I just got my hands on the iPhone 17 Pro Max so I’m still testing it out, but I wanted to drop my initial thoughts and what seems different so far. I’ll do a full review after spending more time with it.
What’s New & What I Like So Far:
The design has been tweaked, not overhauled, which feels right. You know that plateau camera bar that spans wide across the back now. It is bold and kind of gives it a fresh face while still feeling like an iPhone.
New finish looks interesting. I got the Cosmic Orange colour. It’s different and eye-catching. If I had to choose, I still wish there were a black version that stood out more in that simplicity.
The cameras look promising. There are three 48MP Fusion cameras (Wide, Ultra Wide, Telephoto) now. The telephoto lens is upgraded with a larger sensor and 8x “optical quality” zoom, which seems to be a big step up.
The front camera is now an 18MP Center Stage type, which means selfies and video calls might look better, especially when moving or switching orientation.
Battery life seems like it could be the longest yet on an iPhone. Early tests are showing solid performance, especially in video streaming and general use. If this holds up, this might be what people have been waiting for.
Display brightness and performance improvements are noticeable, too. The OLED display is brighter, less reflective, and the chip (A19 Pro) looks like it gives smoother performance under load.
What I’m Waiting to Find Out:
How the battery performs under heavy use.
How much the camera plateau design affects comfort in the hand or pocket. It looks bold, but size, weight, edges, etc, matter.
How thermals hold up when pushed. A19 Pro and vapor-chamber cooling are supposed to help, but I want to see if it stays cool or gets warm under pressure.
Whether all the new camera features (zoom, telephoto detail, Center Stage) feel noticeably better in everyday shooting, not just in good lighting.
What kinds of improvements come with iOS 26 for video tools and creative features, especially for someone like me who takes photos or video casually but wants quality.
My Take So Far:
This is not a huge revolutionary leap, and we have come to expect that with a new iPhone that changes are incremental. Improvements, not revolution, is the story here. But those incremental improvements matter.
If you already use an iPhone, this feels like a natural upgrade in places where it counts - camera, battery, design polish. If you are thinking about switching from Android or waiting for something that feels “next level,” this might be close enough depending on your priorities.
For me, I’m eager to test it more. I like the colour, the design feels good, and these early camera and battery improvements are promising. I’ll be using it heavily over the next weeks and plan to post a full review once I have real daily use data.