The iPhone 17 Pro Max reviews are in, and the early sentiment is mostly positive. Praise for Apple’s leap in design, the smarter front-facing camera system, substantial battery gains, and a few polarizing decisions that could split opinion.
Debuting with iOS 26, straight from the box, the 17 Pro Max comes as Apple’s most adventurous “Pro” refresh in years. Reviewers at major outlets unanimously flag the theme that this cycle, Apple’s daring hardware choices feel purposeful rather than just skin deep.
Bold design choices and the new camera plateau
The new horizontal “camera plateau” extends along the back in place of the once familiar corner bump. It’s a visually louder and more properly “tool-like” machine. The redesign is indicative of a true pro device rather than a sleek one, according to testers at Tom’s Guide, and while they admit the heavier look won’t be for everyone.
Durability is part of the story. Engadget also notes the move to an aluminum frame that wraps around the rear edges, and a new Ceramic Shield 2 on the display. The result, at least according to the first folks (myself included) who have gotten up close and personal with it, is a phone that ought to shrug off the sorts of edge and face impacts that left scarring on recent phones. The rear cameras still jut out a little, although they are again encased in sapphire crystal—a region where Apple has been good at resisting scratches till now.
Colors also stirred debate. The new orange paint job pleases those who want a little more character, but the lack of a traditional black option leaves some power users wishing for something that’s going to fly below the radar. Aesthetics aside, most feel the design is form following function: It fits bigger parts, leaves space for better thermal breathing room, and makes way for camera enhancements.
Cameras fine, but it’s the Center Stage selfie that is the standout
Around back, Apple also seems to be staying the course with a trio of 48MP sensors, and while we’ve only seen some early samples, they show the improvements in detail and dynamic range that we would have hoped for. That is the table stakes at this level. The news for critics was the front-facing cameras, which Apple calls its Center Stage on the Pro models.
Per CNET’s reviewers, that selfie camera now shoots at a higher resolution (18MP versus 12MP before) with a square sensor that means holding the phone vertically no longer has to also mean taking a landscape photo. An on-screen toggle can switch orientation, and optional settings smartly rotate or zoom out to include more people.
Engadget’s testing provides a real-world stress test: put the 17 Pro Max on a table, turn on a timer or remote and watch the camera adjust as a group of friends steps into frame. In reality, the feature just switches to landscape and adds more view with no drama. It’s the kind of small, everyday quality-of-life upgrade that would be a default way to shoot group selfies or content creator clips.
iPhone 17 Pro Max battery life to see genuine gains
Apple’s reasoning for the plateau — more space for components — seems to pay off in endurance. Stronger battery life, overall and for the Pro Max, seems to be a consistent early report.
Wired’s testing speaks to “don’t-think-about-it” stamina: over 5 hours of screen-on time with about half a charge remaining and mixed use on the Pro Max, nearly 7 hours of SoT with around 30 percent juice left on the smaller Pro. Translation: most people are gonna get pretty deep into a second day if their daily dietary intake of tech isn’t comprised of gaming or 4K video capture.
TechRadar’s early testing pushed the 30-hour barrier on a single charge, with Apple rating it for up to 39 hours of use. That said, reviewers warn that first-week activity (indexing photos, syncing mail, restoring apps) can distort numbers. More-controlled lab results from testing groups like Consumer Reports or independent battery benchmarks will be forthcoming in the following weeks, but the trend line is clearly good.
Performance gains and the polish in iOS 26 software
There was a lot of focus on hardware, but refinements in iOS 26 help the package feel immediate and responsive. Reviewers describe a faster camera launch time, snappier app-switching and more reliable background activity — which will be handy when those new photo features and larger files start to saturate day-to-day workflows. The takeaway here isn’t so much raw speed records as sustained, cool-headed performance under a typical load.
The early consensus among major review outlets
The throughline over at Tom’s Guide, Engadget, CNET, Wired and TechRadar remains: the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the take-no-prisoners redesign that matches more aggressive hardware with real gains in its stride. The camera plateau might be polarizing, the color lineup won’t appeal to everyone, but the tougher build, smarter selfie system and meaningfully longer battery life are earning converts.
If you value battery life, friend group selfies and a work creator-focused chassis, the Pro Max looks like Apple’s big standout for 2025. For minimalists who like the simple design and featherweight feel, the calculus is trickier — this time, though, function-forward gets a strong nod.