Apple released its 2025 iPhones today. I was able to preorder an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and have spent the last couple hours setting it up. While the selling point of the iPhone 17 Pro Max was the increased battery life (something I obviously have not been able to test yet), I found myself surprised and impressed in other ways.
This year, Apple redesigned the Pro iPhones. The frame of the phone is made from a single piece of aluminum, giving the phone a singular, cohesive feel in the hand. While thermal conductivity is likely the reason Apple went back to aluminum, I find myself really liking the unibody design. Compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max—where there is a noticeable difference in materials between the titanium frame and the back of the device—the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a much more unified and elegant feel.
Another big design change for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max is what apple calls the ‘plateau’. The plateau is a rectangular area that extends slightly from the top-back of the iPhone and houses the cameras, A19 Pro processor, and other components. Where these components used to be, Apple has included a bigger battery. Think of a ‘camera bump’ but more elegant. The plateau extends across almost the entire width of the device and enough down the length to feel like an element of the design—rather than a solution to a problem.
Performance is, in one word, ‘zippy’. Coming from the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which itself runs iOS 26 quite well, I wondered if the iPhone 17 Pro Max would really feel that much faster. The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. Even just navigating the setup screen, VoiceOver was noticeably more responsive to my touch gestures. Whether this increased responsiveness is thanks to the A19 Pro processor, the boost to 12GB ram, or a little bit of both, the end result is that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is far and away the most-responsive iPhone I have ever used.
While I have had only very limited time with the device so far, my initial impression is that the speakers on the iPhone 17 Pro Max sound noticeably better than those on the iPhone 16 Pro Max; with more bass and high ends across the range of volume levels. This will likely come as good news to many, as the speakers on the iPhone 16 Pro Max left a lot to be desired. One last note about the speakers for now: the bottom speaker is now on the left of the device, whereas on recent models it was on the right.
Other things will require more testing. I tried taking a selfie with the new front-facing Center Stage camera, but it was unclear to me as a blind user if Center Stage was engaged and working properly. I was not able to test Center Stage with FaceTime yet but hope to do so for the full review. Speaking of calls, my first and only call so far on the iPhone 17 Pro Max was not the best, with a couple momentary dropouts. I have no idea what that was about—was it how I held the phone on my shoulder at that moment, something with my Verizon service, or just a fluke.
As for that all-important battery life? We shall see. I have high hopes.
Watch this space...
Comments
initial testing of iphone 17 ProMax.
Keep testing. I'm looking forward to upgrading to the 17 ProMax in January of next year. I have been on 15 ProMax.
I may get this phone
I may get this Phone depending on reviews I read. Also planning on going into an Apple Store to have a little play around with it.
Re: iPhone 17 Pro Max: Some (Very Early) Initial Impressions
I happen to agree with Michael's impressions and am grateful for them as had I not had one device of my own they would have been a helpful resource in my decision making process to get one. As I did pre-order just as he did I can say I'm very glad to ahve done so and wish everyone the best of luck with their devices whether brand new or old faithful friends.
looking forward to your full review
Looking very forward to your full review. How does Eloquence sound on the new speakers?
Performance
Looking forward to reading the full review, although I don’t like the Max phones myself.
I must admit to being a little sceptical when people say they notice a real performance improvement from last year’s phone to this, particularly when not even talking about something like gaming. I suspect the placebo effect. Even my old 12 mini is still no slouch when it comes to general navigation.
Of course I may be Completely wrong on this front.
My impression
I think the new design is cool, battery life so far is great, but what really impressed me is the cooling, coming from a base model iphone 15 that always got hot with casual use, I can confedently say this the feature I’ll love the most, even inside a case, I could feel it working, hard to explain, but it feels way colder than it should
i unsure to go for the max, or air
i have the 14 pro max at the moment, i am torn between the air, and the max for my new phone the max just big the air just sounds fab but won't it get too hot and of course, the battery life will be a concern with the air.
BSI
Has the BSI improved? On the 16, sometimes dots are simply ignored, or it thinks my fingers are two close together when they're not.
How does Eloquence sound
How does Eloquence sound on the 17 pro max?
Thank you for the quick review
This is really helpful. I do keep wondering about going max at some point, but the reduced pocketability puts me off. It does seem that the standard Pro is punching above battery life too, so maybe that, or even the base 17, will be a step up from my 15 Pro.
I think a backup MagSafe battery in my pocket on longer trips is my go-to.
