The iPhone 17 Pro Max is set to launch later today as Apple’s biggest and most feature-loaded smartphone to date, replacing the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Whether Apple’s orchestrated launch event will be ‘awe-dropping’ or mostly meh, none of you can go wrong with the iPhone 17 Pro Max – it will have all the latest and greatest tech from Apple.
From a radical camera overhaul to a ‘new’ design (yes, a design that’s truly new!) and a substantial performance boost, Apple’s 2025 flagship is tipped to redefine the premium smartphone experience – at least that’s what the leaks and rumours have revealed so far. The obvious performance upgrade is set to give Apple’s best smartphone more ceiling to play with, all while its rivals struggle to catch up.
Hence, to fan your excitement ahead of the official unveiling, we have drawn a short comparison between the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max, detailing all the upgrades.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: All expected upgrades
There are a couple of areas where the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to portray most upgrades, starting with:
Cameras
One of the most dramatic upgrades is expected to come to the camera system. While the iPhone 16 Pro Max featured a 48MP main sensor and a 48MP ultrawide shooter along with a 12MP telephoto camera, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is rumoured to boast a true triple 48MP camera setup, with a new 48MP telephoto lens joining the array. This could allow for superior quality zoom performance, allowing ‘lossless’ digital zooming up to 8x.
The new sensors could also enable 8K video recording for the first time on an iPhone. The front-facing camera is also set to get a significant upgrade, doubling from 12MP to 24MP, thus promising sharper selfies and enhanced video calls.
Performance
As usual, the performance gains with the iPhone 17 Pro Max are projected to be substantial. Apple is rumoured to bring the new A19 Pro chip built on an advanced 3nm process, which is expected to come with a hefty 12GB of RAM. This will be a 50 per cent increase from the 8GB RAM on the previous generation iPhone 16 Pro Max, thus hinting at more on-device AI features. The extra RAM should also help with multitasking.
Battery
Battery life could see a significant improvement, too, with leaks suggesting a larger 5,000mAh battery for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. This could make it the largest battery ever in an iPhone. This, when combined with the A19 Pro’s efficiency, could set a new standard for battery stamina endurance, thereby making it a compelling choice for power users. Rumours also point to faster charging speeds.
New design
Beyond the specifications upgrade, the iPhone 17 Pro Max may also undergo a design refresh. Leaks suggest that Apple could be ditching Titanium in favour of a new ‘glass-aluminium’ finish for a more lightweight build. The triple lens camera module, which has stayed unchanged since the iPhone 11 Pro Max, is going to evolve to a new rectangular hump that captures most of the top half of the device, mimicking most Android flagships lately.
Additionally, the Dynamic Island is also rumoured to shrink slightly, providing more usable screen space. New colours are also expected to come in, with a new ‘fiery orange’ and ‘ocean blue’ colour options tipped to join the lineup.
