Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max Cosmic Orange 256GB

Apple finally made an iPhone with a battery that lasts and cameras with no compromises. It's expensive and charges like it's 2018, but it's the best iPhone ever made.

The A19 Pro chip is a beast, but what surprised us most wasn't the peak speed, it was the sustained performance. Apple claims up to 40% better sustained performance thanks to that new vapor chamber cooling, and in our testing, it actually holds up. We threw everything we could at it, 4K video rendering, intense gaming sessions, and it barely got warm. It sits in the 89th percentile for raw performance, which is one of the best on the market, but the real story is that it doesn't throttle nearly as quickly as the 16 Pro Max did. That 8GB of RAM is starting to feel a little tight for a $1200 phone in 2025, though.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is still the closest rival, with a built-in S Pen, faster charging, and that 10x optical zoom, but Apple's video quality and ecosystem integration remain better. The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL has jumped into the conversation with its computational photography and cleaner Android experience, though its raw performance still trails the iPhone. The OnePlus 13 is the value pick, offering strong performance and a great display for less money, but its camera consistency can't match the iPhone's. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is now the previous generation, still a great phone but clearly outclassed by the 17 Pro Max in battery and camera flexibility. If you want the best slab phone camera and battery, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the one to beat.

At $1200, this is a serious investment. You're getting the best iPhone ever made, with a camera system and battery life that genuinely justify the price. But let's be real, that's a lot of money for a phone. If you're coming from a 14 Pro Max or older, the upgrade feels massive. If you have a 16 Pro Max, the battery and camera improvements are significant, but you'll have to decide if they're twelve hundred dollars significant. For what it offers, it's worth it, but only if you plan to keep it for three or four years.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is Apple firing on all cylinders. It's not just an iterative spec bump, it's a genuinely meaningful redesign that fixes the two things people complain about most: battery life and durability. The new unibody aluminum frame feels fantastic, and the battery now comfortably lasts into a second day for most people. The camera system is the real star here though. Having three 48MP sensors means you're not sacrificing quality when you switch lenses, and that 8x optical zoom finally puts Apple in the same conversation as Samsung's best. It's big, it's heavy, and it's expensive, but it's the most complete iPhone in years.

If you're looking for a compact phone or something that charges fast, this isn't it. The 17 Pro Max is a two-handed beast that takes over an hour to fully charge. Go get a OnePlus 15 if you want 80W charging, or a Motorola razr ultra 2025 if you want something that actually fits in your pocket.

Buy it if you want the best camera system on any phone and battery life that finally lets you leave the charger at home. The 17 Pro Max is Apple's most confident iPhone in years, fixing long-standing weak points without introducing new headaches. It's not perfect, the charging speed is embarrassing and the RAM is a future-proofing concern, but the overall package is so polished that it's easy to recommend to anyone who can stomach the price. This is the iPhone we've been waiting for.