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At the September 9 "Awe Dropping" event, Apple officially announced the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro Max smartphones, offering its customers new flagship smartphones with some interesting changes. If you think about upgrading from the previous-gen iPhone Pro or you think about buying one instead of the latest models, here is our spec-by-spec comparison with all the differences between the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro/Pro Max, and the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max.
Unlike the iPhone 17, which retained the previous design introduced with the iPhone 16, the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max has been redesigned. Instead of titanium frames, these phones now use aluminum alloy unibody cases with Ceramic Glass at the front and back. Apple says that the new alloys are lighter and stronger than titanium frames in the iPhone 16 Pro and 15 Pro. The camera module is also new, with the iPhone 17 Pro now featuring a "plateau" with antennas surrounding it.
Displays have not changed much. Sizes and resolutions are the same, except for the peak brightness, which is now at 3,000 nits instead of 2,000 nits (outdoors).
Apple also increased the base storage from 128GB to 256GB, upgraded the processor from the A18 Pro to the A19 Pro with faster CPU and GPU cores, and introduced the new Apple N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
The new camera platform hosts a new array of three 48MP Fusion cameras with up to 8x optical zoom and ProRes video recording with Genlock support. Also, the front-facing camera now has an 18MP square sensor and Center Stage support. This allows you to take portrait or horizontal images while holding your iPhone however you want it. Plus, the smartphone can expand the field of view when it detects another person in the viewfinder. Other new features for the front camera include Dual Capture (record from two cameras at once), Center Stage for video calls and ultra-stabilized video recording.
Finally, Apple equipped its Pro-grade smartphones with larger batteries that promise up to 33 hours of video playback (39 hours in the Pro Max model) and faster charging with a 40W charger (up to 50% in just 20 minutes instead of 30 minutes like before).
Here are the key changes summed up in a list:
- A brighter display at up to 3,000 nits outdoors
- Aluminum unibody with Ceramic Glass back instead of titanium frames
- The new A19 Pro chip with the N1 chip for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, plus the C1X modem with faster performance and better efficiency
- 256GB base configuration with optional 2TB in the iPhone 17 Pro Max
- A reworked 48MP Fusion triple-camera setup with Dual Capture, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and Genlock support
- A new front-facing 18MP camera with a square sensor and Center Stage support
- Bluetooth 6
- Bigger batteries with faster charging
- More expensive: now starting at $1,099 instead of $999
Here is how the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max compare to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro lineups:
| iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max | iPhone 16 Pro / Pro Max | iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display |
6.3" 2622x1206 1000/1600/3000 nits brightness 1 nit min brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz |
6.3" 2622x1206 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness 1 nit min brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz |
6.1" 2556x1179 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz |
|
6.9" 2868x1320 1000/1600/3000 nits brightness 1 nit min brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz |
6.9" 2868x1320 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness 1 nit min brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz |
6.7" 2796x1290 1000/1600/2000 nits brightness Dynamic Island Always-on-Display 1-120Hz |
|
| Case |
Aluminum Unibody
|
Titanium Frame 199g (7.03oz) Action Button Camera Control |
Titanium Frame 187g (6.6oz) Action Button |
|
Aluminum Unibody 233g (8.22oz) Action Button Camera Control |
Titanium Frame 227g (7.99oz) Action Button Camera Control |
Titanium Frame 221g (7.81oz) Action Button |
|
| CPU |
6-core A19 Pro 6-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine Hardware-accelerated ray tracing |
6-core A18 Pro
|
6-core A17 Pro Bionic 6-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine Hardware-accelerated ray tracing |
| RAM | 12GB | 8GB | |
| Storage |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cameras |
48MP Fusion + 48MP Fusion ultra-wide + 48MP Fusion telephoto
0.5x / 1x / 8x optical zoom
Second-gen sensor-shift OIS |
48MP Fusion + 48MP ultra-wide + 12MP telephoto
0.5x / 1x / 5x optical zoom
Second-gen sensor-shift OIS |
48MP wide + 12MP ultra-wide + 12MP telephoto
0.5x / 1x / 2x / 5x optical zoom (only in Pro Max)
Second-gen sensor-shift OIS |
| Video |
4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 120 fps (Fusion Main), up to 60 fps (Fusion Ultra Wide, Fusion Telephoto)
Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)
Cinematic mode for videos with shallow depth of field, 4K HDR 30 fps
ProRes RAW
Macro video recording |
4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 120 fps (Fusion Main), up to 60 fps (Ultra Wide, Telephoto)
Cinematic mode for videos with shallow depth of field, 4K HDR 30 fps
ProRes video up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording
Macro video recording |
4K Dolby Vision video recording up to 60 fps
Cinematic mode for videos with shallow depth of field, 4K HDR 30 fps
ProRes video up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording
Macro video recording |
| Front Camera |
18MP Center Stage
Center Stage for photos
Photonic Engine
Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR 30 fps |
12MP
Photonic Engine
Cinematic mode up to 4K HDR 30 fps |
|
| Data |
GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+
Wi-Fi 7 |
GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+
Wi-Fi 7 |
GSM/EDGE/UMTS/HSPA+
Wi-Fi 6E |
| SIM |
No physical SIM Dual eSIM support |
||
| Battery |
TBD mAh 33 h video playback |
3582 mAh 27 h video playback |
3274 mAh 23 h video playback |
|
TBD mAh 39 h video playback |
4685 mAh 33 h video playback |
4422 mAh 29 h video playback |
|
| Ports |
USB-C (10Gb/s), MagSafe and Qi2 Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter 25W wireless charging with a 30W adapter |
USB-C (10Gb/s), MagSafe and Qi2 Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter 25W wireless charging with a 30W adapter |
USB-C (10Gb/s), MagSafe and Qi2 Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter |
| Colors | Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, Silver | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium | Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium |
| Price | $1,099+ | $999+ | $999+ |
| $1,199+ | $1199+ | $1199+ | |
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will be available for pre-order on Friday, September 12. Shipments begin on Friday, September 19.
Are you buying one?
Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.
Posted Thursday 11 September 2025 at 1:52 am AEST (my time).
News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of August): 4,048
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