Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max review: maximum Pro-tein

• By Deepak Dhingra
Published On: 31 October 2025 | 19:58 IST Last Updated On: 3 November 2025 | 16:21 IST

The launch of the new iPhones each year is a festive occasion, in more ways than one. Other than the fact that the launch usually happens a little before Diwali, it’s also something we tech lovers look forward to excitedly. The usual upgrades each year come in the form of camera goodies and better performance, but this time, Apple has gone all out. For one, there’s a whole new contender that comes as the slimmest, sleekest iPhone ever — the iPhone Air (review). Then there’s the base iPhone 17 (review), which stands out as a solid update and delivers great value. And last, but not least, is the Pro series. I have the iPhone 17 Pro Max for review, which takes things to the max in all aspects. I’ll go ahead and get into the nitty-gritty of how the topmost model in the lineup fares as a daily driver, knowing fully well that this is going to be an exercise in futility. I’ll elaborate on that, but for now, please read on.

Verdict

While it is the most loaded phone from Apple this year and noteworthy just because of that, the iPhone 17 Pro Max genuinely brings a bunch of upgrades in almost all core aspects. This includes a new design, a better telephoto camera, a better selfie snapper, a new vapour chamber, better performance, improved battery life, faster charging, and more. And it delivers on most counts too.

Improved display, revamped design

It’d be weird to talk about design and not start with Cosmic Orange, the new hue that seems to have its own identity. Maybe because it’s right in front of me, but also because this colour seems quite unlike Apple, in a way that’s hard to put into words. Plus, Orange seems to be the hero colour and Apple has plastered it on hoardings across town, so it’s very identifiable with the iPhone 17 Pro series. Coming to the main thing, the design is a big part of the story this time, given how Apple has revamped it after a long time. Truth be told, I think I prefer the clean, minimal aesthetic of the predecessors, but the new one has grown on me in the time I’ve had it. The standout element this time is the large camera island (or plateau, as Apple calls it), which stretches almost from one end to the other across the phone’s width. It doesn’t look bad by any means, and combined with the orange hue, almost feels overwhelming, for want of a better word. In other shades like black or white, the 17 Pro Max looks a bit more subtle I think. Another deviation from the norm is the matte-finished portion below the camera island, which also contributes to the overall look and makes the iPhone 17 Pro series stand out from its predecessors. The placement of ports and controls is standard otherwise, and the right spine also includes the dedicated Camera Control key that debuted on the 16 series lineup last year. The device has also moved from titanium to aluminium, increasing its weight and thickness marginally as compared to the predecessor.
Moving on to the display, it’s the same 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED panel we’ve seen before. It goes up to 120Hz and features support for HDR 10 and Dolby Vision. Only this time, the peak brightness has been bumped up to 3,000 nits. Oh, and there’s also a newer-generation Ceramic Shield layer that features better scratch resistance. So not only is it more capable, the screen on the iPhone 17 Pro Max is more durable, too. The colours look great, the visuals pop, and it’s super responsive as well.

Oh shoot!

The trio of 48MP shooters on the back are an upgrade from before, with optical-like zoom being bumped up to 8X thanks to the new sensor. Camera quality is right up there, easily matching, sometimes besting images from rival flagships. The iPhones have long been regarded as the best camera smartphones, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max takes the legacy forward without breaking into sweat. You wouldn’t be able to find massive differences in image quality when comparing it with the iPhone 16 Pro / Pro Max, except for the telephoto, which gets a bump up thanks to the new 48MP sensor. There’s a new 4X optical zoom in place of the 5X featured by the predecessor. It’s hardly a downgrade, but what it does enable is a new 8X zoom achieved by cropping out images from the 4X shots. The results are pretty good. That said, the iPhone 17 Pro Max can’t really match the unbelievable digital zoom levels achieved by the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, or the ProRes Zoom seen on the Pixel 10 Pro. In terms of night shots, there’s still some flare visible around light sources, but I think it’s better than before.

But the real treat comes in the form of the front shooter. It has been bumped up to 18MP, though the true innovation is the square sensor it uses. This allows you to shoot selfies in portrait or landscape without rotating the phone. And in real-life usage, it can be a lifesaver. That, and the fact that it can detect faces in the frame and change orientation on its own, makes it quite magical. Oh, and the selfies look great too.

