iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: All the differences explained
Let’s break down all the new features to find out.
iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 15 Pro Max differences:
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Refreshed dual-tone design language with a wide camera strip at the back | A more standard design language with a significantly smaller camera island |
| Slightly thicker 8.75mm aluminum frame | A thinner 8.25mm titanium frame |
| Triple 48MP cameras at the back, with a higher-res periscope camera | 48MP main camera, but 12MP ultrawide and periscope cameras |
| Periscope with up to 8X lossless zoom | Standard 5X periscope |
| Camera Control button | No Camera Control button |
| 18MP Center Stage front camera | Lower-res 12MP FaceTime camera |
| Apple A19 Pro chipset | Apple A17 Pro chip on board, the first 3nm chip |
| Likely 12GB of RAM | 8GB of RAM on board |
| Brighter 6.9-inch screen (3,000 nits) | Smaller 6.7-inch display, with lower 2,000-nit peak brightness |
| Longer battery life | Smaller 4,422 mAh battery |
| Faster 40W wired charging Faster 25W wireless MagSafe 2.0 charging | 25W wired charging 15W MagSafe charging |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
A new look that is an acquired taste
The main visual change with the iPhone 17 Pro Max is as plain as day — that giant new camera island on the back.
At the same time, the triangle shaped triple camera system remains the same so there is some design carry-over too.
What’s a major paradigm shift, though, is the return to aluminum for the iPhone 17 Pro Max‘s frame. Sure, titanium is premium, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with aluminum either and it is just as light and practically as durable too. It’s just strange that Apple has changed course on this so quickly, after claiming that titanium was such a special and innovative material just a couple of years ago.
Size-wise, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is just slightly bigger thant the 15 Pro Max. The most notable change is a slight increase in thickness — at 8.75 mm it’s a hair thicker than the 8.25 mm 15 Pro Max. It’s also nearly 5% heavier too, weighing 233 grams vs the 221 grams on the 15 Pro Max.
We only hope the larger camera island doesn’t make the phone too top-heavy, which has definitely been the case with many high-end Android phones recently.
Other than that, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is mostly similar to the iPhone 15 Pro Max — same flat design language with a Dynamic Island notch up front, a Camera Control and a customizable Action Button.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Thickness 8.75 mm | Thickness 8.25 mm |
Display Differences
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with ProMotion that enables a smooth 120Hz refresh rate (essentially, same size as the 16 Pro Max). The 15 Pro Max features a slightly smaller, 6.7-inch screen, but the same ProMotion.
Moreover, Apple is allegedly sourcing Samsung’s M14 OLED panel for the 17 Pro Max, which boosts the efficiency of the panel and its peak brightness.
This is a welcome improvement that boosts outdoor legibility. We are also very curious about a new seven-layer anti-reflective coating on the screen that should boost visibility both indoors and outdoors.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Screen size 6.9-inch | Screen size 6.7-inch |
| Peak brightness 3,000 nits | Peak brightness 2,000 nits |
Performance and Software
The next chapter in performance for Apple
It probably will come as no surprise that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is powered by the next mobile Apple chipset in line, the Apple A19 Pro.
We suppose that this is once again built on TSMC’s 3nm manufacturing node.
Still, be it a 3nm or a 2nm chip, the A19 Pro is certainly an improvement over the A17 Pro that clicks and ticks inside the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The latter was the first 3nm chipset used on an iPhone, and actually the first 3nm chip on a mobile device.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Chip Apple A19 Pro | Chip Apple A17 Pro |
| Mnaufacturing process 3nm | Manufacturing process 3nm |
| *Memory 12GB | Memory 8GB |
*speculative, Apple does not reveal official RAM figures, but it did mention that memory was improved.
While we have improvements in performance and efficiency, they are not that grand. That’s largely because the iPhone 15 Pro Max is still a very capable and able device.
For the truly adventurous, there’s a new “Clear Look” option that makes everything transparent, with a design language that harks back to Windows Vista. Yep, this reference just revealed that the author of this article now has plenty of gray hair.
Thankfully, many updates simplify the experience, perfect for the rest of us. The Camera app is being streamlined, hiding most modes by default. Apple is organizing the Photos app, after it decided to turn it into total chaos with the previous iOS update.
Live Translate is also coming to calls, which could be wonderful, or it could lead to me accidentally misinterpreting a $50 bill for a $500 one.
Camera
Gradual evolution in action
The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a triple camera system, like most of its predecessors. The 48MP main and utlrawide cameras are joined by a new and 56% larger 48MP periscope camera. This makes all cameras at the back 48MP troopers.
