Design and Materials - The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a new aluminum unibody design, available in cosmic orange, dark blue, and silver [1][6][9] - The back of the phone has a hybrid design with an aluminum chassis and a ceramic shield back, which is claimed to be four times more resistant to cracking than the previous glass [4][5] - The camera bump has been redesigned into a rectangle stretching across the back [6] Display - The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 69% inch screen, while the 17 Pro has a 63% inch screen, with increased brightness up to 30,000 nits [9] - The display features ceramic shield 2, claimed to be three times more scratch resistant than the previous coating [11] - A coating on the displays helps reduce reflections [10] Performance and Battery - The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are equipped with Apple's new A19 Pro chip [15] - The phones feature a vapor cooling chamber [16] - Battery tests show the 17 Pro Max losing only 9% in a 3-hour video streaming test and only 1% in a 45-minute endurance test [13][14] Camera - All three rear cameras (wide angle, ultra wide, and telephoto) have 48 megapixel sensors [17] - The telephoto camera has a 4x optical zoom and a 48 megapixel sensor [17] - The front selfie camera has a new square sensor [19] Software - iOS 26 features a unified look of liquid glass across apps, home screen, and lock screen [26] - iOS 26 includes visual intelligence for screenshots and call translation [27][29] Recommendation - The review suggests the iPhone 17 Pro Max is an excellent upgrade for those with an iPhone 14 Pro or older, but less compelling for iPhone 15 Pro or 16 Pro users [31]