iPhone 17 Pro Max: latest news, rumors, and everything we’ve heard so far

The still rumored iPhone 17 Pro Max will almost certainly be one of the biggest and best phones of 2025, headlining the iPhone 17 line – which will also probably include the iPhone 17 itself, the iPhone 17 Pro, and a new iPhone 17 Air or iPhone 17 Slim model.

That final phone may steal much of the attention, but it’s the iPhone 17 Pro Max that will probably have the most impressive specs.

And while we’re not expecting it to land until September, leaks and rumors are already emerging – all of which you’ll find below.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next top-end iPhone
• When is it out? Probably September 2025
• How much will it cost? Likely upwards of $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149

Look out for it in September

• Likely to launch in the first half of September
• Will probably cost at least $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149

The iPhone 17 Pro Max – along with the rest of the iPhone 17 series – will probably be announced in September of 2025.

One source has specifically pointed to a September launch for the iPhone 17 line, and Apple almost without exception launches its new phones in the first half of September, so we can be quite confident of that much.

Prior to the iPhone 16 series Apple also usually announced the phones on a Tuesday or Wednesday, but with the iPhone 16 it went with a Monday instead, so we can’t be quite as confident of the exact day as in previous years.

Still, the second week of September is the most likely based on past form, meaning likely Monday September 8, Tuesday September 9, or Wednesday September 10, which are dates that Apple watcher Mark Gurman now agrees with. The Thursday or Friday is also possible, but those aren’t days we usually see Apple go for.

Either way, pre-orders for the iPhone 17 Pro Max will most likely start on the Friday of the announcement week, so our best guess for that is Friday, September 12 – though a week earlier on Friday, September 5 is also possible. And the phone will likely ship on the following Friday – meaning probably September 19 but possibly September 12.

We haven’t heard much about the iPhone 17 Pro Max price either, but reportedly Apple is considering raising the price from the iPhone 16 Pro Max. That seems ever more likely given the ongoing threat of tariffs.

For reference, the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149, so it’s likely that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will cost at least that much.

Can you trust these rumors?

So far there aren’t many release date leaks yet, so it’s mostly just educated guesses, but we’d be surprised if this phone wasn’t announced in September. We also wouldn’t be surprised if it cost more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

One button replacing three

• Could combine the volume and Action buttons into one key
• Might have a new camera design
• Likely to once again have a 6.9-inch screen

So far we’ve heard of several possible design changes, including that the iPhone 17 Pro Max might gain a new button – or perhaps more accurately lose some buttons, as one report suggests it will have a single key that replaces the two volume buttons and the Action button.

Details on this button are light, but if it emerges, we’d imagine it might sport a similar design to the Camera Control key, so you can swipe across it to change the volume, or press it to trigger a custom action.

You can also get some idea of how it might look in an iPhone 14 Pro prototype, which includes a unified volume button (though this only combines two buttons into one, not three). According to various leaks, Apple has been working on versions of this idea for a long time, but it remains to be seen whether this sort of change will actually appear on the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Another big design leak suggests that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have an aluminum frame rather than titanium, and that the top half of the back will also be aluminum (rather than glass), with the bottom half still being glass. The same source claims that the camera bump will be larger this time too.

We’ve also seen an image of how this might look, thanks to a leaked iPhone 17 series frame, pictured below, which has a Pixel 9-like camera cut-out.

On the other hand though another source has said the iPhone 17 Pro Max will stick with titanium, which seems more likely.

And we’ve seen another possible new iPhone 17 Pro Max camera design, as you can see in the image of an iPhone 17 Pro below. You can see a similar design in some iPhone 17 Pro Max metal molds and iPhone 17 dummy units that have leaked, and it’s a design that the internet isn’t impressed by, and that Google has taken to teasing.

That said, more recent leaked dummy units of the iPhone 17 Pro show a version of this design that looks far better and more polished.

