iPhone 17 Pro Max Its been two weeks. Are you happy with your iPhone 17, Air, Pro/Max?

[adrianlondon]

I used the Pro and the base 17 for a week. I returned the Pro and kept the 17.

I have the base and am happy with it, but have spent the 2-week-return window debating whether to do the opposite. The decision is made now and the return window is almost closed.

I'm curious, though, what made you pick the base phone especially as you already had all the Pro features to play with.

 

[MarkX]

I used the Pro and the base 17 for a week. I returned the Pro and kept the 17.

Did a very similar thing myself and I’m more than happy with my 17

 

[littlepud]

I have the base and am happy with it, but have spent the 2-week-return window debating whether to do the opposite. The decision is made now and the return window is almost closed.

I'm curious, though, what made you pick the base phone especially as you already had all the Pro features to play with.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/no-love-for-the-base-model.2467586/?post=34181310#post-34181310

- Same 120 Hz screen (finally) as 17 Pro
- Battery better than 16 Pro
- No real difference in materials vs 17 Pro
- Only missing telephoto camera but I don’t take that many zoom pictures.

 

[TheRdungeon]

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/no-love-for-the-base-model.2467586/?post=34181310#post-34181310

- Same 120 Hz screen (finally) as 17 Pro
- Battery better than 16 Pro
- No real difference in materials vs 17 Pro
- Only missing telephoto camera but I don’t take that many zoom pictures.

The reason I went with the Pro is:

-12GB RAM, i keep my phones for around 4 years, and I've already noticed this holds apps in their used state a lot longer than I'm used to
-"studio" microphones. Minor one but the mics are definitely better quality
- Better battery life, I just wanted the best battery life in this form factor
- Telephoto camera (kinda obvious one)
- Lidar scanner, don't use it that much but makes for much more accurate measuring when I do

 

[chmania]

As someone that upgrades annually,

How much do you lose every year?

 

[nelle douville]

The 17 Pro Max is the best performing iPhone I've owned, and the cosmic orange colour is beautiful.

 

[Momof2.1107]

I upgraded from a blue titanium 15PM to the silver 17PM and I love my new iPhone. I hated the blue titanium. I had scratches and scuffs on the frame, long before I decided to go caseless and start using skins and MagSafe phone backs. I love the bigger screen and waited until my 17PM arrived before I started using iOS 26. I am happy with my decision to upgrade this year and even if I were to not upgrade next year, I’ll be happy to hold onto my 17PM for 2 years.

 

[ant the ninja]

Upgraded on IUP to the 17p from a 16p and the battery life alone makes this upgrade worth it. I can’t believe the battery on this phone. I’m a heavy user and would have anywhere from 10 to 5% left by 730pm. it’s currently 10:30pm and have 44% remaining. I’m hoping further iOS updates don’t ruin it!

My only gripe is that I haven’t used a case since the iPhone 6 and I have been using one with this one. I went deep blue and I hate scratches and I’m rough with my phones. Never had an issue caseless before but from what I’ve seen online, I’m too nervous to use it without one. It does not feel nearly as solid as my previous 16/15 pros did.

 

[blairh]

Tomorrow will be two weeks since the iPhone 17, Pro, Max & Air launched. How many of you are happy with your new phone(s)? What did you upgrade from? I upgraded to a silver 17 Pro Max and I am 100% happy with my upgrade from a 13 Pro Max.

16 Pro Max to the vanilla iPhone 17.

I am much happier. It is wonderful.

I imagine this is my last slab iPhone until the folding iPhone next year.

 

[EugW]

I've had a 6.9" Cosmic Orange 17 Pro Max for about a week. It was to replace my 6.7" 12 Pro Max. Although I already found my 12 Pro Max a tad big, it was manageable, so I thought the 17 Pro Max would feel about the same. It does feel similar and it is manageable too as strictly a two-handed device, but the larger size is still noticeable and I'm finding it a bit more awkward holding it in one hand while using the other hand to scroll.

