When Apple introduced its skinny and light-weight iPhone Air, some folks mentioned, “Who requested for a thinner cellphone?” Moments later, the corporate went within the different route and introduced a barely thicker and bulkier iPhone 17 Professional lineup.
With this, Apple did what these folks had needed: It made a cellphone with a thicker type issue to accommodate a bigger battery, main to higher efficiency. Out of the brand new iPhones, the Professional telephones acquired extra iterative updates (except you rely the brand new orange colour). However individuals who purchase these telephones will nonetheless reap the advantages.
The construct
The very first thing that you simply’ll discover with the iPhone 17 Professional is the brand new unibody construct with aluminum, alongside a brand new digicam bump design on the again with house for MagSafe-based equipment beneath it. I’ve gotten used to cross-body digicam bumps just like the one on the Pixel 10, so I don’t thoughts the brand new design selection from Apple.
Apple mentioned that utilizing this design has made the cellphone extra sturdy. Nevertheless it has additionally made the 17 Professional Max heavier at 233 grams as in comparison with the 227 grams of the iPhone 16 Professional Max. I felt the heft of the cellphone a bit extra as I used to be juggling between the ultra-light iPhone Air and the 17 Professional Max.
The corporate added Ceramic Protect 2 on the entrance and the first-gen Ceramic Protect on the again, beneath the digicam plateau. I had shattered the again of my previous iPhone 15 Professional Max, which simply had a textured glass layer, so I recognize the additional safety together with the aluminum body on the again.
I can’t wrap the construct part with out speaking about colours. I’ve obtained a silver-colored unit, which I really feel is essentially the most boring colour out of all three. I personally just like the blue much more, and don’t thoughts the orange, which clearly stands out. I normally use my new cellphone with no case, however I plan to strive the brand new TechWoven blue case that’s made with a customized 100% recycled polyester yarn to vary the look of the cellphone.
And whereas I’ve seen many posts and videos about how the brand new machine’s again is vulnerable to scratches, I haven’t observed many on my unit as of but.
Higher battery, higher efficiency
Apple has managed to cram extra battery into the iPhone 17 Professional Max because of its unibody design. I constantly obtained greater than 5 hours of display screen time, regardless of various utilization. When it comes to sheer numbers, the 17 Professional Max packs a 4,823 mAh battery as in comparison with 4,685 mAh within the iPhone 16 Professional Max. Should you snag an eSIM-only model in international locations the place it’s out there, you’re going to get a fair greater 5,088 mAh battery, which could final a bit longer than the machine with the bodily SIM.
The brand new design additionally brings vapor chamber cooling to the iPhones, which implies that your cellphone will get much less sizzling whereas doing resource-intensive duties resembling gaming. I performed War Thunder at 60 FPS for an prolonged time period, and as in comparison with the iPhone Air, the Professional Max ran a lot cooler.
Small upgrades you’ll recognize
One other robust improve within the battery division is the elevated charging capability.
The cellphone is suitable with USB-PD 3.2 requirements. Whereas it isn’t reaching the whacky 100W+ charging capacities of a number of the Chinese language producers, the brand new iPhone can theoretically cost at 40W as in comparison with 30W. This implies you possibly can charge your phone a lot sooner when utilizing a 40W or increased adapter.
The larger cellphone additionally gained help for increased pace, Qi2-based wi-fi charging at 25W. You probably have an adjunct station at your work desk with a wi-fi stand, this new prime iPhone can make the most of it.
The show measurement of the iPhone 17 Professional Max is similar as final 12 months’s Professional Max. However the show will get an improve as it could actually obtain a peak brightness of three,000 nits. It additionally has a brand new anti-reflective coating, making it simpler to make use of in brighter circumstances. Past the iPhone, brighter shows have been a pattern this 12 months with smartphones just like the Pixel 10 Sequence and Honor V5 Magic, they usually’re a welcome addition.
Among the overview movies present that different gadgets, such because the Samsung Galaxy S25, have a greater reflective materials on the display screen, nevertheless.
Let’s discuss cameras
The Professional iPhone fashions acquired two notable digicam updates this 12 months.
First, all three rear cameras now have a 48-megapixel sensor. The ultrawide had an improve final 12 months, and this 12 months, it’s the telephoto lens getting a lift. (As somebody who has three pets within the family, I at all times recognize having higher zooming capabilities, so I can take candid pictures of them with out shifting, which could end in a misplaced pose.)
Till final 12 months, the Professional Max had zoom choices of 2x and 5x. This 12 months, the corporate has modified its focal lengths a bit. So now you get 2x, 4x, and 8x (which is a 2x crop). You would possibly lose some particulars in an 8x shot, however the pictures are typically good even at that stage of zoom.
Telephones just like the Pixel 10 Sequence, Xiaomi 15T Professional, and the Honor Magic V5 do provide digital zoom augmented with generative AI to artificially enhance the image. However Apple simply gives a digital zoom of 40x with none generative processing. The outcomes aren’t something to jot down dwelling about, as the pictures are noisy and don’t have particulars.
Whereas the telephoto is a Professional-only replace, all iPhones obtained a selfie digicam improve with a brand new 18-megapixel sq. sensor. Other than upgraded decision, the entrance digicam will get a Center Stage feature, which mechanically zooms out and in and adjustments the orientation based mostly on the variety of folks within the body — with out you having to do it manually. (That is very useful within the festive season in India, once you meet mates and other people need to cram into the body!)
Apple gave Intelligence a miss
Regardless of good upgrades to the {hardware}, Apple Intelligence was hardly talked about as a part of the brand new iPhones’ launch. This was a distinction in comparison with final 12 months, in addition to rival cellphone launches like Google’s new Pixel lineup.
The machine will obtain iOS 26 options, like utilizing the total display screen as context to ask ChatGPT or Google questions on what’s on the display screen. However there aren’t any new Apple-native AI options.
The brand new Professional iPhones are additionally powered by A19 Professional chips, which have higher neural efficiency, Apple says. This might come in useful for builders who’re utilizing Apple’s native AI fashions. However we could have to attend for subsequent 12 months’s Worldwide Developer Convention to see if Apple offers Siri a much-awaited AI improve.
Who is that this iPhone for?
For the previous few years, Apple has positioned its Professional traces of telephones to assist the artistic course of extra, other than being top-notch gadgets in its lineup. With the iPhone 17 Professional Max, that’s much more so the case.
With a brand new design, battery, and thermal efficiency, creators can shoot longer movies. Plus, the corporate launched new options like ProRes RAW and Log 2. It additionally has genlock, which permits creators to make use of a number of iPhones to take time-locked pictures.
Should you’re not a creator, iPhone 17 Professional Max is extra of an iterative replace. Identical to plenty of new cellphone releases yearly, it doesn’t scream that it’s a must to replace. In case your cellphone is greater than two years previous, nevertheless, you will note substantial features in all departments, together with battery life, efficiency, display screen, and digicam. However if in case you have purchased a cellphone after the iPhone 15 Professional was launched, there may be not as a lot motive to replace.