When Apple announced its thin and light iPhone Air, some people said, “Who asked for a thinner phone?” Moments later, the company went in the other direction and announced a slightly thicker and bulkier iPhone 17 Pro lineup.
With this, Apple did what those people had wanted: It made a phone with a thicker form factor to accommodate a larger battery, leading to better performance. Out of the new iPhones, the Pro phones received more iterative updates (unless you count the new orange color). But people who buy these phones will still reap the benefits.
The build
The first thing that you’ll notice with the iPhone 17 Pro is the new unibody build with aluminum, alongside a new camera bump design on the back with space for MagSafe-based accessories below it. I’ve gotten used to cross-body camera bumps like the one on the Pixel 10, so I don’t mind the new design choice from Apple.
Apple said that using this design has made the phone more sturdy. But it has also made the 17 Pro Max heavier at 233 grams as compared to the 227 grams of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. I felt the heft of the phone a bit more as I was juggling between the ultra-light iPhone Air and the 17 Pro Max.
Image Credits:Ivan Mehta
The company added Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and the first-gen Ceramic Shield on the back, below the camera plateau. I had shattered the back of my old iPhone 15 Pro Max, which just had a textured glass layer, so I appreciate the extra protection along with the aluminum frame on the back.
I can’t wrap the build section without talking about colors. I’ve got a silver-colored unit, which I feel is the most boring color out of all three. I personally like the blue a lot more, and don’t mind the orange, which clearly stands out. I usually use my new phone without a case, but I plan to try the new TechWoven blue case that’s made with a custom 100% recycled polyester yarn to change the look of the phone.
And while I’ve seen many posts and videos about how the new device’s back is susceptible to scratches, I haven’t noticed many on my unit as of yet.
Better battery, better performance
Apple has managed to cram more battery into the iPhone 17 Pro Max thanks to its unibody design. I consistently got more than five hours of screen time, despite varying usage. In terms of sheer numbers, the 17 Pro Max packs a 4,823 mAh battery as compared to 4,685 mAh in the iPhone 16 Pro Max. If you snag an eSIM-only version in countries where it is available, you will get an even bigger 5,088 mAh battery, which might last a bit longer than the device with the physical SIM.
The new design also brings vapor chamber cooling to the iPhones, which means that your phone will get less hot while doing resource-intensive tasks such as gaming. I played War Thunder at 60 FPS for an extended period of time, and as compared to the iPhone Air, the Pro Max ran much cooler.
Image Credits:Ivan Mehta
Small upgrades you’ll appreciate
Another strong upgrade in the battery department is the increased charging capacity.
The phone is compatible with USB-PD 3.2 standards. While it is not reaching the whacky 100W+ charging capacities of some of the Chinese manufacturers, the new iPhone can theoretically charge at 40W as compared to 30W. This means you can charge your phone much faster when using a 40W or higher adapter.
The bigger phone also gained support for higher speed, Qi2-based wireless charging at 25W. If you have an accessory station at your work desk with a wireless stand, this new top iPhone can take advantage of it.
The display size of the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the same as last year’s Pro Max. But the display gets an upgrade as it can achieve a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It also has a new anti-reflective coating, making it easier to use in brighter conditions. Beyond the iPhone, brighter displays have been a trend this year with smartphones like the Pixel 10 Series and Honor V5 Magic, and they’re a welcome addition.
Some of the review videos show that other devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S25, have a better reflective material on the screen, however.
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 ultrawide had an upgrade last year, and this year, it’s the telephoto lens getting a boost. (As someone who has three pets in the household, I always appreciate having better zooming capabilities, so I can take candid photos of them without moving, which might result in a lost pose.)
Image Credits:Ivan Mehta
Until last year, the Pro Max had zoom options of 2x and 5x. This year, the company has changed its focal lengths a bit. So now you get 2x, 4x, and 8x (which is a 2x crop). You might lose some details in an 8x shot, but 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 do offer digital zoom augmented with generative AI to artificially improve the picture. But Apple just offers a digital zoom of 40x without any generative processing. The results aren’t anything to write home about, as the images are noisy and don’t have details.
While the telephoto is a Pro-only update, all iPhones got a selfie camera upgrade with a new 18-megapixel square sensor. Apart from upgraded resolution, the front camera gets a Center Stage feature, which automatically zooms in and out and changes the orientation based on the number of people in the frame — without you having to do it manually. (This is very helpful in the festive season in India, when you meet friends and people want to cram into the frame!)
Apple gave Intelligence a miss
Despite nice upgrades to the hardware, Apple Intelligence was hardly mentioned as part of the new iPhones’ release. This was a contrast compared to last year, as well as rival phone launches like Google’s new Pixel lineup.
The device will receive iOS 26 features, like using the full screen as context to ask ChatGPT or Google questions about what is on the screen. But there aren’t any new Apple-native AI features.
The new Pro iPhones are also powered by A19 Pro chips, which have better neural performance, Apple says. This could come in handy for developers who are using Apple’s local AI models. But we may have to wait for next year’s Worldwide Developer Conference to see if Apple gives Siri a much-awaited AI upgrade.
Who is this iPhone for?
For the last few years, Apple has positioned its Pro lines of phones to aid the creative process more, apart from being top-notch devices in its lineup. With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, that is even more so the case.
With a new design, battery, and thermal performance, creators can shoot longer videos. Plus, the company introduced new features like ProRes RAW and Log 2. It also has genlock, which allows creators to use multiple iPhones to take time-locked shots.
If you’re not a creator, iPhone 17 Pro Max is more of an iterative update. Just like a lot of new phone releases every year, it doesn’t scream that you have to update. If your phone is more than two years old, however, 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.