The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a new design, major camera upgrades, loads of power, a vapor chamber, and some of the best battery life you’ll find in a phone, though the screen hasn’t been changed much.
Pros
- Useful camera upgrades
- A vapor chamber
- Superb battery life
Cons
- Little change to the screen
- New design could be divisive
- Bigger and heavier than iPhone 16 Pro Max
The iPhone 16 Pro Max remains a superb smartphone, with more power than most users will need and good all-round specs. But its cameras, performance, and battery life can’t match that of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Pros
- Iconic design
- Very powerful
- Great screen
Cons
- Only a 12MP telephoto camera
- No vapor chamber
- No 2TB model
iPhones don’t always get huge upgrades over their predecessors, but Apple has really shaken things up this year, making some of the biggest changes to the lineup in a long time.
Sure, there aren’t any new buttons this time around, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max has had a visual overhaul from the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and there are even bigger changes behind the scenes.
So is the iPhone 17 Pro Max worth upgrading to? Or should you stick with the iPhone 16 Pro Max? Below, we’ll take a closer look at how these two phones compare, to help you make that decision.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: specs comparison
You’ll find a detailed look at the specs and features of these phones below – along with their prices – but first, here’s just a brief overview of their specs sheets, so you can see how they compare at a glance.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
iPhone 17 Pro Max |
iPhone 16 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions and weight: |
163.4 x 78 x 8.8mm, 233g |
163 x 77.6 x 8.3mm, 227g |
|
Display: |
6.9-inch 120Hz |
6.9-inch 120Hz |
|
Peak brightness: |
3,000 nits |
2,000 nits |
|
Chipset: |
A19 Pro |
A18 Pro |
|
RAM: |
12GB |
8GB |
|
Rear cameras: |
48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto |
48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto |
|
Front camera: |
18MP |
12MP |
|
Battery: |
5,088mAh / 4,832mAh |
4,685mAh |
|
Storage: |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: price and availability
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