Reviewers share initial impressions of the unboxing, cosmic orange finish, unibody aluminum design, and hand feel of the iPhone 17 Pro. Along the way it covers Display Upgrades and Thermals, The Center Stage Front Camera and Rear Cameras and 4x Telephoto Zoom, and more. Summarizes reviewer consensus on who should buy the iPhone 17 Pro series versus opting for the base model or skipping this generation.
/public/creators/rereview-tech/videos/video_eKcs5WxS6Sw/arvp.json
· answer engine at
/public/creators/rereview-tech/moment-agent
Reviewers share initial impressions of the unboxing, cosmic orange finish, unibody aluminum design, and hand feel of the iPhone 17 Pro.
On screen: A man stands outdoors on a paved path next to a beach, holding an orange smartphone in his left hand and a blue smartphone in his right hand, both enclosed in cases.
Covers the 3,000-nit screen, Ceramic Shield 2 durability, anti-reflective display coating, and the A19 Pro vapor chamber thermal management.
On screen: Two iPhones, labeled as '16 Pro Max' and '17 Pro Max', are shown side-by-side on a light gray surface, both displaying iMovie's 'Exporting Movie' screen, with text overlays comparing their export times, and a speaker's…
Highlights the new 18MP square-sensor front camera, auto-framing functionality, dual capture mode, and internal ProRes log video support.
On screen: A close-up shot of a smartphone screen showing a bearded man with sunglasses looking up, with the phone itself centered against a vibrant purple background while text appears and changes.
Evaluates the triple 48MP camera setup, the shift to a 4x optical telephoto lens, portrait image quality, and Prores Raw recording.
On screen: The screen is split vertically, showing two comparison photos of a lifeguard tower on a sandy beach next to the ocean under an overcast sky.
Analyzes battery test results, faster charging speeds, regional eSIM variations, aluminum scuff resistance, and pricing options.
On screen: A bald man with a beard is seen smiling at the camera in a medium close-up shot, with a street, trees, and a red car in the background, while UI elements related to image editing are overlaid on the screen.
Summarizes reviewer consensus on who should buy the iPhone 17 Pro series versus opting for the base model or skipping this generation.
On screen: A man in a brown shirt and white t-shirt speaks directly to the camera, positioned in front of three iPhones: a silver one on the left, an orange/bronze one in the center, and a dark blue one on the right, all against a…
0:00 Speaker A: Apple just changed the iPhone Pro's DNA. Speaker B: This might be the biggest upgrade to iPhone. Speaker C: The design has changed. Speaker D: It's a very stacked year for Apple's iPhones. Speaker E: I was expecting more here. Speaker F: Welcome back to re review where we watch all the reviews so you don't have to. Speaker F: Today we're diving deep into one of the most polarizing releases of the year, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Speaker F: First impressions start with the unboxing and this controversial new design. Speaker G: So I went for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and yes, I went for the orange one.
0:26 Speaker G: You have to go for the orange one, don't you? Speaker G: The thing that I had with this cosmic orange iPhone pro max was that I was thinking it's going to either be amazing in person or it's going to be a massive disappointment. Speaker G: Oh, it's everything I'd hoped for. Speaker A: It's best color of any smartphone I've ever seen. Speaker A: My prayers have been answered and I'm not going to stop talking about it for the next 12 months.
0:51 Speaker E: I do like the new design, but I do still think the 16 Pro's back design looked far more elegant. Speaker E: It made it feel like a fashion accessory, unlike the orange here, which is cool, just not quite as elegant. Speaker F: This year there's also no black option for the pro models and one reviewer has a theory why. Speaker E: I think the reason why Apple didn't go for black this year is purely for durability reasons, as there have been a number of reports on social media that the blue does scratch very easily.
1:18 Speaker E: So just imagine the black. Speaker E: We may have a similar issue to the black iPhone5, which was a scratch and scuff magnet. Speaker C: This design, arguably the chunkiest, the biggest, the least flattering design in my opinion. Speaker C: The numbers don't lie. Speaker C: These are bigger and heavier phones and also you put on a case, they even feel wider in hand. Speaker H: Now, immediately though, the phone felt very comfortable to hold in the hand.
