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Hands-On Tech 235: iPhone 17 Pro Max Review
00:13:18
What Does the iPhone 17 Pro Max Deliver On?
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This is twit. Hello, everyone. So I have been living with the iPhone 17 Pro Max for about a full week now. And look, you probably have already seen the early reviews from folks who got their hands on this thing at launch. But here's the thing about iPhone reviews. You don't really know a phone until you've actually lived with it, until you've taken it through your daily routine. You've charged it every night or maybe every other night with this one, and really pushed it to see what's new versus, well, what's just marketing speak. And let me just say up front, this might be the prettiest iPhone in years, but it's pretty enough. Well, let's talk about it. Okay, so Apple completely redesigned this thing and the first time you pick it up, you notice this new brushed aluminum unibody with that camera plateau on the back. Frankly, I think it's a statement. The statement is basically, we're done with the camera bump conversation. Instead of a bump, you now have this elegant plateau that actually creates more internal space for the battery. I've got the deep blue color here, and in different lighting it shifts from this kind of deep navy to almost black. It's sophisticated in a way that I think recent iPhones haven't been that cosmic. Orange is apparently pretty wild, but the blue chef's kiss. Now about that ceramic shield too. Apple's claiming three times better scratch resistance on the front, and they've put ceramic shield on the back for the first time. After a week of tossing this in my pocket with keys, sliding it across tables, general daily abuse, not a single micro scratch. And that's actually pretty impressive given these scratches I got on my 16 Pro Max last year. The 6.9 inch display is massive. And that 3000 nits peak brightness. Honestly, I was a little skeptical at first, but taking this thing outside in direct sunlight, it's legitimately easier to see than my laptop screen indoors. The anti reflective coating is doing some real work here. One design choice that's interesting. The antennas are now integrated around the perimeter of the phone. You don't notice them, but Apple claims this is the best antenna system they've ever had in an iPhone. My signal strength has been constantly and consistent, consistently better, especially in those edge case spots like parking garages. So let's talk about the A19 Pro and this Vapor chamber cooling system everyone's been hyping. Here's what actually matters. This phone doesn't really get hot, like at all. You can probably remember, as I do, setting up a new iPhone and feeling it turn into a hand warmer. Yeah, it seems to be gone. During my initial setup, restoring from icloud, downloading all my apps, indexing photos, the thing stayed cool. That's the vapor chamber doing its job. Moving heat away from the processor and distributing it through the aluminum unibody in daily use. IOS 26 on this, a 19 Pro. Oh, like butter. And I mean that. There's this subtle smoothness to every interaction that you don't notice until you go back to an older phone scrolling, app switching, those little haptic responses. Everything just feels more refined. So what about gaming? Well, I threw some demanding titles at this thing and everything runs at max settings without breaking a sweat. The GPU with those neural accelerators must be doing something right. Frame rates stay locked, throttling, and again, not really any heat. But here's the thing. Unless you're really pushing this phone with gaming or video editing, you might not even notice the performance jump from the 16 Pro Max. It's there, but it's more about kind of headroom for the future than in any immediate wow factor. But I suppose it's time to address the elephant in the room. Apple's claiming this is the best battery life ever in an iPhone. And you know what? They might actually be right this time. I have the US ESIM model, which actually has an even larger battery since they use the space from the SIM tray. Apple says you get two extra hours of video playback, up to 39 hours total in my real world use. And I'm talking heavy use here, folks. I'm ending my day with 30 to 40% left. Yesterday I had seven hours of screen time, including streaming video, navigation, tons of photos, and I went to bed with 35% remaining. That's genuinely impressive. This is legitimate two day battery life for moderate users. Oh, and charging is fast too. With Apple's new 40 watt adapter, I'm getting about 50% charge in 20 minutes, just like they claimed the 25 watt MagSafe charging. Also noticeably quicker than before. This is where things get really interesting. At least in my opinion. Three 48 megapixel cameras, main ultra wide and telephoto. But listen, it's not just about megapixels. Okay, that's new. Eight times optical zoom at 200 millimeters. Game changer. This is the longest optical zoom ever on an iPhone. And it shows you can get shots that simply weren't possible before without digital zoom. Artifacts, wildlife, sports, concerts. This is the zoom iPhone users have been waiting for. But here's My favorite surprise. I wasn't expecting much out of that Center Stage front camera, but honestly, this thing is magic in low light. I took a selfie in an almost completely dark room. I'm talking like camp. See your hand in front of your face dark and it pulled out a beautiful usable photo. The 18 megapixel sensor with that square design is doing some serious computational photography work. The Center Stage feature for photos is clever as well, so when you're taking a group selfie it automatically expands the field of view. You can hold the phone vertically but still capture and landscape. It's one of those features that kind of sounds gimmicky until you use it at a family dinner and actually get everybody in the shot. And those new photographic styles with the bright style option. It's kind of like Instagram filters that are built into the camera, but not quite as over processed as Instagram filters. The improved color accuracy from the updated photonic engine is noticeable, especially with skin tones. And of course, as is always the case with an iPhone, video remains stellar. 4K at 120 frames per second is smooth. Dolby Vision HDR looks great. And that dual capture feature where you can record front and back simultaneously, Well I imagine content creators are going to love that. The stabilization on the front camera for 4K video, also remarkably good. Approaching gimbal like smoothness. And of course one note for the pros. They've added ProRes, RAW log 2 GenLock support. But honestly, if you need those features, you already know what they are. For everyone else, just know this phone can integrate into professional video workflows if needed.