The new tetra-prism periscope camera now has a native 4X zoom (100mm), down from 5X (120mm) on the 15 Pro Max. That’s actually great news offering a bit more flexibility for portraits, as 5X is just a bit too zoomed in for many scenarios.
As it now features a 48MP sensor, we get sensor cropping on the telephoto as well, enabling lossless quality 8X zoom (200mm equivalent).
That helps the iPhone 17 Pro Max join the long-zooming phones out there, and we are very curious to test these new cameras against quickly evolving Android rivals.
iPhone 17 Pro Max Official Sample Photos
We also get a new 18MP FaceTime camera, a long anticipated upgrade over the 12MP FaceTime camera that has been at the front of iPhones for years.
This new camera uses a square sensor rather than a traditional 4:3 aspect ratio sensor. This allows you to capture landscape photos from a vertical orientation, a very cool party trick.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Main 48MP F1.8 | Main 48MP F1.8 |
| Ultrawide 48MP F2.2 | Ultrawide 12MP F2.2 |
| Periscope 48MP F2.8 4X | Periscope 12MP F 2.8 5X |
| Front 18MP | Front 12MP |
Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max now supports Dual Capture, with both the front and rear cameras recording simultaneously. That’s something that has been available on many Android phones for over a decade now, but it’s still nice seeing it on an iPhone.
As for the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it has an 48MP wide camera, but the ultrawide and telephoto lens are both 12MP ones. The 15 Pro Max also does not have a Camera Control button.
Battery Life and Charging
Now that’s a welcome improvement
Apple’s iPhones are on an upwards trajectory when it comes to battery size and endurance. Last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max featured a large 4,685mAh battery, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max from a year earlier, featured a 4,422mAh battery.
While Apple does not reveal the battery size of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it is likely around 5,000 mAh.
What matters most is that this results in big gains in battery life numbers. Here are the official battery life estimates by Apple:
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Battery size ~5,000 mAh | Battery size 4,422mAh |
Battery Life: 39 hours video playback 35 hours video streaming | Battery Life: 33 hours video playback 30 hours video streaming |
| Wired charging 40W | Wired charging 25W |
| Wireless charging 25W | Wireless charging 15W |
As you can see, the 17 Pro Max scores 5 hours more of video streaming thanks to its larger battery, a nearly 17% improvement.
We are also incredibly excited to see support for faster wired charging. The iPhone 15 Pro Max could only charge at about 25W rates, while the 17 Pro Max hits 40W charging speeds with a wire.
This means you can get up to 50% charge in just 20 minutes, a task that took 35 minutes previously.
Wireless charging speeds via MagSafe are 25W on the 17 Pro Max, again much faster than the 15W MagSafe on the 15 Pro Max.
Specs Comparison
Here is how the iPhone 17 Pro Max specs compare against the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 163.4 x 78 x 8.75 mm 233 grams | Size, weight 159.9 x 76.7 x 8.25 mm 221 grams |
| Screen 6.9″ OLED 120Hz ProMotion 3000 nits peak brightness | Screen 6.7″ OLED 120Hz ProMotion 2000 nits peak brightness |
| Processor A19 Pro 3nm | Processor A17 Pro 3nm |
| Versions: 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB 12GB/2TB LPDDR5 | Versions: 8/256GB 8/512GB 8/1TB – LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 48MP main 48MP ultra 48MP 4X zoom 18MP front | Cameras: 48MP main 12MP ultra 12MP 5X zoom 12MP front |
| Battery: ~5,000 mAh | Battery: 4,422 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 40W wired 25W MagSafe 2.0 | Charging: USB-C 25W wired 15W MagSafe |
Summary
The iPhone 17 Pro Max might not be a game-changer, but it upgrades a few fundamental aspects of the iPhone experience.
The improved battery life and the much faster charging are the two upgrades that catch the eye the most, and while everything else seems secondary, it also adds up. The new 4X zoom camera seems way more practical and with a much larger sensor and 8x lossless quality, it’s a big ugprade for those who care.
We are also excited to test the new anti-reflective coating and the more durable design is another welcome change.
Less impactful but still notable are the new A19 Pro chipset and improved cooling system. These are impressive on their own, but we doubt many people play console-grade games on their iPhones to truly appreciate the changes.
So… should you upgrade? The answer is definitely maybe. The iPhone 15 Pro Max still does 90% of what this new model does, so it seems that you will not miss out on too much if you just keep it for one more year, but if you just want to have that latest technology, the 17 Pro Max is definitely not just about new looks.
