Apple’s newest flagship iPhone is not fairly on retailer cabinets but, however the first opinions are up.
A handful of tech reporters have posted their preliminary opinions for the iPhone 17 Professional Max, the most important and most costly handset within the iPhone 17 lineup. Mashable may even have one up quickly, however within the meantime, let’s go over what everyone seems to be saying in regards to the beefy new cellphone. Between its controversial design, battery life, cameras, and extra, critics have lots to say, and little or no of it’s unfavourable.
The iPhone 17 has formally landed. Here is how and when you may preorder all 4 telephones.
iPhone 17 Professional Max overview roundup
Here is what everyone seems to be saying in regards to the new iPhone, which runs the just-released iOS 26.
The brand new design is successful individuals over
How do you are feeling about cosmic orange?
Credit score: CNET
One of many extra controversial features of the iPhone 17 Professional Max has been the design. Apple re-engineered the cellphone from earlier fashions, housing lots of its parts in a brand new digicam plateau that extends horizontally throughout the cellphone’s rear. It is definitely extra bulky-looking than earlier than. The brand new orange shade scheme has additionally been divisive, as is the shortage of a black shade possibility.
That mentioned, the opinions I learn indicated that critics roughly got here round on the design. Mark Spoonauer of Tom’s Information had type issues to say about it.
“Apple took a threat with the iPhone 17 Professional Max redesign, and I really suppose it pays off. What was only a digicam bump within the high left nook is now a mammoth digicam bar that Apple calls the plateau,” Spoonauer wrote. “Some might not prefer it, however to me, it really feels extra Professional.”
Apple additionally added a brand new aluminum body to the cellphone’s exterior, and Cherlynn Low of Engadget famous that this could make the cellphone extra sturdy. She famous that her iPhone 16 Professional skilled a nasty fall with some cracks just lately, however the 17 Professional Max is unlikely to endure the identical destiny.
“With its aluminum body defending the sides of the rear and again, there’s little probability the iPhone 17 Professional will break in the best way my iPhone 16 Professional did. Its display screen is now protected by Ceramic Protect 2, so if it fell flat on its face it ought to nonetheless be capable to survive the influence,” Low wrote. “The rear is a little more susceptible, because the three cameras nonetheless protrude barely from the plateau, however these are coated by the identical sapphire crystal that earlier fashions have been.”
As for the brand new orange shade, that is a matter of non-public style, nevertheless it needs to be famous that critics typically favored that, too.
Mashable Gentle Pace
The selfie digicam is the star
Throughout the board, opinions have been type to the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s trio of 48MP rear cameras. Nonetheless, that is regular and anticipated. One factor that actually stood out is how a lot reviewers favored the brand new Middle Stage selfie digicam.
Patrick Holland of CNET, which is owned by Mashable writer Ziff Davis, famous the enhancements made to the selfie digicam, together with the flexibility for it to zoom out and take larger group pictures.
“There is a new selfie digicam on each Professional telephones that Apple calls Middle Stage. It not solely takes 18-megapixel selfies, up from 12 megapixels on the 16 Professional, however you may maintain the 17 Professional vertically and take a horizontal selfie due to a brand new sq. picture sensor.” Holland wrote. “You’ll be able to press an onscreen button to vary the orientation, and there are even settings that can auto-rotate and auto-zoom out for group pictures.”
Patrick Holland of CNET takes a selfie with the iPhone 17 Professional.
Credit score: CNET
Over at Engadget, Low famous that she was skeptical of Middle Stage at first, however was shortly received over after utilizing it in various completely different eventualities.
“I used to be all of the extra persuaded once I paired Middle Stage with a timer or distant management of the selfie digicam and positioned the iPhone 17 Professional Max on a desk,” Low wrote. “A gaggle of seven or so associates and I gathered in entrance of the machine and watched it flip into panorama mode as extra of us received into the scene. It has been useful in various surprising methods.”
Massive battery life
A part of Apple’s rationale for the brand new digicam plateau is that it might home extra parts, such because the cellphone’s upgraded battery. Based on the early iPhone 17 Professional opinions, the battery half was not BS.
Take it from Julian Chokkattu of Wired. In that website’s overview, Chokkattu famous that you may simply get by a day with out charging your iPhone 17 Professional Max.
Credit score: CNET
“In real-world testing, I have not nervous about battery life on both of those telephones. I am utilizing the Professional Max proper now, which has greater than 5 hours of screen-on time (SoT) and 55 p.c left within the tank. I hit almost seven hours of SoT on the iPhone 17 Professional, and it nonetheless had 30 p.c left,” Chokkattu wrote. “A lot will rely upon what you are doing—hours of gaming will deplete the cell a lot sooner—however I feel there is a good probability you may not must cost your iPhone each single day anymore, particularly with the Professional Max.”
Lance Ulanoff of TechRadar additionally had very optimistic experiences with the battery, however cautioned that we would have to attend some time earlier than we’ve actual, detailed metrics on the iPhone 17 Professional Max’s battery efficiency.
“Now, in my expertise, I went over 30 hours (it is rated for 39 hours) earlier than I wanted to cost the cellphone. Nonetheless, I feel it is too early to make a closing evaluation on battery life,” Ulanoff wrote. “I do know my cellphone is busy copying 30,000 emails, updating picture libraries, and extra background duties referring to preliminary setup.”
In abstract, it appears like Apple nailed the issues it wanted to nail with the iPhone 17 Professional Max, at the very least in keeping with these preliminary opinions. Mashable could have a overview of our personal up in due time, so keep tuned for that.
