iPhone 17 Pro Max review: Orange, you’re glad the battery is bigger

When Apple announced… iPhone Air is thin and lightSome people said: Who asked for a thinner phone? Moments later, the company went the other way and announced a slightly thicker and larger iPhone 17 Pro lineup.

With this, Apple did what those people wanted: it made a phone with a thicker form factor to accommodate a larger battery, which results in better performance. Among the new iPhones, the Pro phones have received more iterative updates (unless you count the new orange color). But people who buy these phones will continue to reap the benefits.

Construction

The first thing you’ll notice with the iPhone 17 Pro is the new aluminum unibody, along with a new camera bump design on the back with space for MagSafe-based accessories underneath. I’m used to cross-body camera notches like the ones on the Pixel 10, so I wouldn’t mind opting for Apple’s new design.

Apple said that using this design made the phone more powerful. But it also made the 17 Pro Max heavier at 233g compared to 227g for the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The phone felt a little more heavy when I was switching between the ultra-light iPhone Air and the 17 Pro Max.

The company has added Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and the first generation Ceramic Shield on the back, below the camera plateau. I smashed the back of my old iPhone 15 Pro Max, which just had a textured glass layer, so I appreciate the extra protection combined with the aluminum frame on the back.

I can’t skip the construction section without talking about the colors. I got a silver unit, which I feel is the most boring color out of the three. Personally, I like the blue much better, and I don’t mind the orange, which stands out clearly. I usually use my new phone without a case, but I plan to try out the new one TechWen Blue case made from 100% recycled polyester yarn to change the look of your phone.

And while I saw a lot Supports and videos As for how scratchy the back of the new device is, I haven’t noticed much on my unit yet.

Better battery and better performance

Apple has managed to cram more battery into the iPhone 17 Pro Max thanks to its unibody design. I always got more than five hours of screen time, although usage varied. In terms of absolute numbers, the 17 Pro Max has a 4,823 mAh battery compared to the 4,685 mAh in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you get the eSIM-only version in countries where it’s available, you’ll get a larger 5,088mAh battery, which may last a little longer than a device with a physical SIM card.

The new design also provides vapor chamber cooling for iPhones, meaning your phone will get less hot while doing resource-intensive tasks like gaming. I played War thunder At 60fps for an extended period of time, and compared to the iPhone Air, the Pro Max performed cooler.

Small upgrades you’ll appreciate

Another solid upgrade in the battery department is the increased charging capacity.

The phone is compatible with USB-PD 3.2 standards. Although it doesn’t reach the exotic 100W+ charging capabilities of some Chinese manufacturers, the new iPhone can theoretically charge at 40W compared to 30W. This means you can Charge your phone Much faster when using a 40W or higher adapter.

The larger phone also gets support for 25W Qi2-based high-speed wireless charging. If you have an accessory station at your work desk with a wireless stand, this new iPhone can take advantage of it.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s screen size is the same as last year’s Pro Max. But the screen has gotten an upgrade as it can achieve a brightness of up to 3,000 nits. It also has a new anti-reflective coating, making it easier to use in brighter conditions. Aside from the iPhone, brighter displays have been a trend this year with smartphones like the Pixel 10 Series and Honor V5 Magic, which is a welcome addition.

Some review videos show that other devices, like the Samsung Galaxy S25, have better reflective material on the screen.

Let’s talk cameras

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

First, all three rear cameras now have a 48-megapixel sensor. The ultra-wide lens was upgraded last year, and this year, the telephoto lens gets a boost. (As someone who has three pets at home, I always appreciate having better zoom capabilities, so I can take candid photos of them without them moving, which can lead to loss of mode.)

Until last year, the Pro Max had 2x and 5x zoom options. This year, the company has changed its focal lengths a bit. Now you get 2x, 4x, and 8x (which is a 2x crop). You may lose some detail in the 8x shot, but images are generally good even at this zoom level.

Phones like the Pixel 10 Series, Xiaomi 15T Pro, and Honor Magic V5 offer digital zoom augmented by generative AI to artificially enhance the image. But Apple only offers up to 40x digital zoom without any generative processing. The results are nothing to write home about, as the images are grainy and lacking in detail.

While the telephoto camera is a pro-only update, all iPhones have gotten an upgrade to the selfie camera with a new 18MP square sensor. Apart from the improved resolution, the front camera gets Center stage featurewhich automatically zooms in and out and changes orientation based on the number of people in the frame — without you having to do it manually. (This is very useful during the festive season in India, when you meet friends and people want to burst into the frame!)

Apple has got the smarts wrong

Despite the good hardware upgrades, Apple Intelligence was barely mentioned As part of the release of new iPhones. This was the opposite Compared to last yearIn addition to launching competing phones such as Google’s new Pixel lineup.

The device will receive ios26 features, Like using full screen as a context to ask ChatGPT or Google questions about what’s on the screen. But there aren’t any new AI features from Apple.

Apple says the new iPhone Pro devices are also powered by the A19 Pro chipset, which has better neural performance. This may be useful for Developers using Apple’s native AI models. But we may have to wait for next year’s Worldwide Developers Conference to find out if Apple will give Siri a long-awaited AI upgrade.

Who is this iPhone for?

Over the past few years, Apple has been positioning its professional phone lines to further aid the creative process, apart from being top-tier devices in its lineup. With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, this is even more the case.

And with a new design, battery and thermal performance, content creators can shoot longer videos. In addition, the company introduced new features like ProRes RAW and Log 2. It also did that Genlockwhich allows creators to use multiple iPhones to capture timed shots.

If you’re not creative, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is just an iterative update. Just like a lot of new phone releases every year, there’s no need to update. However, if your phone is more than two years old, you’ll see significant gains in all departments, including battery life, performance, display, and camera. for

But if you bought a phone after the iPhone 15 Pro was released, there’s not much reason to upgrade.