Apple's iPhone 17 event is just over 48 hours away, and the rumor mill is kicking into overtime. On Tuesday, September 9, Apple's expected to announce as many as 7 new products during its ‘Awe Dropping’ event, including its latest high-end iPhone models. A new last-minute leak confirms 14 exciting upgrades headed for Apple's premium iPhone 17 Pro Max, including up to 8x camera zoom and a dramatically improved cooling system.
Both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and smaller iPhone 17 Pro face an uphill battle to claim the title of best phone, but the rumors so far have painted a very promising picture. Though we're not expecting any significant hardware upgrades beyond the camera array (more on that in a bit), the 17 Pro Max's design is set to get a serious overhaul. We could also be getting some new colorways too, including dark blue and orange.
@jemniyzd1yx iPhone 17 FINAL Leaks! New Confirmed Features!
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Last year, a report from The Information claimed the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will get "a new part-aluminum, part-glass design" instead of the traditional titanium frame, but exactly what that entails hasn't come to light until the past few weeks.
Noted leaker Majin Bu recently shared alleged images of Apple's clear case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, which has an opaque, rounded rectangle cutout on the phone's back beneath the camera bump. Presumably, this is to cover up the transition between metal and glass as well as demarcate the area surrounding the MagSafe system, instead of the previous circle with a line below it.
On TikTok, the Apple Hub shared another potential design change. The iconic Apple logo on the back of the phone seems to be getting bumped down. Instead of it being centered in the middle of the phone, Apple is shifting it further below the new rear camera bar. The reason for this is unclear, but Apple last repositioned the Apple logo in 2019 with the iPhone 11 line-up, so it could just be time for an overhaul.
A recent hands-on video with what appears to be an iPhone 17 Pro Max dummy unit suggests Apple could bump up the size of its premium phone as well, from 8.25mm on the iPhone 16 Pro Max to 8.7mm on the 17 Pro Max.
iPhone 17 Pro Max display upgrades
Noted Leaker Instant Digital has also said the iPhone 17 series display panel will be made with “a super-hard anti-reflective layer” that will make it “more scratch-resistant than you think.” It would reportedly hold up better to standard wear and tear than the iPhone's current Ceramic Shield display.
Earlier this year, it seemed like this rumor might not pan out because of issues Apple was running into with scaling the display coating process. However, last month, a MacRumors report claimed Apple’s suppliers have managed strong production yields on the new anti-reflective glass, paving the way for mass manufacturing. While the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are set to get the upgraded displays, the standard iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will miss out this time. Though we could see Apple expand this Pro-exclusive to the full line-up with later generations.
New chip, 8x zoom camera, and more hardware upgrades
Since Apple introduced its A-series chips, we've seen huge performance leaps with each iPhone generation. We're expecting the same with the iPhone Pro Max, which is rumored to get Apple's latest-and-greatest A19 Pro chipset.
Though there had been rumors that Apple could upgrade to a 2nm process to make the A19 Pro even smaller than the 3nm A18 Pro, it now sounds like next year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be the first to use a 2nm process instead. That being said, the A19 series chips are rumored to use an upgraded version of TSMC’s 3nm process for performance and energy efficiency boosts.
But this boost in performance also means the chip will run hotter. The new aluminium frame should help with cooling already, as it's a very good heat conductor, but the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max could take things one step further. Reports suggest Apple may adopt a new vapor chamber cooling system, a feature we've seen on some of the best Android phones, that uses liquid-filled copper pipes to draw heat away from delicate components. In practice, this means you'll be able to play intensive 3D games or record ProRes video for longer before your phone hits thermal limits and throttles down.
A purported document from a South Korean carrier shared on social media and first spotted by 9to5Mac suggests improved telephoto camera systems are headed for the 17 Pro and Pro Max. In particular, we could see the 48MP telephoto rear camera feature up to 8x zoom, compared to the 5x zoom on the iPhone 16 Pro models. The front camera may also get an upgrade, although the resolution may top out at 24MP.
Leak of iPhone 17 specifications by Korean telecom carriers pic.twitter.com/GuGPkJ9w3aSeptember 6, 2025
Recording video in 8K could also be in the cards, a feature first rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro. On Weibo, the leaker Fixed Focus Digital claimed all iPhone 17 models could get 8K video recording, and not just the Pro models. Another camera feature could be a Pro-exclusive, though: dual video recording. Rumor has it that the iPhone 17 Pro models will let users record video with the front and rear cameras simultaneously.
In terms of other upgrades, analysts Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo have both said that Apple will bump up the RAM on iPhone 17 Pro Max to 12GB, a 50% upgrade compared to the iPhone 16 series. That'll make it easier for Apple to offer even more on-device AI with Apple Intelligence. The iPhone 17 Pro models could also pack a slightly bigger battery: 5,000mAh compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max's 4,685mAh. More exciting is the prospect of reverse wireless charging, which lets you use your phone to charge other devices like the AirPods 4 or the heavily rumored AirPods Pro 3.
We'll have to wait until Tuesday's big reveal to learn more about the upgrades Apple has in store for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. In the meantime, be sure to check out our iPhone 17 event live blog for all the latest rumors and news.
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More from Tom's Guide
- iPhone 17 launch — 5 burning questions about Apple's upcoming models
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