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Need To Knows
- Bigger camera bump and new colour options
- Brighter display by 1000 nits
- New A19 Pro chip
- 4GBs more RAM
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has landed and, as always, the inevitable question follows: how much has actually changed compared to last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max? Is it worth the upgrade? Or is this just another iterative upgrade?
Well, I’ve spent far too long poring over both spec sheets and eyeing up the marketing fluff in order to bring you a comprehensive comparison between the two. So if you’re wondering whether the new big boy from Cupertino deserves your cash (or your trade-in), here’s what you need to know.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max At A Glance
| Feature | iPhone 16 Pro Max | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | A18 Pro | A19 Pro |
| RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
| Storage Options | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Rear Camera | 48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto (5x optical zoom) | 48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom) |
| Front Camera | 12MP | 18MP with Centre Stage |
| Display | 6.9″, 2868×1320, 2,000 nits peak outdoor | 6.9″, 2868×1320, 3,000 nits peak outdoor |
| Battery Life | Up to 33 hours video playback | Up to 37 hours video playback |
| Charging | MagSafe, Qi wireless, USB-C | MagSafe, Qi2 wireless, USB-C |
| Body Material | Titanium | Aluminium |
| Weight | 227g | 231g |
| Wireless | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Apple N1 chip |
| OS | iOS 26 | iOS 26 |
| Price | $1,199/£1,199 | $1,199/£1,199 |
Design and Build: Aluminium is the New Titanium?
First up, the design. Apple has swapped out titanium for an aluminium unibody on the iPhone 17 Pro Max after two generations. Interestingly, this hasn’t resulted in a lighter phone as the 17 Pro Max is about four grams heavier, which is likely down to a larger battery size.
The lack of titanium will be a slight letdown for some. It did undoubtedly give the 16 Pro Max a more premium feel and sense of gravitas. But the aluminium will look and feel very similar. Whether this can be classed as a downgrade is really up to personal preference. The Ceramic Shield 2 front and back glass should improve durability on the 17 Pro Max, though, when it comes to drops.
Related: Read my iPhone 16 Pro Max review here!
The new Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue finishes are the boldest moves Apple has taken for some time now when it comes to visual design. I actually really like them, especially the orange, after years of drab black, white and grey options.
The dimensions have crept up slightly, too. The 17 Pro Max is a tad thicker and about four grams heavier than the 16 Pro Max. It’s not drastic, but the Pro Max model is already a chunky phone, so there isn’t a lot of room to play with here.
Aside from that, the glaring difference is the camera bump. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has an almost full-width raised camera bump instead of the squared-off ones in the corner we can see on the 16 Pro Max. Again, it’s really a minor detail and up to personal preference in the end whether this bothers you.
Display: Same Screen, Just Brighter
Both phones sport a 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display with a resolution of 2868×1320 and all the usual Apple stuff. We’re talking ProMotion, Always-On, HDR support, and Dynamic Island. On paper, it’s largely the same panel.
The difference? Brightness. The iPhone 17 Pro Max can crank things up to 3,000 nits in peak conditions, which is significantly brighter than the 2,000 nits offered by the 16 Pro Max. If you’re constantly squinting at your screen outdoors or live somewhere that gets more sun than the UK, this is a useful upgrade and one that catches Apple up with competitor flagships.
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Indoors, though? You’re unlikely to notice a huge difference, unless you’re really hunting for colour definition when watching content or gaming. All-in-all, nothing much to see here.
Performance: The A19 Pro Arrives
The new A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Pro Max is more powerful and more efficient than the A18 Pro in the 16 Pro Max. At risk of stating the obvious, that’s just how these things work. Every year (usually), Apple brings out a new chip, and it is incrementally better than the last.
