It’s no secret that the iPhone has matured, with dramatic improvements now arriving solely each a number of years. The common iPhone 17 adopting previous Professional exclusives is a transparent admission that we’re approaching the iPhone’s remaining type. As such, Professional customers on an annual improve cycle usually discover little to be impressed by—and this 12 months seems to be no totally different.
Whereas one might simply distinguish the iPhone 16 Professional Max from the 17 Professional Max visually, the precise upgrades this 12 months are comparatively restricted. Past the overhauled chassis, informal customers will possible discover the sharper telephoto and selfie cameras—and some different apparent adjustments. Regardless of this, I made a decision to improve from final 12 months’s flagship to the iPhone 17 Professional Max, and I don’t remorse it one bit.
An entire lot of megapixels
Arguably, the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s most notable purposeful improve is its new digital camera capabilities. With this launch, Apple boosted the telephoto lens from 12MP to a whopping 48MP, placing it on par with the vast and ultrawide rear lenses. This unlocks larger optical and digital zoom ranges, letting customers seize from afar—whereas nonetheless sustaining particulars and readability.
The iPhone 16 Professional Max helps 5x optical and as much as 25x digital zooms. In the meantime, the iPhone 17 Professional Max presents superior 4x and 8x optical zooms as a result of higher-resolution sensor and bumps the utmost digital zoom restrict to 40x. Extra importantly, it addresses the pixelation problem I’ve lengthy complained about. Now, not solely do I get an extended zoom vary, however my iPhone additionally outputs considerably crisper pictures. If the numbers don’t sound too thrilling, you’ll be able to head to the devoted article, the place I evaluate telephoto pictures taken with my iPhone 16 Professional Max and 17 Professional Max.
The iPhone 17 Professional Max’s digital camera system is an even bigger improve than it appears.
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One other notable digital camera improve over the iPhone 16 Professional Max is the all-new front-facing lens. Not solely has its pixel decision been raised from 12MP to 18MP, however it has additionally gained new options that simplify taking selfies. Whereas Instagram needs to normalize taking pictures in portrait orientation, I sometimes lean to panorama pictures, as they present extra of my environment.
Due to its sq. sensor, the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s entrance digital camera now lets me take panorama pictures whereas holding my cellphone vertically, and it’s tremendous handy. It additionally introduces Middle Stage help, which retains me in body throughout video calls. That’s to not point out the helpful Twin Seize perk that information movies utilizing the entrance and rear cameras concurrently.
Talking of images, the iPhone 17 Professional Max treatments a significant Digital camera Management button annoyance. Beforehand, the button was laborious to search out with out trying on the iPhone’s body, as it’s flush with it and shares an analogous really feel. Whereas it nonetheless doesn’t protrude, its edge is now extra distinguished, letting you shortly find it by simply touching round. Equally, clicking the Digital camera Management button not requires as a lot strain. This makes it simpler to launch the assigned photo-taking app and shoot with out essentially shaking the cellphone or messing up the composition.
Total, iPhone 17 Professional Max lastly refines the images expertise, with polished entrance and rear cameras, and next-gen options.
Shields up
The iPhone 17 Professional Max’s exterior design refresh is one more reason my improve has been justifiable. Whereas final 12 months’s titanium physique is extra sturdy than the brand new aluminum, the latter steel feels smoother and is extra proof against fingerprints. It’s not simply concerning the steel sort, nonetheless.
The brand new design brings extra symmetry to the iPhone by adopting an equal variety of microphone and speaker grill holes on either side of the USB-C port. Likewise, the plateau provides extra consistency to the rear aspect by stretching the digital camera bump horizontally throughout the entire again.
The iPhone 17 Professional Max is far stronger due to a brand new body a Ceramic Defend 2.
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Maybe the perfect a part of the redesign is the decreased use of glass on the again aspect. Beforehand, iPhones have been primarily delicate glass sandwiches {that a} single drop might doubtlessly shatter. Now, the non-metallic rear half is proscribed to a stronger Ceramic Defend rectangle masking the wi-fi charging spot. So, you’re much less prone to crack a caseless iPhone’s again.
Talking of the Ceramic Defend, the display screen itself is now protected by the second technology of the fabric, contributing to larger scratch resistance. The show has additionally elevated the height outside brightness from 2,000 to three,000 nits, making on-screen content material extra legible on sunny days.
The revamped construct lastly makes the iPhone 17 Professional Max much less liable to cracks and extra aesthetically pleasing, retiring the dated Professional look of the previous six years.
Internal magnificence
The iPhone 17 Professional Max’s design adjustments aren’t restricted to what you’ll be able to see. Apple has additionally rearranged its inner elements and launched new ones to increase its battery life and reduce overheating.
The eSIM-only iPhone 17 Professional Max variant lastly makes use of the bodily SIM card’s house to stretch the battery. In actual fact, this mannequin boasts the longest battery life ever on an iPhone. The cellphone additionally helps sooner charging speeds, a welcome improve for anybody always on the transfer.
Provided that the iPhone 15 Professional and 16 Professional fashions suffered from overheating points, the iPhone 17 Professional lastly incorporates a vapor chamber. This considerably helps settle down the cellphone when working intensive duties, because it dissipates the heat throughout the physique. Whereas my iPhone 17 Professional Max can get a bit heat when utilizing it in direct daylight, the excessive temperature is not concentrated in a single spot, making it rather more snug to carry.
It’s a small change, however the speaker gap symmetry is a welcome sight.
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The final word maturity
Switching from an iPhone 16 Professional Max to a 17 Professional Max might not really feel as alluring as upgrading from older fashions. The longer you wait between upgrades, the extra noticeable the cumulative enhancements change into. However, the iPhone 17 Professional Max nonetheless appears like a worthwhile step ahead for me.
The principle iOS 26 options are similar, and my on a regular basis expertise stays largely the identical. But with its refined cameras, recent design, improved thermal administration, and longer battery life, the iPhone now feels actually full. My workflows haven’t modified, however the system itself has lastly reached the top of reliability.
