Now that Google revealed its latest phones, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is certainly going to try to earn that best phone recognition. However, that will mainly hinge on how it performs during our testing. Now the ball’s in Apple’s court with a potential September 9 event, where we’ll likely get our first glimpse at the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Apple’s flagship model has a lot to prove, despite the rumors of how we could end up getting a new model in the lineup with the iPhone 17 Air. And now that we know everything about the Pixel 10 Pro XL, Apple can’t afford to have a tepid response.
I’ve had the chance to check out the Pixel 10 Pro XL, but the leaks and rumors about the iPhone 17 Pro Max reveal some key ways it could beat its rival. Here’s how.
More powerful A19 Pro chip
This one’s very obvious, given how previous face-offs have ended with Apple coming on top. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is tipped to be powered by the A19 Pro, which is reportedly going to be made using an upgraded version of TSMC’s 3nm process. Apple’s chips have historically outperformed Google’s Tensor, evident in the most recent models as the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s performance had significant gains over the Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Upgraded telephoto camera
One thing that surprised me about the Pixel 10 Pro XL is that Google didn’t upgrade its camera hardware. In fact, the camera specs are all identical to last year’s model — including its telephoto shooter. Google is leaning on some AI-assistance with a feature called Pro Res Zoom, which enhances zoom photos with the help of generative AI. I saw it in action and tried it out for myself, but I think this is one area where Apple could come out on top.
That’s because the iPhone 17 Pro Max is tipped to get an upgraded 48MP telephoto shooter, which would be up from the 12MP one in the current iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, it’s also rumored that the optical zoom is being shortened to a 3x zoom — down from 5x. Another report claims otherwise, as the telephoto cam is expected to get an 8x optical zoom.
Whatever ends up happening, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a good chance at coming out on top. I just need to remind myself how Apple had the superior zoom performance in my 200 photo shootout with the iPhone 16 Pro Max vs Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Longer battery life
There haven’t been a lot of leaks surrounding the battery of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but I’m hardly concerned because we’ve put the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Pixel 9 Pro XL through our usual battery drain test — and the iPhone lasted a whole lot longer. I’m not talking an hour, I’m talking almost 4 hours longer.
Yes, the Pixel 10 Pro XL gets a larger 5,200 mAh battery, but I don’t think that alone would be enough to beat the iPhone 17 Pro Max in a battery endurance test. Even if Apple keeps the same battery capacity as before, the power efficiency of the A19 Pro chip could alone make the battery last longer.
Anti-reflective display
There haven’t been a lot of leaks around the display coming to the iPhone 17 Pro Max either, but we know how well the current display in the iPhone 16 Pro Max works. The 6.9-inch display on the iPhone 17 Pro Max is tipped to be constructed with “a super-hard anti-reflective layer” that will make it much more durable.
This could make it better to see outdoors or in bright conditions, which produce unintended reflections that make it hard to see what’s on screen. Google doesn’t have anything like this with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, choosing instead to say how its 6.8-inch Super Actua display can now reach up to 3,300 nits. Being bright is always good, but it won’t help if the screen’s littered with reflections.
Refreshed design with bolder colors
Don’t get me wrong, I much prefer the design of the Pixel 10 Pro XL over the current iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, we might see a big design refresh for the iPhone 17 Pro Max that could make it much more appealing.
First of all, the back of the phone is reportedly going to look vastly different with the camera housing being stretched out — with a two-tone color scheme. What makes this refreshed design more attractive is that it’s going to be available in bold new colors. I’ve said already that the new color options with the Pixel 10 Pro XL, Jade and Moonstone, are muted compared to what Google has offered in the past.
With the iPhone 17 Pro Max, we could see the introduction of an orange color — accompanied by white, black, and a deep blue option.
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