1:43 Speaker H: Even though it's 6 grams heavier than the iPhone 16 Pro Max and it's even slightly thicker, it feels way better. Speaker H: And hear me out, the edges being curved make it sit in your hand nicely and the way that it's rounded just make the phone feel thinner. Speaker F: But even with a comfortable shape, new aluminium unibody design has some reviewers questioning its premium feel, especially compared to another new phone in the lineup. Speaker E: Compared to the Air, the pro models also feel cheaper.
2:09 Speaker E: Just don't have that jewelry like feel that the air does. Speaker B: One step back this year, the titanium frame is gone, replaced by aluminum. Speaker B: The upside is a unibody design that makes better cooling possible. Speaker B: But hardness and texture are definitely a downgrade. Speaker G: Then we have the plateau. Speaker G: Apple has to do this. Speaker G: They have to have these names for their kind of design elements. Speaker G: What I want to know immediately is does it wobble on the surface of the table and no, not really because it's got more of a surface area.
2:40 Speaker F: Let's move to the front of the phone where all new iPhones this year are getting a significant screen upgrade. Speaker I: All the phones across the board have brand new LCD panels that are offering 3,000 nits of maximum peak brightness. Speaker I: This is a thousand nits more than the 16 Pro series that came before it. Speaker I: So this is a substantial upgrade. Speaker J: The combination of higher brightness on the screen, better contrast, and that anti reflective coating makes this such an immersive screen.
3:05 Speaker J: It feels like there's less of something between my finger and the content I'm interacting with. Speaker B: But the real thing this year is the second gen ceramic shield. Speaker B: Apple says it's three times more scratch resistant. Speaker B: We used an ah harness pen with different levels 4s to scratch the 16 and the 17. Speaker B: As you can see, the 16 showed scratches at 3.3 N while the 17 held until 8.4 Newtons. Speaker B: Definitely more resistant. Speaker F: But how does the new anti effective coating stack up against the competition compared.
3:31 Speaker E: To the 16 Pro Max? Speaker E: It definitely makes a difference, especially if you're outdoors. Speaker E: However, compared to the S25 Ultra, that one is still the king in terms of reflectivity. Speaker F: And under the hood, the new A19 Pro chip is paired with some serious thermal management. Speaker K: Apple suddenly, randomly, for like the first time ever, couldn't stop talking about thermal performance. Speaker K: Even going as far as to ditch their favorite material ever, titanium. Speaker K: Completely change the look of the phone and to create and fit this whole new vapor chamber on the inside.
3:59 Speaker D: To be clear, what a vapor chamber, even all, it's really simple. Speaker D: It just takes heat and then spreads it out evenly across the surface very quickly. Speaker D: Now on these phones, they're just doing it to pull off heat from the chips and all that super hot dense area and pull it away onto the outer aluminum shell. Speaker B: On thermal images, the 16 Pro Max shows heat all concentrated around the SoC. Speaker B: The 70 Pro Max spreads it out, recording 4K 120fps video.
4:24 Speaker B: For 15 minutes, the 17 Pro stayed 4.3 degrees cooler than the 16 Pro. Speaker F: But interestingly, those benchmark wins don't always translate to everyday real task just yet. Speaker E: We first ran an imovie export test. Speaker E: The iPhone 16 Pro Max took 5 minutes and 55 seconds while the 17 Pro took 8 minutes and 22. Speaker E: Yes, actually longer. Speaker E: My guess is that this was simply because Imovie has not yet been updated to take advantage of the A19 Pro chip.
4:52 Speaker F: One of the most universally praised upgrades is on the front of the phone with a feature called Center Stage. Speaker L: We have the same selfie camera on the iPhone 17, the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 Pro as well as the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Speaker L: This is a new 18 megapixel center stage camera. Speaker L: Apple is now using a square sensor rather than a rectangular sensor. Speaker L: You can take both portrait and landscape photos and videos without having to change positions.
