iPhone 17 Pro Max: Some (Very Early) Initial Impressions

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…