a telephone aft nan iPhone 15 Pro was released, location is not arsenic overmuch logic to update.