5:22 Speaker M: It's also a much larger sensor and you can see it in the results. Speaker M: The 18 megapixels close some of the gap from the big cameras on the back of your phone so that your selfies are a little more similar in image quality. Speaker A: Now, when friends jump into the frame for a photo, the camera automatically sees them and will widen the shot. Speaker A: If enough people are in frame, it'll auto rotate to fit everyone. Speaker F: And for creators, it unlocks even more professional potential. Speaker N: But with the Pro and Pro Max, it takes it a step up.
5:50 Speaker N: I can shoot ProRes log internally 4K 25P with the front facing camera. Speaker N: With this whole center stage look at this. Speaker N: Frigging impressive. Speaker N: I have never seen a front facing camera on a smartphone do this. Speaker B: They even added a dual capture mode so you can capture the scene and reaction at the same time. Speaker B: The awkward part is the two views are fully merged. Speaker B: That means if you want to hide your face later, you can't around the back.
6:15 Speaker F: All three lenses now feature 48 megapixel sensors. Speaker F: The big story however, is the controversial new telephoto lens. Speaker I: This is a new 4 times telephoto lens and this is replacing the 5 times lens that we had on the 16 Pro series. Speaker I: More importantly though, we're getting a big hardware increase as far as sensor size goes and resolution. Speaker I: Apple is saying this is going to be about 56% larger. Speaker D: 4X optical is sharper than last year's 5x.
6:40 Speaker D: And then when you do use that 8x crop in, you lose some of that sharpness, but it still looks good. Speaker D: I think this is the most complete camera package that Apple's ever put on any of the phones. Speaker C: Apple is deliberately trying to create a camera in the way that you use it the most. Speaker C: People use portraits and images of people more often than not. Speaker C: So 4x that zoom translates to a 100 millimeter lens and that is the ideal portrait lens.
7:05 Speaker F: But how does this new zoom actually perform against its biggest rivals, switching to. Speaker E: 5X to keep things fair. Speaker E: The 17 Pro is still better than a 16 Pro. Speaker E: However, the S25 Ultra performs better with a more defined image. Speaker E: Same goes for the Pixel 10 Pro XL which is also superior here. Speaker K: Asterisk Is that the actual headline camera feature? Speaker K: It makes very little difference. Speaker K: It can't focus on objects that are up close, so it keeps switching you over to the main one times camera even when you're zoomed in.
7:32 Speaker B: Besides telephoto, the system now supports Prores Raw. Speaker B: It's crazy. Speaker B: A 15 second video takes four gigabytes of storage, probably not for daily use, but the sharpness and editing flexibilities are much better. Speaker F: With more power comes the need for more battery. Speaker F: Apple is claiming some big numbers, but real world experiences vary and there's a catch Depending on where you live, how. Speaker O: Long the iPhone 17 Pro Max lasts is genuinely impressive. Speaker O: In our proprietary web surfing test it ran for 17 hours, 54 minutes and 32 seconds.
8:01 Speaker O: That's the longest lasting iPhone we've ever tested. Speaker O: That's roughly a three hour improvement. Speaker B: This is the first iPhone charging speed upgrade in four years. Speaker B: The 17 and 17 Pro jump from 20W to 29W, cutting full charging time by about 25 minutes. Speaker B: The 17 Pro Max goes from 27W to 35W, saving about 30 minutes. Speaker B: As long as your charger supports PD and is above 45W, you'll get the faster speeds. Speaker E: Now the battery life is better, but it's not game changing.
8:26 Speaker E: For example, I took it off the charger at 6:30am on my travel day and then by 2:30pm it was already dead. Speaker E: So I only got about 4ish hours of screen on time. Speaker E: I was expecting more here. Speaker K: How big of an upgrade the 17 pros actually are compared to the 16 pros depends largely on whether you'll get the esim only version, which you'll get in countries like the US and if you do, that one's looking like a very healthy 12 to 15% improvement. Speaker K: Or you're going to get the physical sim version in Europe and India, which is looking like a much smaller 6% or so improvement.
8:57 Speaker F: Durability is also mixed back with the new aluminium design. Speaker A: Ceramic shield claims three times better scratch resistance on the front display and ceramic Shield OG on the back is rated as four times more crack resistant than the glass used on previous iPhones. Speaker H: Since the iPhone is now made up of aluminum, it's much more susceptible to drops and real damage. Speaker H: So when it comes to long term use and Wear and tear.
