iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max Hands-On

[MacRumors]

Apple introduced the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max yesterday and gave members of the media some hands-on time with them. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera was able to take a look to check out the new design and share his first impressions.

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Rather than using titanium and glass, the iPhone 17 Pro models have a unibody aluminum frame. There's aluminum around the camera plateau and at the back except for where there's a Ceramic Shield insert for MagSafe charging. The camera plateau is much bigger, and there's a two-tone look thanks to the aluminum and Ceramic Shield design.

The updated iPhones feel solid and well built, and Apple promises that durability and scratch resistance have improved. Apple added a new anti-reflective coating, and while it's not a dramatic change, it does cut down on glare.

The new dark blue and orange color options are attention grabbing, but Apple didn't provide a space black or space gray kind of option. It's silver, orange, or dark blue only this year.

There's a new Telephoto lens that supports up to 8x zoom, and an upgraded front-facing camera that lets you take selfies in portrait or landscape mode without rotating your phone.

Apple is launching the new iPhones on September 19, and we'll have a more comprehensive review then. We also took a look at the iPhone Air if you want to check out that video.

Article Link: iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max Hands-On

 

[jz0309]

totally agree on the colors! finally something truly colorful.
I was disappointed in the tele lens not being the rumored 5/8x true optical zoom, and given the early 18 rumors it might not come next year either.
So for now, I put a pre-order placeholder in for an orange 17PM but am still not 100% convinced to pull the trigger. It sure would be a significant upgrade from my 13PM though

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

that new "anti reflective" coating is very disappointing

 

[mabaker]

I think Steve Jobs would have thrown the Pro after the designer who designed that brick.

 

[ralph_sws]

If phone is dropped, back cannot be fully replaced. There will be many craters on the plateau. 😆

 

[Orange Bat]

I’m just not sure. I may just muddle through with my 13 Pro Max until next year. I’ll wait and see what the reviews say.

 

[Rogifan]

I ordered the blue because it felt the least two-toned. Don’t mind the look of the orange but I wish the silver back cutout was more silver. It really looks white in some photographs/videos.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Great looking phones and colors. If I was upgrading this year I’d get orange in a heartbeat, although that navy also looks lovely.

 

[Hammerd]

I ordered the blue because it felt the least two-toned. Don’t mind the look of the orange but I wish the silver back cutout was more silver. It really looks white in some photographs/videos.

Where did you order it?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I think Steve Jobs would have thrown the Pro after the designer who designed that brick.

the whole USA electricity supply comes from steve jobs' coffin attached to a generator . gains an exponential increase in speed after every keynote

 

[snipr125]

Considering Silver or Blue for me, leaning more to the blue.

 

[JulianL]

One improvement that Apple mentioned in the presentation that no one seems to mention much is something that, if it turns out to be true, seems to me to be quite important. They say that with the antenna now wrapped around the plateau (camera bulge) that optimises reception vs the previous placement.

I guess we’ll have to wait for some real life feedback and some data from RF experts who know how to quantify this stuff but if the change in antenna placement really does lead to better performance in marginal signal areas then, as someone who often find himself in 1 or 2 bar reception areas where I struggle with data connectivity, that would be a big plus for me.

I’ll be ordering the blue Pro Max when pre orders open on Friday so I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

 

[trife]

The silver is calling me, though the white back looks out of place at times. The blue looks good, too.

Really they all look good, but I'd be sick of an orange phone after a month or so.

 

[GMShadow]

While I'm not in the market (no need to upgrade from my 16PM), a Master Chief colored iPhone would be fun to have.

 

[markgpearse]

I'm upgrading to protect the trade-in value of my iPhone 16 Pro.

 

[transpo1]

I love the colors blue and orange but the two tone backs on these devices look horrible. Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really do not like this year’s design. Functional, yes. Beautiful, no.

 

[BarredOwl]

These are the worst looking iPhones ever; just ghastly hideous.

 

[BabaBooey24]

Love your videos but is it possible to be a little more professional and not sit on your bed with your bathrobe on next time?

 

[HouseLannister]

that new "anti reflective" coating is very disappointing

Video seemed pretty optimistic about it. I think we will have to get real hands on to get a good impression of how it compares to Corning Gorilla Armor 2.

 

[dustin_]

that silver/white thing is an abomination. blue is tolerable. orange is fine because it’s something new, but it certainly isn’t pretty. ugliest pro lineup ever.

i’m sure they’re excellent phones.

 

[marinersaptcomplex]

I'm upgrading to protect the trade-in value of my iPhone 16 Pro.

You’re literally spending more by trading it in than by holding onto it for one more year? There’s plenty of reasons to upgrade, and none of them need to be rational (it’s your money!), but this is just flawed logic.

 

[switz]

Once a case is installed on the iPhone 17 Pro line, the two tone could be hidden and probably only the plateau color is seen. On my iPhone 16 Pro Max, only the camera square color is visible. So not to worry if the iPhone color is not what you hoped it would be.

 

[anthony131]

“one of the better iPhone designs that we’ve seen in the last few years”.
Good thing I don’t visit MR for actual reporting or any sense of reality. This is easily one of the ugliest phones I have ever seen.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

I just wish they had done something more with the plateau. There's a lot of "unused" space there.

It's not unused inside the plateau, where more new camera parts are located. There isn't room for both those parts and for parts that would have an outside exposure, like a fourth rear camera.

 

[imamacperson]

Just can't believe there is no black color option!