Smartphones · Apple
iPhone 17 Pro Max: The Best iPhone in the Last 5 Years
Verdict
The most impressed I've been by an iPhone since the 13: the telephoto is why you buy it, RAW made me fall back in love with iPhone photography, and the display finally doesn't feel like a downgrade next to an Ultra. If you want the absolute best and you're staying with Apple, this is the one.
Pros
- The telephoto look: layered, separated, better shots, not just zoom
- RAW quality that rewards five minutes in Lightroom
- Display bright enough that an Ultra owner doesn't feel the downgrade
- iOS 26 feels tidier, small things adding up
- Best first-week iPhone impression since the 13
Cons
- Tap-to-focus failures on the telephoto at 2x/4x (software — see update)
- Ecosystem re-pairing can still be a nightmare (4 hours for one watch)
- Orange is launch-week bait; the loud colours scratch easily by all accounts
Update, August 2026: this is my launch-window review, kept as written. The telephoto autofocus issue below turned into a longer saga (I made whole videos about the flickering) and iOS 26.1 has since largely sorted it. For how this phone holds up against the current Android flagships, see the S26 Ultra head-to-head.
I thought I’d do something different with the iPhone 17 Pro Max: instead of just telling you, show you. So I took it to Bath, one of the most beautiful places in England, and tried to capture it the best way I could.
The telephoto is the reason
The reason I chose the Pro Max this year is the telephoto lens, and I like how Apple is taking a leaf from other manufacturers’ handbooks on zoom options. But here’s the thing: I don’t actually take many zoom shots. I use the telephoto for normal photos. Stand back a little, shoot as usual, and you get this lovely separation. It stacks the scene into layers and finds details I’d otherwise miss. Handheld, in iffy British weather, I’m getting files I’m happy to publish. And that’s the difference between spec sheets and something you’ll actually remember.
I’ve also been chasing that Leica look I loved on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, using the Leica app on the iPhone. It’s not perfect, you lose some options depending on the virtual lens, and heads up: it’s subscription-based (not sponsoring me, just something I use). In some situations it gives you more control than the stock camera app.
One genuine annoyance I discovered in Bath: tap-to-focus just fails on the telephoto at 2x and 4x. I thought I was going mad, so I tried the same distance, lighting and subject on the S25 Ultra. Instant lock. And the same iPhone hardware focuses fine in Final Cut’s camera, so this is software. It should just work.
RAW made me fall back in love
What I can already tell you is how good the RAW files are. I’ve literally fallen back in love with taking photos on the iPhone because of RAW. Heads up if you’re new to it: straight out of camera, RAW looks flat and washed out. That’s by design. For most shots you won’t care. Quick snap, done. But for the ones worth going the extra mile on, five minutes of basic editing, nudging exposure, a simple mask on a sky or a blown-out window, takes a photo from “this is nice” to “I could frame this.”
The display finally competes
The new display is considerably brighter, and for the first time in years I don’t feel a downgrade when I put down my S25 Ultra and pick up the iPhone. Answering emails in midday sun, signing PDFs, shuffling calendar invites: genuinely productive. I still wish Files were a bit less… Apple. But the friction is now low enough that I’m not thinking about it often, which for me is the bar.
iOS 26 and the well-designed prison
iOS 26 has removed a bunch of small tensions I couldn’t deal with on the 16 Pro last year, and I’m not talking about Liquid Glass. It’s a combination of small things; the whole system feels tidier. Apple Intelligence remains my sore spot, but from a helicopter view this is a much better experience.
On the ecosystem: if you live in Apple land, this phone is peak convenience. Undoubtedly better surrounded by the Watch, AirPods, MacBook and iPad, by design. If you’re coming from Android, it can feel like a very well-designed prison. That’s the trade-off, and I say that as a predominantly-Android user who still runs a MacBook. But don’t be fooled by the marketing either: it took me four hours last night to re-pair an Apple Watch Ultra that was still linked to an iPhone I gave away six months ago. Hurdle after hurdle, including typing my full Apple password on the watch’s tiny keyboard because the phone’s keyboard prompt wouldn’t register. Once it works, it’s lovely. It’s also way more cumbersome than a premium watch on the same account should ever be.
It’s very orange, isn’t it
Hot take on the colours: orange is launch-week bait. A few days of fun for Instagram, and then it’s just a bit loud. It feels like Apple ran out of ideas: we made it a plateau, we added buttons, what’s left? A colour that tells everyone you’ve got the new one. Deep blue has more legs because it lets the screen be the star, though by all accounts both scratch more easily than they should. Let me know what you’re going for.
The verdict, launch edition
Having now tried every iPhone Apple launched this year: the one to recommend for most people is still the regular iPhone 17. The Air is lovely but a missed opportunity. Two or three changes away from an easy recommendation, and I can’t hand-on-heart tell you to spend £1,000 on it.
The Pro and Pro Max are for people who want the absolute best of the best (whether you need it or not is irrelevant; sometimes you just want the best) and for anyone who’s been skipping the last two or three years waiting for a good iPhone to come along. This is that iPhone. I don’t remember being this impressed in the first few days since the iPhone 13. Trade in your old one, find a decent carrier deal, and enjoy it.