iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. iPhone 16 Professional Max

This yr’s iPhone Execs deliver an nearly uncommon quantity of adjustments, together with an all-new construct and two new cameras, along with the standard chipset upgrades. As is customary, Apple has discontinued the previous-gen Execs, however retailers and carriers have loads of inventory, so it is value exploring whether or not saving some cash and going for final yr’s iPhone 16 Professional Max is a good suggestion or the brand new 17 Professional Max is the go-to possibility. Plus, many 16 Professional Max house owners are definitely contemplating an improve. Let’s have a look at!

Desk of Contents:

For starters, you may evaluate the entire specs sheets or instantly proceed with our editor’s evaluation within the following textual content.

Dimension comparability

Maybe the obvious and in some ways most important improvement this yr is the iPhone 17 Professional’s construct – titanium is out, aluminum is in (or again in, relying on the way you have a look at it). That hasn’t affected measurement and weight in any main manner, although – Professional Maxes are about as giant as standard non-bendy smartphones come (bigger and heavier than some full-size foldables too).

Whereas the 17 Professional Max is just a few grams heavier, you will not actually be feeling the distinction, however the smoother again edges simply would possibly make it a bit extra comfy to carry. There are sharp edges on it too, nevertheless – the digital camera plateau’s anodization layer could also be susceptible to chipping off, so the brand new mannequin would possibly present extra indicators of use than the glass-titanium 16 Professional Max, given sufficient time (and/or neglect).

Each generations are IP68-rated for mud and water resistance and Apple says they need to be good after being submerged as deep as 6m for half-hour. How lengthy that may final does rely upon how the telephone’s physique will take inevitable hits and drops and dings, however there is not any life like manner of telling which is best.

Colorways are completely different between the 2 generations, and the 17 Professional Max has that spicy Cosmic Orange that is turning heads, the blue that is each good trying and understated, and probably the most incognito of all three – Silver. The previous mannequin’s 4 colorways are extra muted and there is a black-ish variant, in the event you’re into that.

Show comparability

Not a lot has modified between these two generations with regards to the show, although there’s one key distinction in what covers the panels – the brand new one’s Ceramic Defend 2 is more durable to scratch than the first-gen on the iPhone 16 Professional Max, and along with that it has an antireflective therapy.

Apart from that, it is nonetheless a 6.9-inch panel with adaptive 120Hz refresh charge and Dolby Imaginative and prescient help. Apple has tweaked brightness considerably, now promising 1600nits in HDR versus the 2000nits on the earlier mannequin, however probably permitting 3000nits in some instances. In our testing, the iPhone 17 Professional was good for 800nits when adjusting the slider manually vs 900nits on the 16 Professional Max.

Final yr’s mannequin would additionally enhance to 1800-ish nits beneath our take a look at circumstances whereas the 17 Professional Max would solely do a thousand. That mentioned, each telephones will fortunately put out numbers manner into the 2000s for smaller illuminated patches – we go to about 2,700nits on the 17 Professional Max and a couple of,200-ish nits on the 16 Professional Max, so perhaps the brand new mannequin does have a bonus, simply not one you may readily measure. Regardless – nice shows on both one.

Battery life

The iPhone 17 Professional Max acquired a minor battery capability bump to 4,832mAh, up from the 4,685mAh powerpack of the 16 Professional Max. In case you’re within the eSIM solely areas (of which there are extra this yr), the rise is a little more noticeable – to five,088mAh. We have examined the 17 Professional Max that does have a bodily SIM slot and thus the smaller battery.

In our expertise, the 17 Professional Max brings modest to average enhancements in endurance in video playback and gaming, on the expense of a minor lower in net looking (and a extra vital however finally much less essential name time drop). Each Professional Maxes are typically higher than something Android has to supply, however between them the variations aren’t too main.

Charging pace

Charging pace on iPhones isn’t one thing we speak about with any diploma of satisfaction however the 17 technology makes vital strides in that space. The adoption of a brand new normal (the AVS extension of the Energy Supply protocol) and the launch of a brand new adapter (’40W Dynamic Energy Adapter with 60W Max’) are solely a part of the story although, and we will not think about they’re the operative half – Apple simply lastly determined to undertake extra wise charging curves.

We did not have that particular adapter for testing because it’s solely obtainable in restricted elements of the world. However even with different makers’ Energy Supply chargers (and aftermarket ones too) we acquired a considerable enchancment in top-up speeds with the 17 Professional Max, in comparison with the 16 Professional Max. We additionally did fall a bit in need of Apple’s promise for 50% in 20minutes (we acquired 47% at most), so it is attainable that the in-house adapter does take it that additional mile. Both manner, a decisive win for the brand new mannequin right here.