So, I've ordered the Cosmic Orange 17 Pro and will see how that goes. I tested my daughter's 16e for a while and it does feel a tad small but it's more than usable and it's very comfortable to hold. I'm hoping the slightly bigger 6.3" 17 Pro will be sufficient for me.

I'm thinking I'd like the form factor of the 6.5" iPhone Air, but the single speaker and single camera are non-starters for me.

As of right now I'm not sure which I'll keep, but I'll make my decision next week.

Returning the 17 Pro Max. Keeping the 17 Pro instead.

The 17 Pro Max is bigger of course, has better speakers, and has better battery life. Furthermore, with my 115% Safari page zoom setting, occasional website elements do not quite fit properly on the iPhone 17 Pro's screen. (They fit at default 100% zoom on the Pro, and fit at both 100% and 115% on the Pro Maxes.) However, the 17 Pro just fits my hand better even though I'm coming from a 12 Pro Max.

I thought I'd miss the extra size for occasional YouTube videos or watching 10 minutes of Netflix while having breakfast, but I don't. For 16:9 material in landscape mode, the 17 Pro is big enough with a screen height of 67 mm, roughly comparable to my old 5.5" iPhone 7 Plus with its screen height of 69 mm. And for 21:9 material, the iPhone 17 Pro is bigger than the iPhone 7 Plus. For longer viewing sessions, I'd be watching on my 11" iPad Pro.

I posted this pic in the case thread, but I thought it was appropriate here too. Here are the 17 Pro Max and 17 Pro side by side:

 

[littlepud]

16 Pro Max to the vanilla iPhone 17.

I am much happier. It is wonderful.

I imagine this is my last slab iPhone until the folding iPhone next year.

Same here, though I might skip the 1st generation fold just because it will be 1st gen.

I’m not a fan of current folding phones and the strange aspect ratios. They are very tall and narrow when folded, and square-ish when unfolded. I also find the screen crease very distracting.

I would consider getting an 2nd gen one if Apple can eliminate the crease and make a form factor that is closer to book-shaped when folded and an iPad mini when unfolded. It would have to be a device that can replace both iPhone and iPad for me.

 

[NotApplicable]

I had an Air but swapped for a Pro non-Max. I don't need any of the Pro features over the Air (extra cameras, extra speaker), but the extra battery life is enough to sway me. I'd go base 17 but I want the 12GB RAM. I hate the Aluminum as compared to Titanium or Stainless Steel, but this will do until next September.

 

[DMG35]

I have the 17 Pro Max and the Air. The 17 Pro Max is just meh. It's so thick and heavy that it honestly is a little annoying to lug around. I really enjoy using the Air. It's the best iPhone design Apple has released in a long time imo.

 

[Dopestar]

Tomorrow will be two weeks since the iPhone 17, Pro, Max & Air launched. How many of you are happy with your new phone(s)? What did you upgrade from? I upgraded to a silver 17 Pro Max and I am 100% happy with my upgrade from a 13 Pro Max.

I enjoy the phone but i am wondering what is going on with the Battery life. My phone is barely lasting through the late evening.

 

[EugW]

I enjoy the phone but i am wondering what is going on with the Battery life. My phone is barely lasting through the late evening.

Which phone? Your sig says 15 Pro Max.

Anyhow, anecdotally, my 17 Pro Max would last almost twice as long as my 12 Pro Max (which has 100% battery health with a new Apple OEM battery installed a few months ago). However, I returned that one and got the 17 Pro instead. The 17 Pro doesn't last as long as the 17 Pro Max, but still lasts way longer than the 12 Pro Max.

 

[eoblaed]

How much do you lose every year?

I don't lose anything.

 

[Aneef]

I upgraded from a Samsung Note 10 LITE to iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB Silver, and the upgrade has been quite big, since the earlier phone was a 5 year old LITE phone.

So here are my ratings for the new things. Not a direct comparison to the old device but the ratings express my satisfaction and expectations level.