9:22 Speaker H: I think the silver will show less scuffs and scratches over time, but these. Speaker K: New phones are easier to scratch. Speaker K: I specifically tested this one. Speaker K: Compared to the Titanium 16 Pro, which I actually couldn't get a permanent mark on using a key, the 17 Pro's aluminum body didn't put up a whole lot of resistance. Speaker F: So what will all this new tech cost you and is it worth it? Speaker F: Especially when you consider the state of Apple's AI. Speaker O: The iPhone 17 Pro starts at 1099, but with a higher starting 256 gigs of storage.
9:50 Speaker O: The 17 Pro actually is the same cost as a 256 gig 16 Pro. Speaker O: Then we got the iPhone 17 Pro Max starting at 1199, exactly the same price as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Speaker C: The big boy, the beefcake. Speaker C: The iPhone 17 Pro Max goes up to 2 terabytes of storage. Speaker C: How much will that cost you? Speaker C: $1999 On iOS 18. Speaker B: Last year Apple painted a big promise, a personalized Siri.
10:16 Speaker B: But this year, when I ask it the same thing, that feature still hasn't arrived. Speaker B: Ran an ad for that feature in September 2024, then pulled it six months later because it didn't work. Speaker B: That shows real confusion inside Apple on AI. Speaker I: Make no mistake, Apple love AI, but they really take a far different approach than the other companies. Speaker I: I mean, there's no cloud based AI stuff going on here. Speaker I: They really go very light on the generative AI, and Apple has always said that they're far more committed to the actual image.
10:44 Speaker F: There's also a new, very compelling alternative in Apple's own lineup this year. Speaker K: The base iPhone 17, which also now has the same 256 gigs of storage. Speaker K: And almost all the features really of the pros, is a full $300 cheaper than them this year. Speaker K: The downside of making that phone so good is that it makes these Pros very, very much the optional upgrade just for power users. Speaker F: So after all the reviews, what's the final verdict of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max?
11:09 Speaker F: The consensus is that this is significant, if somewhat strange evolution. Speaker F: The new design is polarizing. Speaker F: Some find it more comfortable and unique, while others see it as chunky, less elegant, and even cheaper feeling than other iPhones, not to mention more prone to scratches. Speaker F: Performance is undeniably top tier, with the A19 Pro and vapor chamber delivering incredible sustained power, making it a beast for gaming and professional tasks. Speaker F: The new display is brighter and clearer than ever.
11:35 Speaker F: Though competitors may still have an edge with the anti reflectivity, the cameras are a tale of two sensors. Speaker F: The new Center Stage selfie camera is a universal win, hailed as a game changer for creators and everyday users alike. Speaker F: The rear system, while powerful, centers on a new 4x telephoto lens that offers incredible portrait details but loses the 5x optical reach of its predecessor, a trade off not everybody loves, especially when compared to the zoom capabilities of its Android rivals.
12:03 Speaker F: Battery life sees a solid improvement, but the biggest gains are reserved for ESIM only regions, creating a notable hardware disparity. Speaker F: Ultimately, the recommendation depends entirely who you are for professional creators or power users. Speaker F: If you need the sustained Performance Pro video features like prores Raw and the most versatile camera system Apple offers, this phone is built for you. Speaker F: The performance, headroom and advanced features justify the Pro name more than ever before.
12:28 Speaker F: For the everyday users or casual upgraders coming from iPhone 14 and older, this is an excellent upgrade in every way. Speaker F: The brighter screens, much loved selfie camera, better battery and a new design will feel like a huge leap forward. Speaker F: For recent upgraders from iPhone 15 and 16, these changes are less critical. Speaker F: Unless you're desperately for the improved thermal performance or specific capabilities of the new camera system, most reviewers suggest it's safe to sit this one out, especially with the standard iPhone 17 now being so compelling.
12:58 Speaker F: That's it for our ultimate roundup review of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Speaker F: Please find links to full videos down below and come back for more re reviews where we watch old reviews so you don't have to.