iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Which Pro iPhone is best for you?

Apple has once again launched two Pro iPhones this year. But how do you decide which iPhone 17 Pro model is the right one for you?

The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are Apple's newest premium phones, knocking the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max out of the iPhone lineup. The latest Pros join the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, with all four new models going on sale September 19. iPhone 17 pre-orders start tomorrow (September 12).

The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max both offer triple rear cameras, Apple's most powerful new silicon and all sorts of other upgrades. But you'll find a few noteworthy differences between the two models as well.

If you're struggling to choose between the Pro or Pro Max, let's take a look through the specs and see where the phones match and diverge. We've had some hands-on time with the two iPhone 17 Pro models, with a full review to follow. Here's what we've found out so far.

iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Specs

iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Price and availability

Preorders begin for Apple's latest pro iPhones on September 12. They go on sale a week later on September 19.

The smaller iPhone 17 Pro begins at $1,099/£1,099/AU$1,999, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max costing $1,199/£1,199/AU$2,199 for their base models. That’s technically a price increase for the 17 Pro, but it now starts with 256GB of storage rather than 128GB, meaning it’s the same price as the equivalent iPhone 16 Pro at launch.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max also features 256GB in its base model, a switch Apple made two years ago with the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Design and display

The main difference surrounding the Pro models is their size — the iPhone 17 Pro is a 6.3-inch phone while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a 6.9-inch one.

Both phones feature OLED screens. Apple rates the two as having the same peak 3,000 nits brightness, too. But clearly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max offers the more expansive screen real estate.

Perhaps surprisingly, both phones are the same thickness, though Pro Max is wider and longer to accommodate that larger panel. As a result, the Pro Max weighs a little less than an ounce more than the Pro — roughly 27 grams of difference.

The new Pros both use an all-aluminum body, rather than the titanium-clad one that we saw on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro. Only the new iPhone Air gets the titanium treatment this year.

The glass portions of these phones are made of one of two materials. There’s Ceramic Shield 2 protecting the display, offering greater scratch resistance and improved anti-reflection over previous Pro iPhone displays. Meanwhile the back glass uses the original Ceramic Shield for its own durability boost. Both phones, like several generations of prior iPhones, have IP68 dust/water resistance.

Whichever Pro you go for, there are only three colors to pick from, a sensible Silver, a bold Cosmic Orange, and a rich Deep Blue. All have a new two-tone look we’ve not seen on previous Pros, with the metal frame of the iPhone and the glass rear panel having slightly different hues.

Both feature a brand new camera "plateau" design on the back, stretching the full width of the phone’s top third. All other fixtures, like the Dynamic Island display notch, the power, volume, Action button, Camera Control, speaker openings and USB-C port, are identically placed.

Depending on the country you’re buying these phones in, you’ll either have a SIM tray or only eSIM support. This will be the same on both models, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Cameras

The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have identical camera set-ups this year. In the back, this consists of a 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto cameras. The telephoto camera is new for this generation of iPhone, and boasts a 4x optical zoom, with the ability to capture up to 8x lossless zoom by cropping in on shots.

On the front, the two phones feature an 18MP Center Stage camera. This shooter uses a new square sensor to help fit more people in shot, whether you're shooting portrait or landscape. It can also track your position during video calls to keep you centered in the frame.

Apple is focused on making its pro iPhones deliver high-grade videography. That's why both of these phones offer ProRes RAW video format, Apple Log 2 coloring, and Genlock for "bullet time" effect video when shooting with multiple synchronized iPhones. But for regular users, there's Dual Capture video, allowing you to record a single clip with footage from the front and rear cameras simultaneously.

iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Performance

A new A19 Pro chip powers both of the iPhone 17 Pro models, promising even greater power to run your apps and games. Unlike the A19 Pro silicon inside the iPhone Air, the Pro models use a version of the chip with an extra GPU core, so they'll likely outperform their thinner counterpart.

But perhaps more importantly, the A19 Pro's power is augmented with a vapor chamber cooling system for the first time. Seen on many of the best Android phones, this component moves heat away from the hottest running parts of the iPhone's interior structure allowing for more consistent performance.

As noted above, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max now have the same default 256GB storage comma and can be specced with 512 GB or 1TB memory capacity if you spend a little more. For the users who need the most room possible, the Pro Max offers Apple's first ever 2TB storage option for iPhone comma for a whopping $2,000.

iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Battery and charging

The actual battery capacities of these phones is unknown right now, as Apple never announces that information. Instead, we'll have to wait until teardowns of the new models confirm the actual size of the power packs.

It's clear that the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the bigger battery of the two models, though, and it sould last longer on a charge. According to Apple's battery life estimates, the Pro Max delivers 39 hours of video playback, versus 33 hours for the smaller model.

However, these figures depend on if you have an eSIM-only model or not. In markets where iPhones still have SIM trays, like the U.K., the battery expectancy is instead 37 hours vs 31 hours. That's because the tray for the physical SIM card takes up space that would otherwise be filled with battery.

On the charging front, both the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max can charge up to 50% full in 20 minutes with a 40W charger, or in 30 minutes using a 25W MagSafe/Qi 2.2 charger. These equal the base iPhone 17, with these three models being the fastest charging iPhones yet released.

iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Software and special features

iOS 26 is preinstalled on both of these iPhones out of the box. And since they're both arriving at the same time, they'll receive identical software support, likely five years' worth when you consider Apple's historic iPhone update patterns.

Similarly, both phones have identical software features. That includes access to all of Apple Intelligence, including Visual Intelligence, Writing Tools, photo editing features like Clean Up and Live Translation.

iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro Max: Outlook

In some ways, there's not a lot separating the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Their cameras, charging capabilities, chipset and software are all identical. Even where there are differences — like battery life, display size and price — the gap isn't all that large.

However, those differences will be crucial to anyone seriously considering upgrading to one of these phones. Hopefully we've explained these sufficiently so now you know which phone is the best for you, but check back soon for a more detailed comparison once we've spent more time with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

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