1. Screen/Display: 8.5/10. Lovely display. Love the true toned colors, not oversaturated as Samsung phones. However, the anti-glare thing could have been a bit better as my friends/colleague's S25U is top-notch in this regards. 120 Hz/Promotion is great.

2. Battery: 9/10: Excellent. 40% gets me through whole day. I don't play games on it but use Facebook/IG/Whatsapp/Youtube alot. So it's a 2-day phone easily.

3. Form factor: 6/10: Too heavy. My hands get tired on listening to a 10-minute call on it. 232-233 grams feel a bit too heavy, and I go caseless. Also, not a too pretty phone in the presence of AIR around, however, this isn't a complaint and overall it doesn't look too bad.

4. Performance: 10/10: Snappy everytime.

5. OS: 7.5/10: Not too much refined. I experience frequent CarPlay disconnections every now and then.

6. Cameras: 10/10: I specifically love iPhone cameras and it lived upto the expectations. Portrait mode with telephoto camera is fantastic.

7. Speakers: 9/10: Very good. Can't complain.

8. FaceID: 10/10: The best. I love it.

Edit:
9. Siri/AI: 1/10: The worst. Siri routes the prompt to ChatGPT 99% of times. Visual Intelligence is meh. I use Gemini in case I have to do something otherwise iOS is the worst with AI.

 

[The Game 161]

very happy overall. better cooling is so important and better screen brightness is a big jump too

 

[James6s]

After having a dilemma with the Air vs 17 Pro and which one to keep, I regretted returning the Air and then returned the 17 Pro after 4 days and got another Air.

I would’ve exchanged the first Air due to a manufacturing defect where dust etc was accumulating in a gap between the display and the frame.

Very settled and happy with the Air, I think the whole form factor with the larger screen, light weight and unbelievable thinness won it for me. It’s just incredibly comfortable to hold, even for long period with no fatigue or pains in hands or wrists (I have carpel tunnel and having surgeries)

Also…

The more premium look and feel (subjective) is also nice over the 17 Pro.

Battery life was surprisingly close despite the sizeable difference in battery capacities and not enough to choose the 17 Pro over the Air.

It’s very interesting and funny how much fierce discussion the Air has created on these forums for those for and against it.

Overall I love the Air and I hope to enjoy using it until the Air 2 comes out (if it happens of course) we’ll see.

 

[svish]

Have been using my Orange 17 Pro Max for around 12 days now. Very happy with it. Love the color. The camera improvements are very good especially the front facing camera. Overall I think it is a fantastic iPhone.

 

[thatJohann]

Love my Air. Best iPhone since iPhone X.

 

[ab2c4]

I have been very happy with the Air. The speaker, battery life, camera and cell reception are all really good and its the best feeling phone I have held in years. Without a doubt my favorite iphone I have ever had (I have had a few androids I liked better but this is my favorite iphone). Its wonderful to hold and use.

 

[Rangers94]

Had the 17 Pro Max and although I loved the display it was simply to big and bulky. Was a PITA to use one handed and didn’t look forward to pulling it out of my pocket due to its sheer size.

Then along comes the iPhone Air. The Air is an absolute joy to use. I look forward to picking it up. It’s like you don’t even feel it in your hand. It’s almost as if your web browsing on just a sheet of glass. I also find the single speaker more than enough. It’s a phone. If I wanna watch a movie on it I’m putting AirPods on. The battery is just fine. Just as good if not better than my previous iPhone 15 Pro Max. As far as the camera goes..it gets the job done perfectly fine. Better 1 and 2x pics than my 15 Pro Max. If you are a creator and need close up telephoto shots you may want the Pro phone.

 

[Azygos85]

I just got my 17 Pro Max today . I'm coming from a 14 Pro Max. So far, so good! The screen seems brighter, and the interface is much smoother. I had upgraded to iOS 26 on my 14 PM, but it was janky :/.

 

[svish]

Just got a 17 for my mum in Sage. Looks nice. Just setting it up and installing apps. Very good iPhone.