Also, regarding speakers, I assume it is the same setup on both Pro and Pro Max with no differentiation in speakers as there is in, say, the MacBook Air 13 to 15?
Are you using a case? Did you go for any of Apple’s offerings and the crossbody strap? I’m very interested in those as I still think they could be interesting for vision-based apps or AI as a type of chest mount.
Not as big as it sounds
It’s really not that thick, in fact most people I showed it to say they feel thinner than last year pro max, I think it is mainly because of the curved borders on the back, what I suggest is trying it out in an apple store if possible, you’d be surprised
Agree with everything you said.
I managed to pre-order myself a 17 pro max as well. Got it yesterday, and have loved every minute. It runs faster, cooler, and the battery is brilliant so far.
The Speakers are a very very welcome improvement and I've been enjoying them massively. Things stay open much better as well with the 12GB of RAM so I'm very happy there.
I love the new design as well, and all in all it does feel like a rather big upgrade even from my 16 pro max which will now be sold and hopefully put to good use.
Interesting
After my disappointment with the 16 Pro Max, I went with the base model of the 17, and even it sounds superior to the 16 Pro Max. Glad to hear the speakers sound better in the new Pro Max.
Re: speaker quality
@Brooke,
I believe Michael Hansen did a review of the iPhone 16e, when it first debuted. In his review, he stated that the speaker quality on that device was superior to the speaker quality on his iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Just goes to show that the bigger phones are not always the better phones.
pro max
If I would get any phone would be the pro max. Battery is great. Have the 16 pro max. Maybe next 18 pro max.
Camera on iPhone 17 pro max
Hi MICHAEL, can I start by thanking you very much for your review. I totally respect and appreciate that there are many blind people for whom the latest iPhones are just not an option. There are, however, some of us who are fortunate enough to have well paying jobs where our profession requires us to extend ourselves and our technology. I would be fascinated to hear your views on whether or not you think the camera in the iPhone 17 Pro Max is providing any benefit to say a camera on a non-pro model or the iPhone 15 Pro Max.I would also be curious to know your thoughts as to whether the agents on Be My Eyes I would also be curious to know your thoughts as to whether the agents on Be My Eyes orAira are ableto use any of the additional camera features or whether the cameras are clearer for those people. Similarly in apps like be my AI or accessAI from Aira the improved camera makes any difference. This is potentially something you could consider doing a podcast or blog post on . there may also be an opportunity given that Be My Eyes now run. Applevis to get one of the technical people on to discuss the different benefits of different cameras across glasses and iPhones and android devices. It would make fascinating listening.
Some Answers
Here are some answers and additional observations:
@michaeleloquence
Hi, how does Eloquence sound? Does it sound better on the Pro Max compared to the 16e?
the camera platow
i am a bit confused about this, is it going across the middle of the phone? i held a google pixel 7 pro once and the camera on that phone is a bar that goes across right above the middle of the phone so is this kinda the same idea or something different?
RE: Comparing Eloquence on the 16e Vs. 17 Pro Max
I had to return the iPhone 16e so am not able to compare it side-by-side, but based on what I remember, I think the sound of Eloquence on the two devices is similar though I do not want to call it an improvement over the 16e. I *think* the two are very similar, perhaps with a touch less bass on the 17 Pro Max. But again this is just going off of memory. I will try and see if I can compare the two side-by-side and report back.
thanks Michael
I'm looking forward to your full review.
RE: The Plateau
The plateau is a rectangular-shaped bar that extends right-to-left across the top back of the phone. Think of previous-generation iPhones, which have a square-shaped area that holds the cameras (how many ever the device has) and extends slightly from the top-right of the back of the device (when the device's screen is facing you). Again with the device's screen facing you, the plateau extends that raised area almost all the way to the left-back of the device.
Plato
Hello,
I’m using an iPhone 15 Pro and I’ve gotten quite used to the camera layout on the device. Does the camera bump on the 17 Pro cause any discomfort while using the phone—especially when carrying it without a case or in the pocket?
@Michael Re: Camera plateau
Just one question, without a case, laying the phone face up on a flat surface, does the device rock like it does on previous generation iPhones? Or does this plateau give it a more solid grounding when it's laying face up?
TIA.