Both chips have the same specs: 6-core GPU, 6-core CPU and a 16-core neural engine, but Apple is claiming some minor gains in performance in some very specific and most irrelevant ways. Oh, and the neural engine has been redesigned to better cope with performing AI tasks. There’s hardware-accelerated ray tracing for those who care about gaming, and it’s backed by what appears to be 4GBs more RAM and storage options up to 2TB.
Check out my standard iPhone 16 review!
In reality, if you’re using your phone for Instagram, email, and the occasional photo edit, you won’t notice much of a difference. But if you’re shooting ProRes RAW video, editing on-device, or pushing your phone with AI tasks, this chip will give you more headroom and better thermal performance under load. Even then, 99% won’t notice a difference.
Cameras: More Zoom and (Some) More Megapixels
There are two main changes to note when it comes to the camera system. The first is the 48MP telephoto camera in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, compared to 12MP in the 16 Pro Max. That telephoto system in the 17 now supports 4x (100mm) and 8x (200mm) optical-quality zoom using a new tetraprism design and 3D sensor-shift stabilisation.
Compare that to the 16 Pro Max, which maxes out at 5x optical zoom and you have a fairly significant improvement in what was an already very strong area for Apple. If you like your zoom, then the 17 Pro Max wins out. Across the rest of the board, the main and ultra-wide cameras remain at 48MP each as before.
The best smartphone camera? Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review
The front camera has also had a bump from 12MP to 18MP and now features Centre Stage for video calls. Center Stage automatically keeps the speaker in the middle of the frame which is a nice touch for anyone who spends a lot of time on FaceTime or Zoom.
Battery Life and Charging: Slightly More Juice
The battery in the 17 Pro Max is bigger by a few 100 mAh and, combined with the more efficient A19 Pro chip, offers slightly better endurance. Apple claims up to 37 hours of video playback, compared to 33 on the 16 Pro Max. If true, that’s a small but decent gain and places the new iPhone above the likes of the Samsung S25 Ultra.
Want a long battery? Read my OnePlus 13 review
Charging remains mostly the same, although the 17 Pro Max supports updated wireless charging standards like Qi2, which will deliver faster charging times. Notably, Apple did not use a silicon carbide battery, which Android competitors have started to integrate. Silicon carbide battery technology allows for more capacity inside the same-sized space, but we’ll have to wait until next year to see if Apple pulls the trigger.
Connectivity and Features: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and AI
The 17 Pro Max brings in Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, alongside Apple’s latest N1 networking chip. It’s supposedly faster, more stable, and better at juggling multiple network connections and could be responsible for some of the increased battery performance. The addition of Bluetooth 6 also brings the iPhone up to speed with most other flagships on the market.
Apple Intelligence also gets a slightly more integrated role in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but overall, Apple has been pretty silent on specifics here so far. It means on-device AI tasks should be faster and more capable. Apple Intelligence itself isn’t exclusive to the 17 Pro Max and is available on the 16 Pro Max, so that shouldn’t factor into your buying decision.
Should You Upgrade?
If you’re using an iPhone 15 Pro Max or older, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a fairly meaningful upgrade. Not game-changing by any means, but you could justify it. You get better zoom, a brighter screen, faster performance, and more battery life.
But if you already have the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the case for upgrading is much less compelling. Most of the changes are quality-of-life improvements as we’ve come to expect these days, as smartphones have reached a plateau. Unless you need that improved zoom or crave the brighter display, you’re not missing out on much by sitting tight for another year or two, or three.
That advice also applies if you’re looking at buying one of these two phones. If you can pick up a 16 Pro Max for a discount, then it is absolutely worth it over the 17 Pro Max.
Long term iPhone 15 Pro Max review
Ultimately, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a very capable successor to the 16 Pro Max. It refines several key areas, adds headroom for power users, and brings the sort of upgrades that’ll matter to a select few. For everyone else, it’s a continuation of Apple’s familiar formula.
As always, the decision to upgrade will come down to what you value most. And whether you can resist the allure of that Cosmic Orange finish *clicks add to cart*.