There are new features too, like Dual Capture, which lets you shoot with both front and rear cameras simultaneously. And yes, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is still quite unmatched when it comes to shooting video. Smooth, jitter-free footage, seamless transition between lenses while zooming, 120 FPS Dolby Vision recording in 4K, ProRES RAW video shooting… make the latest iPhone a great pocket tool for content creators.

No performance anxiety here. No battery anxiety either

On the software side of things, Apple’s mobile platform has jumped to iOS 26 directly from version 18, and the latest phones naturally come loaded up with that. Visually, the new OS is a significant change, with its glassy exterior receiving a mix of positive and negative reviews from early users who got their hands on the beta builds. Behind all that glass, core apps (including Phone, Photos, Camera, etc) have also gotten new interfaces and a new set of features. I won’t get into a lot of detail here, but I do think a few things like the Camera app needs a bit of a learning curve (despite its simpler look). Also, Apple needs to do a bit more on the AI features front, as Apple Intelligence can’t really match what the likes of Samsung and Google are offering on their phones at the moment. All said and done however, most things on the software side come as a step in the right direction, and Apple being Apple, is bound to iron out the chinks, if any, with regular updates.

With Apple’s A19 Pro SoC at the helm, this time with 12 gigs of RAM at its disposal, can performance really be an issue? It’s a rhetorical question, of course. The iPhone 17 Pro Max scores very high on most synthetic benchmarks, and while it might not top the charts, I don’t think one should really care about these beyond a point. More importantly, the fact that there’s a new vapour chamber in there for cooling makes a world of difference, offering high levels of sustained performance, and the phone seems to keep its cool even when it’s being charged or used for shooting while out and about in the sun. And these are all meaningful, real-world benefits. However, does the inclusion of the vapour chamber mean Apple is now eying the gaming audience more aggressively than before? Time will tell.
There’s more good news on the battery front. Having used the 16 Pro Max extensively, I can say with confidence that the battery life on the iPhone 17 Pro feels like a big step up. I’ve limited the battery charging levels via settings such that it doesn’t go over 90 percent (to maintain battery health for longer), and even then, I usually found myself returning home with over 30 percent left in the tank after a long day’s use. And even in days which saw heavier, extensive usage of battery draining features like hotspot, GPS navigation and gaming, I barely felt the need for a top-up charge. Thanks to support for 25W Qi2 wireless and 40W wired charging, the iPhone 17 Pro Max charges much faster than its predecessor. While it still can’t match the likes of OnePlus and Vivo in terms of charging speeds, I’d say it’s still a big improvement compared to before.

Final Verdict

Each year, when I review the latest flagship iPhone, the foremost question in my mind is, how different is it from last year. And whether buying it makes sense or not. especially when the buying part involves spending a whole lot of money.

Apple has been trying to position its pro series of iPhones as content creator tools over the years. And the same has been largely true, given that these devices have been the go-to for content creators for a fairly long period of time. That’s mainly because of the video capabilities, of course, and the iPhone, especially the pro models, have been known for that. Even if you look at the messaging that Apple has been putting out over the last couple of years, you’d see the Pro Max being used as a filmmaking tool, and features like cinematic video. et cetera, are a step in the same direction. With the new Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, the Cupertino company is trying to take things to a whole new level, and given the video capabilities on offer, the new vapour chamber, powerful processor, etc, I think it largely succeeds in that.

So coming back to the point at hand, I’d say that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s key rivals are its own siblings, more than the other flagships currently available in the market. The iPhone 17 is a great value for what it brings to the table, while the iPhone Air appears as an interesting new proposition for the more lifestyle-focused audience. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is the epitome of Apple’s smartphone might, and offers an upgrade in almost all departments — design, display, cameras, performance, battery, and more. Yours starting Rs 1,49,900, it’s not cheap, but that doesn’t come as a surprise. And if you’re one of those who want one just because it’s the best Apple has to offer, you’ve already made up your mind anyway. In which case, I wonder why you’re reading this at all. In sum, the 17 Pro Max is the biggest upgrade in the iPhone lineup in years, and is well worth splurging if you can afford it.

Editor’s rating: 8.5 / 10

Reasons to buy:

• The new vapour chamber keeps things cool, and helps offer better sustained performance
• The telephoto and selfie snappers have been upgraded significantly
• The design looks standout and different
• The battery life is good, and the phone charges faster too

Reasons not to buy:

• The digital zoom can’t match rivals
• Apple Intelligence should offer more
• The phone is a bit thciker and heavier than its predecessor
• It’s pricey, but that doesn’t come as a surprise