The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have arrived, in a trio of colors including a stunning Cosmic Orange, and in the case of the Pro Max, the most expensive iPhone variant ever.
Apple has drastically overhauled the design of its Pro series handsets, with a super-sized ‘plateau’ (camera bump to you and me) on the rear, along with a new metal unibody and even tougher ceramic.
Prices start at $1,099 and $1,199 respectively, which bags you 256GB of storage – matching the cost of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max when they launched in 2024. But can the price tag still be justified? Well, here’s seven iPhone 17 Pro features worth talking about.
1. Pro-level durability
Apple spent a lot of time during its launch event talking about how it’s improved the durability across its entire range, including the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air.
For the Pro duo, there’s an all-new “heat-forged aluminum unibody” which wraps around the back and incorporates the raised ‘plateau’ which houses the cameras and a bunch of components.
This tough aerospace-grade 7000-series aluminum alloy unibody is complemented by Apple’s new Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and on a section of rear of the handset.
Apple claims the rear ceramic is four times more resistant to cracks than “the glass back of previous-generation iPhone”, while the front protection is three times more scratch resistant “compared with previous-generation iPhone.”
2. The most powerful iPhone models ever
The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max feature Apple’s new A19 Pro chipset with 6 CPU and 6 GPU cores, delivering up to 40% better sustained performance versus the iPhone 16 Pro.
These phones are capable of handling local AI models with more efficiency, and it’s part of an overall package Apple says is “designed from the inside out to be the most powerful iPhone models ever made.”
3. Keeping cool under pressure
Another feature which helps the iPhone 17 Pro duo offer game-changing performance is the inclusion of a vapor chamber – a first for an iPhone.
Apple’s implementation features deionized water sealed inside a chamber and laser-welded to the chassis, which helps dissipate heat from the A19 Pro chipset, keeping components cooler, and allowing for improved sustained performance.
In real-terms, that means longer gaming sessions, more 4K video capture, and AI modelling to your hearts content, without having to hold a hot potato.
4. Closer to the action
Apple has improved the zoom capabilities on the rear cameras for the iPhone 17 Pro handsets.
Apple’s longest telephoto lens ever offers you up to an 8x optical zoom – the longest ever on an iPhone.
This allows you to get closer to your subject without any loss in image quality. And if you want to get even closer, the new phones also support up to 40x digital zoom
5. The best ever iPhone battery life
iPhone battery life has been a bit of a running joke through the years, and while Apple has improved efficiency with each generation, you’d be hard pushed to say it offers phones with the best battery life.
But with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple claims the best battery life ever for an iPhone with up to 39 hours of video playback from a single charge. The 17 Pro claims a still-impressive 33 hours.
Apple’s also improved charging, with a 20 minute charge from a high-wattage adapter (you’ll need at least a 30W plug) replenishing up to 50% of the battery.
6. Super clear video
Did you manage to catch the Apple event livestream? If you didn’t, we’d recommend you go back and give at least some of it a watch. Why? Because the whole thing was shot on an iPhone 17 Pro.
Apple’s equipped the Pro series with even more video features, including enhanced video stabilization, cinema-grade specs, and compatibility with industry-standard workflows. It reckons it can be used for Hollywood productions as well as your home-movies. I shopping eBay for my director’s chair right now.
7. Dazzlingly bright
The screen has also been given an upgrade, with peak brightness now at a dazzlingly 3,000 nits – a significant improvement over the 2,000 nits peak brightness on the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.
It means the displays on the 6.3-inch iPhone 17 Pro and 6.9-inch iPhone 17 Pro Max should be even better to view in bright light, plus Apple has applied a new anti-glare coating to further improve the viewing experience.
Tempted?
If you’re tempted by the iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max, pre-orders for the phones open on September 12. Both handsets will be available online and physically in stores from September 19.
- iPhone 17 Pro
Price: from $1,099 | Pre-order: September 12 | Release date: September 19 - iPhone 17 Pro Max
Price: from $1,199 | Pre-order: September 12 | Release date: September 19