There’s additionally help for quick wi-fi charging for as much as 25W through MagSafe in addition to third-party Qi2-compliant chargers.

Speaker take a look at

The 2 Professional Maxes have speaker methods which can be the identical in precept, with a devoted bottom-firing unit and the earpiece teaming as much as kind a stereo system. The 17 Professional Max’s drivers are each that tiny bit smaller than on the 16 Professional Max and that will have one thing to do with the decrease loudness outcomes we’re getting from this yr’s telephone. Apple toned down the mids a bit (which may clarify the loudness lower), but when something that simply might need made the 17 Professional Max sound extra composed and total higher. Each are nice choices, after all.

Efficiency

The iPhone 17 Professional Max is powered by the Apple A19 Professional chipset – that is yet another than the A18 Professional within the 16 Professional Max. It is nonetheless acquired a 6-core CPU with a 2+4 core configuration however there are newer cores which can be additionally clocked greater. The GPU is improved too, and so too must be the NPU, however each preserve the identical core rely as on the earlier mannequin.

The brand new technology comes with 12GB of RAM vs. the 8GB of the 16 Professional Max. The 17 Professional Max will be had with as much as 2TB of storage whereas the older mannequin maxes out at 1TB, and each have 256GB base variations.

Apple can be making a reasonably large deal out of the newly applied vapor chamber cooling resolution, which works in tandem with the aluminum physique to get warmth away from the chips quicker than the earlier mannequin’s setup may.

Benchmark efficiency

The iPhone 17 Professional Max confirmed vital enhancements in efficiency over the already fairly highly effective 16 Professional Max. The distinction is most notable in GPU duties, however there’s additionally a bonus in CPU efficiency. We noticed a significant enchancment in sustained load as long as it was particularly on the CPU – long-term GPU stability wasn’t as spectacular. In any case, the brand new mannequin is, certainly, extra highly effective – appropriately.

Digital camera comparability

The 17 Professional Max brings a few enhancements to the digital camera system – a brand new telephoto digital camera and a brand new selfie shooter. The telephoto is now providing 4x zoom and contains a 48MP 1/2.55″ sensor rather than the 5x 12MP 1/3.06″ configuration of the predecessor.

The entrance going through digital camera of the 17 Professional Max, then again, will get you 18MP photographs at 20mm in both portrait or panorama orientation with out rotating the telephone, whereas the 16 Professional Max’s 12MP 23mm selfies can solely match the telephone’s orientation – so final yr.

In the meantime, the primary digital camera and the ultrawide stay unchanged this technology, at the very least trying on the specs.

What did change with iOS 26 on the 17 Professional Max is the digital camera app, however that is additionally been rolled out to the 16 Professional Max, so it isn’t one thing that may break up the 2. We’re not essentially followers, however that is irrelevant.

Picture high quality

Daylight

Primary digital camera comparability at 1x reveals that the brand new telephone is a little more expressive with colours and distinction than the previous technology (represented right here by the iPhone 16 Professional non-Max and its equivalent digital camera system), and that is in all probability why we like its photographs higher.

Daylight comparability, predominant digital camera (1x): iPhone 17 Professional Max • iPhone 16 Professional

At 2x zoom, the 17 Professional Max reveals a significant enchancment in sharpness over the earlier technology, good as it might have been itself.

Daylight comparability, predominant digital camera (2x): iPhone 17 Professional Max • iPhone 16 Professional

The brand new telephoto digital camera is not essentially an enchancment over that of the 16 Professional (Max). Whereas it will probably seize 24MP information, they give the impression of being softer at 1:1, and even at 12MP they’re about nearly as good as these from the 16 Professional, not higher.

Daylight comparability, telephoto digital camera: iPhone 17 Professional Max (4x) • iPhone 16 Professional (5x)

You’d count on to see extra of a bonus for the 17 Professional Max at 8x, however it does not appear to be there. If something, it is nearly just like the iPhone 16 Professional’s outcomes are sharper, if a bit bit grainier.

Daylight comparability, telephoto digital camera (8x): iPhone 17 Professional Max • iPhone 16 Professional

Ultrawide digital camera comparisons reveal little enchancment – you could possibly argue that having the 24MP photographs on the iPhone 17 Professional Max is a bonus all in itself, however we will not spot a significant element benefit, and in the event you use the brand new mannequin’s 12MP mode, issues will look the identical.

