- 6 hours ago
Smartphone expert Mark delivers his iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max review after testing Apple’s latest-gen, Pro-level devices both in our benchmarks and anecdotal scenarios. In this video, he breaks down the pros and cons of these phones, comparing the iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra in terms of performance, camera quality, battery life and more. Expect a closer look at the aluminium design, upgraded zoom, Center Stage selfie lens, brighter display, vapor chamber cooling and faster charging, too.
Mark also talks about what Apple didn’t nail this year, like the extra weight and lack of “wow” AI features. So if you’re wondering whether to upgrade or just hold onto your current phone, this video should have your answer.
Mark also talks about what Apple didn’t nail this year, like the extra weight and lack of “wow” AI features. So if you’re wondering whether to upgrade or just hold onto your current phone, this video should have your answer.
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00The iPhone 17 Pro and the Pro Max are not subtle smartphones.
00:04Apple slapped a giant camera bar, sorry, plateau, across the back and painted it cosmic orange.
00:09It's basically screaming, look at me, I'm new.
00:11But I guess that's kind of the point.
00:13But beyond the bold look, the Pro Max is packing some real upgrades.
00:17We're going to hash those all out in this episode of Buy or Skip for my full review of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
00:24All right, before I get into the upgrades, let's set the stage with the iPhone 17 Pro and the Pro Max prices because it's actually good news.
00:33Despite these rumors and concerns over tariffs and inflation driving up the cost of Apple devices, that didn't happen.
00:39The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1099, and this is technically a $100 increase over the iPhone 16 Pro's starting price, but with a higher starting 256 gigs of storage.
00:49The 17 Pro actually is the same cost as a 256 gig 16 Pro.
00:54Then we got the iPhone 17 Pro Max starting at $1199, exactly the same price as the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
01:01It goes up to a record $1999, but that's for the 2 terabyte configuration, and it's the first iPhone you can buy with that much storage.
01:09Now, let's look at this design.
01:10Apple took a risk with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, and I actually think it pays off.
01:14I prefer the wide camera bar to the previous patch, and the two-tone look is refreshing.
01:18Sure, some people are going to hate it, but overall, this is what Apple had to do to not let the iPhone Air kind of totally steal the show.
01:25And I'll talk about that more later in this video.
01:28The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are made tougher, too, with a ceramic shield 2 front that's three times more scratch-resistant than a ceramic shield back that protects better against cracks.
01:37Apple raised a lot of eyebrows when it revealed the iPhone 17 Pro would ditch titanium and go back to an aluminum unibody, but this was actually a really smart move.
01:46If you have an iPhone 16 Pro or even the iPhone 15 Pro, have you noticed that your phone gets, like, really hot?
01:52Compared to titanium, aluminum is more thermally conductive and feels cooler in your hand.
01:57Pair that with a vapor chamber cooling system that is designed to minimize heat, and you wind up with a phone with better sustained performance, which we're going to get into.
02:04Speaking of performance, this is something I've been really excited about during the review period.
02:10It's no secret that performance has been a little bit of a sore spot for iPhones, at least looking at some flagship competitors.
02:16But the new A19 Pro chip powering these phones is a game-changer.
02:20In my test, the iPhone 17 Pro Max crushed through demanding games like Destiny Rising without breaking a sweat.
02:25On Geekbench and 3DMark, it beats the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and we did a separate graphic stress test where we run it for 20 minutes, and then at the end, we measured the temperature as well as the sustained performance.
02:36And overall, the 17 Pro Max reliability score was 15 points higher than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
02:43If you do want to see the whole breakdown of the test results, including the graphics test, I'll put a link to the full written review in the description.
02:49But overall, we're seeing really impressive numbers, and I think the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pro should make Samsung worried.
02:56Is that also the case for the cameras?
02:58Well, this year, Apple has been listening to all of our complaints and is going all in on zoom.
03:02The new 48-megapixel telephoto, which is one of three 48-megapixel sensors on this redesigned camera plateau, gives you up to 8x optical quality zoom.
03:11Against the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the 17 Pro holds its own up to about 10x, though yes, Samsung still wins at 40x and the crazy 100x ranges.
03:22What impressed me most was low light.
03:23The iPhone blew away Samsung in a skull-and-books test shot, where you could actually read the text on the iPhone's photo.
03:29The new 18-megapixel center stage front camera is also extremely clever.
03:33It automatically widens the landscape when more people jump in the frame.
03:37It's perfect for group selfies, and it makes my job as a photographer on family vacations a lot easier.
03:43As a videographer, it's the front camera again that's the standout.
03:46The new, native dual-capture feature lets you record using front and rear cameras at the same time, and it's a great way to show your reaction to whatever you're filming.
03:54I found the stabilization and moving shots, like when I'm running, for example, to work very well versus the S25 Ultra.
04:01I did take a lot of photo and video comparisons beyond just what you're seeing here, so you can find all of those at the same review link in the description.
04:09I got to spend a lot of daytime hours with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, so I can confidently say it's built for bright, sunny environments.
04:16The 6.9-inch OLED hits 3,000 nits of peak brightness.