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- [07:12]
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- [08:24]
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- [08:55]
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IOS26 well, you deserve your moment here as well. The Liquid Glass design language, I think it's gorgeous. Apps feel more fluid, animations are more purposeful. It's still iOS so don't worry. If you're coming from any recent iPhone, you'll feel at home immediately. The new screening tools for calls and messages I think are a godsend. My spam call interruptions have dropped to nearly zero and it's smart enough to let through important calls while filtering out the obvious junk. Now, I've been praising this thing, but I did have some hiccups. Carplay has been finicky. It took longer to connect. I was having issues where I had to reset my connection a couple of times with my car and during initial setup of the phone. I and some other people who got their phones on day one had some issues pairing their Apple watch. It required three attempts on my part to get it going. These feel like iOS 26 early bugs that'll probably get patched and not something to do with the phone, but it's worth noting. So here's the million dollar question. Should you upgrade? Well, if you're coming from an iPhone 16 Pro Max, honestly, probably not. Unless you really need that 8 times optical zoom or you're obsessed with having the latest design. The 16 Pro Max is still an incredible phone. The performance difference is there, but it's pretty subtle. IPhone 15 Pro Max users though, well, now we're talking. The camera improvements alone might justify it. That 8 times zoom, the new Center Stage camera, the improved low Light performance across the board. Add in the design, refresh, the better battery life, that vapor chamber cooling and it starts to make a lot of sense. What about iPhone 14 or older? Well, I think at that point it's a no brainer upgrade if you're in the market. The jump in camera quality, display brightness, battery life, overall performance, it's going to feel transformational. You're essentially jumping several generations of improvement for everyday users who just want a phone that works brilliantly. I think this thing delivers. The battery life means you're not thinking about charging during the day. The camera means you're getting professional looking shots without thinking about settings. The performance means everything just works instantly each time you go to do something. And for enthusiasts, well, this is Apple at the top of their game. That vapor chamber isn't just marketing. It enables sustained performance that previous iPhones couldn't maintain. The camera system genuinely pro level and the design is the biggest shift we've seen in a few years. So let's talk money. Well, starting at 1199 for 256 gigabytes, going up to 1999 for the new two terabyte option. Yeah, it's pretty expensive. This is a premium device with a premium price. But here's the thing, you have to know that iPhones hold their value better than almost any other smartphone. Maybe better than any other smartphone. And with Apple supporting these devices with iOS updates for six plus years, you're looking at a device that's going to stay current for a long time. Factor in trade in values and that math starts to work better. I will say though, the accessories are pricey too. That new tech woven case, well, that's $59. The crossbody strap, oh, that's another $59. But the build quality is there. And the mag safe ecosystem compatibility means that your older accessories are still going to work. So after a week with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, here is where I've landed. This is kind of my final take on it. This is the most refined iPhone Apple has made, which makes sense. It's the latest iPhone that Apple has made. It's not revolutionary, but it certainly is evolutionary. The design is mature, it's sophisticated, the performance is overkill in the best way. The cameras are finally at a point where zoom doesn't mean compromise. And the battery life, oh, it's what we have been asking for since smartphones became our everything devices. Is it perfect? No. I mean those carplay issues are annoying, the price aren't hard to swallow, and if you're happy with your current phone. This probably won't change your life, but if you're in the market for a new phone, if you're coming from an older model, or if you just want the best iPhone experience that money can buy, this is it. The iPhone 17 Pro Max isn't just iterating anymore, it's setting a new standard for what we expect from a smartphone. I think Apple took this time to take everything that was already great about the iPhone and then fix most of what wasn't and then wrap it all up in the best design I think Apple's made in a long time. I know. I think the Vapor Chamber is really cool, but it also means the performance isn't going to throttle. The camera system means shots you couldn't get before, and that battery means anxiety free daily use. So it's not just a spot spec bump disguised as innovation. This is Apple kind of saying, here's what happens when we redesign everything from the inside out and say I don't think we need to make compromises. And I think they've nailed it. So now I'm kind of curious. What do you think? Are you upgrading to the iPhone 17 Pro Max? Let me know. And if you found this review helpful after living with the device for a week, please do be sure to share it with anyone you know who's still considering the upgrade. Until next time, I'm Micah Sargent and I'll see you in the next episode of Hands On Tech. Bye bye.
- [14:13]
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- [15:28]
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From the Cascades to PDX to your kitchen, we recycle like we live here. That's why governments, brands, and recycling companies are all joining together to bring change to make recycling better. As in trusting that your recyclables end up in the right places to be made into new things and having brands help fund the cost of recycling. You can find the Latest updates at recycleon.org Oregon From Mount Hood to the bin under your desk, Together we can do this.
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