Apple’s new iPhone 17 Pro Max prioritizes advanced hardware and endurance, featuring a vapor chamber cooling system and record-setting battery life, while its artificial intelligence capabilities remain notably understated.
The device delivers the longest battery life ever recorded for an iPhone, with tests showing up to 37 hours of continuous video playback and nearly 17.5 hours of web navigation. This performance positions it well ahead of many Android competitors. It also supports faster wired charging, reaching 50% capacity in approximately 20 minutes with a 40-watt adapter, alongside 25-watt MagSafe and Qi2 wireless options.
A significant internal upgrade is the introduction of a vapor chamber cooling system, a first for an iPhone and a feature common in Android devices. This system aims to maintain sustained performance during intensive tasks like gaming or video editing. Despite this, some testing indicated the phone heated more than expected during prolonged gaming sessions.
Targeting content creators and video professionals, the iPhone 17 Pro Max features a “Pro Fusion” camera system with three 48-megapixel sensors for the main, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses. The main lens boasts an f/1.78 aperture, while the telephoto offers 4x optical zoom and an 8x “optical quality” mode. Advanced video recording includes 4K Dolby Vision at up to 120 frames per second, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and ACES compatibility, along with a Genlock function for multi-camera synchronization. An 18-megapixel Center Stage front camera adapts framing automatically for group selfies and video calls.
The phone introduces an all-new aluminum unibody chassis, replacing the titanium used in the previous iPhone 16 Pro Max. This design choice results in a lighter device with improved heat dissipation and superior rigidity. Both the front and back are protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple claims offers three times greater scratch resistance and four times greater drop protection. The 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display now reaches a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, an increase from 2,000 nits, and includes a new anti-reflective layer for enhanced outdoor visibility.
Powered by the A19 Pro chip, built on a 3-nanometer process, the device features a 6-core CPU and a 6-core GPU with hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Its 16-core Neural Engine delivers a 30% boost in AI and machine learning tasks. However, the overall integration of artificial intelligence, including features like Live Translation and Visual Intelligence in iOS 26, remains discreet. A fully generative AI-powered Siri is not expected until 2026.
Starting at approximately $1,600, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is positioned as a premium offering for demanding users who prioritize hardware performance, image quality, and durability. While it represents a solid upgrade for users of older iPhone models, those with an iPhone 15 Pro Max or 16 Pro Max may not find an immediate need to transition.