04:19That's up from 2,000 last year, though some of that is also thanks to a new anti-glare layer.
04:25If brightness is your concern when smartphone shopping, I will say the Pixel 10 Pro XL is the absolute winner in this category.
04:32That phone is basically a portable spotlight.
04:35Battery life, on the other hand, is a big reason to get the iPhone 17 Pro Max or Pro over the standard iPhone 17 or the new Air.
04:43How long the iPhone 17 Pro Max lasts is genuinely impressive.
04:47In our proprietary web surfing test, it ran for 17 hours, 54 minutes, and 32 seconds.
04:53That's the longest-lasting iPhone we've ever tested.
04:56Out of curiosity, we re-ran the same test on a fully healthy iPhone 16 Pro Max, which lasted just over 14 hours.
05:02That's roughly a 3-hour improvement with the 17 Pro Max.
05:06We were still re-testing the smaller iPhone 17 Pro at the time of filming, so the final results will be in the full review linked in the description.
05:13But early numbers point to a very positive story for battery life across the new lineup.
05:18Apple also finally gave us faster charging, 50% in 20 minutes with the new 40-watt brick, sold separately, of course, and linked down below if you want to pick one up.
05:27For context, in my testing, I got up to 64% in half an hour with the 17 Pro Max, better than the 55% on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
05:36So yeah, it makes a difference.
05:39Everything I've been saying so far paints a pretty positive picture of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, but it's not all good.
05:45It really bugs me the iPhone 17 Pro Max is heavier and thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
05:50But where you're really going to feel and see the difference is versus the iPhone Air.
05:54At the same time we're getting this super thin, almost impossibly light iPhone, we're getting a chunkier Pro.
05:59But if I had to pick one complaint with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, it's how underwhelming the AI experience truly is.
06:06Apple intelligence sounds good on paper, but it doesn't match Google or Samsung.
06:09Features like visual intelligence and smarter shortcuts are nice, but compared to Google's Gemini Live, which can analyze your screen in real time, Apple feels behind.
06:17With iPhone, you actually have to screenshot first, and Siri still won't give you spoken answers back.
06:23Now, iOS 26 itself looks great.
06:25The new liquid glass design gives everything a sleek, modern vibe, and there are genuinely useful upgrades like call screening and hold assist.
06:32You can even customize messages with polls and backgrounds, which is fun.
06:35But none of that changes the fact that Apple's AI story isn't as strong.
06:39To say there's a lot riding on the new Siri rollout, which is delayed, is an understatement.
06:43The stakes when it comes to AI are only getting higher, and if you do want to hear more where Apple stands on that, be sure to check out my interview with Craig and Jaws from WWDC here on the channel.
06:54Now, I know this video is about the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, but I can't not talk about the iPhone Air, especially because it has the same A19 Pro chip.
07:02I've been able to spend some time with the iPhone Air, and it's totally living up to the promise of being slim, light, and easier to slip into a pocket compared to the chunkier Pro Max.
07:11If you care most about comfort and minimal bulk, the Air is the one you'll actually want to carry around every day.
07:16But it just can't keep up in terms of power and features with the Pro and Pro Max.
07:20They give you a full triple camera system with true 8x telephoto zoom, macro shots from the ultra-wide, and better sustained performance.
07:28The iPhone Air has a single camera and no vapor chamber cooling.
07:31And battery life?
07:32After a five-hour video rundown test on YouTube over Wi-Fi, the iPhone Air was down to 81%, which is pretty good, but the Pro Max was at 88%.
07:40In the same web-surfing test I showed the chart for earlier, maybe you caught that the iPhone Air lasted just over 12 hours.
07:46That's nearly a six-hour difference in battery life versus the iPhone 17 Pro Max to take into consideration.
07:52So the Pro Max is still king when it comes to endurance.
07:57So, buy or skip?
07:59If you're on an iPhone 15 or 16 Pro or Pro Max, I'd say it's okay to skip.
08:03For me, though, this is the sweet spot to upgrade if you're on an iPhone 14 Pro or later.
08:07It is also worth the buy if you want the iPhone with Apple's best features to offer right now.
08:12Yes, it's heavy.
08:13Yes, the AI is behind.
08:15But between the tougher build, the better cameras, brighter display, and cooler sustained performance, this is the Pro and Pro Max that earns its name.
08:22Besides, the kind of Apple intelligence improvements I'm hoping for should be able to run very well on these phones via a software update.
08:29At least that better be the case.
08:31But I'm curious.
08:32What do you think of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max?
08:34I really want to know if anyone got the iPhone Air instead.
08:37So whichever way you want to go, tell me why.
08:40If you found this review interesting or helpful, consider hitting that subscribe button and turning on notifications.
08:45Thanks for watching.
08:46For Tom's Guide, this is Mark Spoonhour.
09:07Thanks for having me.
09:20Thank you so much.
09:25We'll see you soon.
Recommended
24:58
|
Up next
3:25
13:15
3:53
12:07
3:30
16:38
1:05:06
1:21:28
4:00
5:44
4:30
5:27
7:13
3:17
Be the first to comment