No, at least in my opinion
It feels fine with and without a case, it just feels different, some might disagree but I’m happy the iphone finally got a design change, as small as it might be
Re, camera bump, it’s very similar to the pixel, but for one it doesn’t completely go through the back and meld with the frame like the pixel does, and the bump is taller somewhat, also the camera lenges aren’t melded into the frame like the pixel either, it’s sticking out, like the older models, but it kinda feels less awkward, if that makes any sense
Perspective from an iPhone 13 user
Hi Michael, thanks for your detailed impressions.
I’m currently on an iPhone 13, which I only bought in May 2024. Battery health is still at 88 percent, and even on iOS 26 the performance feels perfectly fine to me. From your perspective, what features on the iPhone 17 line would be compelling enough for a blind user to consider upgrading?
For example, would the new battery management and efficiency features meaningfully improve the overall experience for us, or is it more of a nice-to-have? I also wonder if my charging habits are sound: I usually plug in my iPhone whenever I have a break—like before taking a shower, during lunch, or whenever the device isn’t being used. Do you think this is a good approach for maintaining battery health long-term?
While I sometimes feel a little envious when others are using the newest Apple devices—especially with all the buzz around AI-related features—I also feel my iPhone 13 still serves me well.
Would love to hear your thoughts on what makes the upgrade truly worthwhile from an accessibility standpoint.
More on the Plateau
Here is what I hope will be a better explanation of the plateau. Thanks to AppleVis' favorite mouse for the idea:
Pixels and Plateaus
OK so this sounds kind of sort of like the camera bar on the Google Pixel devices. At least on the pro models, not so sure about the standard models. Anyways, those phones can lay face up, and they pretty much lay flat, or as close to flat as One can get with such a physical design. Bottom line, they don't really rock back-and-forth like the Square design of the iPhone 16 and earlier model iPhones.
I do kind of wish that Apple had gone universal with the camera plateau, however, I mean it feels kind of weird to say hey, buying an iPhone 17 Pro, it comes with a plateau!
But hey, whatever's clever.
My Recommendation for Indra
Hi Indra,
If you are happy with your phone and it does what you want and need it to do, my recommendation is to keep it and upgrade when you want/need to. The iPhone 13 should get major iOS updates for a couple more cycles and likely security updates for even longer. If you want to extend the useful life of your phone, I would get your battery replaced if you are able to do so. Apple Intelligence doesn't offer me anything useful; picture descriptions I get from Be My AI because it's free and easy, and the apps for the various AI companies work well enough if I want any other type of AI functionality on my phone. The paid version of PiccyBot is also really cool if you want picture descriptions from a bunch of different models.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Michael
Hi Michael, thanks a lot for your recommendation—it really helps me put things into perspective. To be honest, even writing my previous comment was with some help from ChatGPT; I wanted to express my thoughts clearly and it gave me a hand in shaping them.
I do have a follow-up question regarding the new smart battery management system Apple talked about. From your short time with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, do you feel any tangible benefit from it yet? For example, does the phone noticeably stay cooler, even when doing heavier tasks or charging?
Also, are you using Apple’s new 40-watt charging adapter? If so, have you noticed any significant improvement in charging speed—from nearly empty to full—compared to earlier iPhones?
I imagine some of these things will become clearer after a few days of real-world use, so I’ll be patient and look forward to your observations.
Thanks for the great review
Thanks for the great review. I preordered my 17 pro max a few days ago and I am very impressed with what I have read so far. I am upgrading from a 14 Pro.
Also interested about performance
like everyone else in this comment section has stated, thank you for your review. I’m extremely excited to hear your full review.
I am interested though, about if there is a genuine performance advantage over other phones, such as, the 15, 16, and other 17 models that don’t have as much memory.
I think for the iPhone 18, I think they might do what other phone manufacturers do, and maybe we might get higher RAM capacities for phones with bigger storage. But I guess it depends on whether the jump from 8 to 12 GB ram actually really impacts performance.
What interests me is the Eloquence voice synthesizer.
Hi! I switched from an iPhone 12 Pro Max to an iPhone 16 Pro Max, but I was completely disappointed because Eloquence at low volume sounds super good (just like on the 12 Pro Max). The bad part is that when you turn the volume up, the phone’s sound processor makes Eloquence lose body — meaning the mids and lows — and it gains more highs, which makes it shriller. This happens starting at 60% volume. I even tested it on two iPhone 16 Pro Max units. In fact, I even made a post about it here on AppleVis! If they fix the Eloquence issue, I’ll definitely go for the 17 Pro Max!