Daylight comparability, ultrawide digital camera (0.5x): iPhone 17 Professional Max • iPhone 16 Professional

Selfies

It is simple that it is cool to have the ability to take panorama selfies with a telephone held in portrait – the 17 Professional Max can try this, however not the 16 Professional Max. At 18MP you get extra decision, and it additionally goes with a wider lens – so you may have extra individuals on the body. Pixel-level high quality is comparable, however the 17 Professional Max wins large on versatility.

Selfie comparability: iPhone 17 Professional Max • iPhone 16 Professional

Low mild

At nighttime, each telephones will get you equally nice photographs at 1x zoom.

Low-light comparability, predominant digital camera (1x): iPhone 17 Professional Max • iPhone 16 Professional

However at 2x zoom, the 17 Professional Max reveals a extra simply noticeable enchancment over the earlier technology.

Low-light comparability, predominant digital camera (2x): iPhone 17 Professional Max • iPhone 16 Professional

Switching to the telephotos, the 17 Professional Max’s outcomes do not fairly excite compared to the 16 Professional’s – dare we are saying that the earlier technology would possibly simply be a bit bit higher?

Low-light comparability, telephoto digital camera: iPhone 17 Professional Max (4x) • iPhone 16 Professional (5x)

Neither telephone is producing likeable outcomes at 8x and we’re probably not seeing an improve with the 17 Professional Max.

Low-light comparability, telephoto digital camera (8x): iPhone 17 Professional Max • iPhone 16 Professional

Video high quality

Under we now have just a few framegrabs from the movies taken by the 2 telephones at every focal size so it is simpler to match to 1 one other.

The 2 telephones have wide-ranging video-recording capabilities, together with 4K seize at both 60, 30, or 24fps with all the cameras. The first digital camera on the again may do 4K120, at each 1x and 2x zoom. Dolby Imaginative and prescient recording is on the market in all modes on the brand new mannequin, whereas the 16 Professional Max cannot do it at 4K120. ProRes is on the market on each fashions, whereas the 17 Professional Max additionally options ProRes RAW and Apple Log 2. On each telephones among the greater high quality modes require saving to exterior storage to be able to work.

Daylight movies are barely distinguishable between the 2 telephones by way of element and people are among the nicest movies you may have – from any of the cameras. Maybe the iPhone 17 Professional Max has a minor benefit at 8x, in the event you insist on trying that intently. There are very refined variations in colour replica, with the brand new mannequin leaning barely hotter, and whereas we do recognize that, it is nowhere close to being a significant distinction.

Daylight video samples, iPhone 17 Professional Max: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 4x • 8x

Daylight video samples, iPhone 16 Professional: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x • 8x

At nighttime, the iPhone 17 Professional Max has a bonus in sharpness on the ultrawide and on the primary digital camera – at each 1x and 2x. It is also superior when evaluating the telephotos’ native focal lengths, in addition to at 8x. So a win throughout the board for the iPhone 17 Professional Max for low-light video.

Low-light video samples, iPhone 17 Professional Max: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 4x • 8x

Low-light video samples, iPhone 16 Professional: 0.5x • 1x • 2x • 5x • 8x

Verdict

New is best and the most recent iPhone is all the time the perfect iPhone Apple’s ever made. That is after all true with the 17 Professional Max and it is in most methods superior to the earlier technology.

The brand new design could also be polarizing, however it does have just a few benefits, not the least of which is that it is really recent after so a few years of same-ish trying iPhones. The orange and blue colorways are good in ways in which the tasteless hues of yesteryear aren’t. That mentioned, the 16 Professional Max simply could be the extra… premium-looking possibility.

The 17 Professional Max makes a big and lengthy overdue enchancment in charging pace – if you end up usually forgetting to cost your telephone and doing last-minute top-ups, the brand new mannequin will serve you higher.

A few enhancements within the digital camera area may even make the 17 Professional Max the higher possibility – and solely considered one of them is clear. That may be the selfie digital camera which comes with a wider area of view, extra pixels and a probably helpful multi-aspect sensor. The opposite one is not the brand new telephoto digital camera, which on the finish of the day is kind of just like the previous telephoto digital camera. No, it is that we discovered the brand new iPhone to be more proficient at low-light video recording – not an enormous distinction, however a significant distinction we noticed throughout the board.

All issues thought of, maybe the iPhone 17 Professional deserves the comparatively small premium over the mildly discounted final yr’s mannequin. Until you might have that large of an issue with the brand new construct, however does not a case resolve that too?