The iPhone 17 Pro Max is coming. iPhone 16 Pro Max may be one of the best phones you can buy today, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max should easily knock it off that spot with various upgrades and improvements.

We don't know much about the iPhone 17 Pro Max yet, but we've already heard some rumors that big things may be in the works. If we believe those rumors, 2025 could see the first major iPhone redesign since the iPhone 11 in 2019, with upgrades to the phone's display and durability. Sadly, it is hard to sort the truth from the garbage at this early stage.

Hopefully that will change as the months go by and the official iPhone 17 Pro Max release date approaches. Until then, here's everything we've heard so far about the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Price may be a sensitive subject for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. One analyst predicts that the entire iPhone 17 lineup could become more expensive after the iPhone 16 reportedly escaped a price hike at the last minute.

While other iPhone models have not seen a significant price increase in years, the Pro Max model has. Apple discontinued the 128GB iPhone 15 Pro Max and instead opted for 256GB of base storage; the 256GB 15 Pro Max was priced the same as the 256GB iPhone 14 Pro Max, but that still meant the entry price was $100 higher that year and Apple continued this trend with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

We don't know if the price increase will take place and if it will affect the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but don't be surprised if it is higher than the $1,199 price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

It is not known exactly when Apple will release the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but Apple usually follows the same release schedule every year. Usually, Apple announces the new iPhone in the first or second week of September, and pre-orders begin later that week. The release date is usually a week later.

Whether Apple will adhere to this schedule again is not known, but based on past experience, the iPhone 17 Pro Max release date is expected to happen by the end of September 2025.

While we do not expect any major changes to the iPhone 17 Pro Max display, that is not to say that we will not see some changes in the next generation. One rumor claims that it may feature a narrower dynamic island with new slimmer components.

It is also claimed that we could see a new “low-dialectic TEE display” that promises better performance, energy efficiency, and screen durability.Leaker Instant Digital also claims that the iPhone 17 series display panels will be “super hard anti-reflective layer” and claims that it will be ”more scratch resistant than you might think.” However, it is not clear at this time if this means the screen protector can be omitted.

There are a few unknowns regarding the iPhone 17 Pro Max design. One rendering suggests that it may feature a two-tone design similar to that seen on Google's Pixel 9. It has also been speculated that this change could move the camera module from the left side of the phone to the center.

Leakers are divided on whether this year's iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a titanium frame. But last we heard, it was still happening - which makes sense. It's odd that Apple would make a big deal about titanium and then discontinue it two years later.

Apple's A-series chips are among the best mobile chips available, and each generation is significantly better than the last. This trend is expected to continue with the A19 Pro chipset, which should be available in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max later this year.

There were rumors that Apple's upgrade to a 2nm process would make the A19 Pro even smaller than the 3nm A18 Pro, but apparently that change will not happen until the iPhone 18 launch at the earliest. This means that we will see 3nm chips until at least 2026, and possibly longer depending on development progress. Instead, the A19 series chips are expected to be manufactured using an upgraded version of TSMC's 3nm process.

This should improve performance and energy efficiency compared to the A18 series, but not as much as the use of the 2nm process. However, the improved energy efficiency should mean a better battery than we have already experienced with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Finally, both Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo believe that Apple may include 12GB of RAM in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. This would be a 50% upgrade over the iPhone 16 series and would allow Apple to offer more on-device AI in future Apple Intelligence.

Those who are fed up with Apple being stingy with camera resolution will be very happy with the iPhone 17 Pro Max rumors so far. According to one leaker, Apple may raise the telephoto lens resolution to 48 MP in 2025.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the resolution may stay at 24MP, but the front camera could receive a similar upgrade.The Information says we may see the first variable aperture lens on the iPhone The Information claims that we may see the first variable aperture lens on the iPhone. However, it is unclear how much control users will have over aperture and depth of field.

Rumors also speculate that Apple may discontinue the square camera module on the iPhone after the release of the iPhone 11. According to some leakers, this could lead to Apple adding a horizontal camera bar like the Pixel 9 Pro, and some have even shown renderings of what this could look like. However, there is not much information on this at this time, and it is unclear how the spatial imaging will work if the primary and ultra-wide lenses are not stacked vertically.

We haven't heard much about the iPhone 17 Pro Max's battery so far, but if the rumored chip efficiency improvements prove true, battery life should be even longer. iPhone 16 Pro Max lasted over 17.5 hours in our tests. Considering that the iPhone 16 Pro Max lasted over 17.5 hours in our tests, that would be a pretty spectacular sight.

We also heard rumors that Apple will make the iPhone 17's battery easier to remove thanks to a new kind of adhesive. This is likely the same “ionic liquid battery adhesive” used on the iPhone 17, which allows repair technicians to remove the battery with a few volts of electricity. This makes it much easier to remove than the old adhesive strips, which were messy and often required solvents to remove completely.

Rumor has it that Apple intends to manufacture its own battery and debut it in the iPhone 17s. While we do not know many details about this work, Apple is said to want to offer “significantly improved performance compared to existing ones.” We're not sure how much more we can expect from the iPhone 17s, but we're told that Apple wants to offer “significantly improved performance compared to what's already available. But if Apple can pull it off, that's still a good thing.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max rumor is still in its early stages, so there is still a great deal we don't know about this model. Nevertheless, the stories we have heard so far are very intriguing. Increasing the resolution of the telephoto lens is certainly a good thing, even if the tetraprism zoom stays at 5x magnification for another year. Likewise, the ability to more easily remove the battery would be valuable should the need arise to use it.

I'm not sure about possible design changes and would be surprised if Apple ditched the recognizable square camera setup. However, I do like the Pixel design, so it will be interesting to see how Apple can continue to make the phone stand out.

However, there are still a few months before the iPhone 17 series arrives, so things may change during that time. We will have to be patient and watch for further leaks and rumors.