Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: What are the differences?

Now that Apple finally spilled the beans on the new iPhones, it's time to dig into the specs. Yes, the new iPhone 17 Pro Max looks powerful and mighty on paper, but just how much more powerful is it than last year's flagship, the iPhone 16 Pro Max?

While some specs cannot be compared directly - for example, the new vapor chamber thermal management system on the new iPhone 17 Pro Max is completely new to the iPhone - we can still check the key specs on these two devices and see the major differences.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Price and specs

For comparison, here is last year's iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

As expected, the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max sport Apple's latest silicon, as they both have the new A19 Pro chip inside. Apple's new N1 chip takes care of wireless tech, and the Pro Max model can be configured with 2TB of storage, a first for the iPhone.

Let's go through the basic specs for the Apple iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max:

• 6.3-inch or 6.9-inch display

• Apple A19 Pro chip

• 256GB/512GB/1TB storage (2TB option only on the Pro Max)

• Price: Starting from $1,099 for the iPhone 17 Pro, and $1,199 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max

On the other hand, last year's iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max come with a

• 6.3-inch or 6.9-inch display

• Apple A18 Pro chip

• 256GB/512GB/1TB storage

• Price: Starting from $1,099 for the iPhone 16 Pro, and $1,199 for the iPhone 16 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Design

The new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Credit: CNET

The new phones are quite a bit different from the old ones. It's not just the new colors - Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue. It's also the new camera bump (pardon, "plateau" as Apple calls it), the aluminum unibody (as opposed to titanium body on the old models), and the use of Ceramic Shield 2 on both front and back of the new models. Not only do the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max look sexy, they're also more durable than ever, at least according to Apple.

If you think about it a bit harder, the old and new flagship aren't that different; they all have the pill-shapred Dynamic Island up front and a triple camera system on the back. But visually, once you whip the new phones out of your pocket in public, everyone will know you have the new models, and sometimes that's what counts.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Display

The new iPhone 17 Pro. Credit: CNET

The size of the display is the same, as are the resolutions, and most specs. However, the new iPhones have a brighter display, with a 1,000 nits max brightness, 1,600 nits peak brightness (HDR), and 3,000 nits peak brightness (outdoor). The iPhone 16 Pro models only go up to 2,000 nits outdoors.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Cameras

The cameras on the new flagship Apple phone. Credit: Apple

This is another big upgrade compared to last year's models. The new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have a trio of 48-megapixel cameras on the back, with up to 8x "optical quality" telephoto shooting, as well as a new, 18-megapixel selfie camera on the front.

The old iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have a 48-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera, but only a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical quality zoom. On the front, it has a 12-megapixel selfie camera.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Battery life

The new iPhone 17 Pro comes in Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue. Credit: Apple

This is a big one. Thanks to the new thermal management system and vapor chamber cooling, improved power management through software, and a larger battery, the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max have significantly longer battery life than their predecessors.

In terms of numbers, this is what it looks like.

The iPhone 17 Pro has up to 33 hours of video playback, and up to 30 hours of streamed video playback, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max has up to 39 hours of video playback, and up to 35 hours of streamed video playback. Additionally, they charge faster; both phones can get up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher.

The old iPhone 16 Pro is only good for up to 27 hours video playback, and 22 hours of streamed video playback, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max can do up to 33 hours of video playback, and up to 29 hours of streamed video playback. You can charge them up to 50% in 30 minutes on a fast charger.