However, another source suggests that contrary to the picture above, the iPhone 17 Pro Max won’t have a two-tone color scheme. They add though that the camera layout will have major changes, and that not much is changing on the front of the phone. We’ve since seen how a single-color iPhone 17 Pro might look.

We’ve also heard that at least some iPhone 17 models might have curvier edges than the iPhone 16 series, which could make them more comfortable to hold.

Also on the design front, one source claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be available in one of the three colors pictured below. These, from left to right, are apparently dubbed Dark Green Titanium, Teal Titanium, and Green Titanium. And apparently all three are being considered, but only one would be used if any, with the source speculating that Teal Titanium is the most likely.

However, it seems Apple may have moved away from these shades, as this source has more recently said that Sky Blue is the most likely option, with Titanium Blue and Titanium Purple also in contention.

Other sources have suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro Max could be sold in a choice of either black, white, dark blue, and orange, or black, white, blue, gray, and brown.

Interestingly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max might be thicker than its predecessor, coming in at 163.04 x 77.59 x 8.75mm according to one leak, which also shows how a dummy unit compares to the far thinner iPhone 17 Air. Another source has similarly put the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s thickness at 8.76mm, which is quite chunky.

We’ve also heard that Apple could hide the Face ID components under the screen in the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which might allow for a smaller Dynamic Island, and Apple now even has a patent for a technology that could enable this.

That said, a smaller Dynamic Island could instead be achieved through using a new ‘metalens’ technology for the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s proximity sensor, which is a claim we’ve heard more than once.

We’ve heard talk of a smaller Dynamic Island as recently as July 2025, but then again, another source claims the Dynamic Island won’t be shrunk after all.

The source of the metalens claim also says that unsurprisingly the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a titanium frame, just like the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The same source also says to once again expect a 6.9-inch screen, and we’ve elsewhere heard that the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s display might use a type of glass that’s less reflective and more resistant to scratches. On the other hand, a more recent leak suggests the iPhone 17 Pro Max won’t get this display upgrade after all.

Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s screen might use a new technology that makes it more power efficient and durable.

Can you trust these rumors?

So far only one source has mentioned a new button, so we’d take this with a pinch of salt, especially as the Action button is a recent addition, so it would be strange to remove it already.

We’re also slightly skeptical of the phone switching from titanium to aluminum, as that could be seen as a downgrade.

Changes to the camera design though are now looking likely, as this has been heavily leaked.

A smaller Dynamic Island is possible too, and has leaked multiple times, but it’s more likely to be achieved through a new proximity sensor design than under-display Face ID.

A new telephoto camera

• Could have a new 48MP telephoto camera
• The front-facing camera might be boosted to 24MP
• The main sensor might be downgraded

We’ve heard quite consistent tips about the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s cameras, with the most exciting claim being that the telephoto will have a new 48MP sensor, up from 12MP on the current model. We’ve heard this claim of a 48MP telephoto camera for the iPhone 17 Pro Max from multiple sources, including reputable leaker Mark Gurman, so this is very likely accurate.

However, this snapper may offer just 3.5x optical zoom rather than the 5x optical zoom of its predecessor, according to one source, though with 5x and 7x ‘lossless’ zoom possible through cropping.

We’ve elsewhere heard that instead the iPhone 17 Pro Max might have an 8x zoom, along with a second Camera Control button and a pro camera app, though the source of this claim is anonymous, so we’re not convinced.

This might also be the only rear camera that’s getting a significant upgrade – meaning 48MP main and ultra-wide cameras could make a return.

The front-facing camera might also be improved though, with one of the same sources saying the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a 24MP selfie camera, up from 12MP currently.

We’ve also heard that the iPhone 17 Pro Max might be able to record video in up to 8K quality, up from 4K on the current model.

And in more surprising news, one source has claimed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a mechanical aperture, allowing you to adjust the aperture, changing the depth of field in the process.

It might not all be upgrades though, as we’ve elsewhere heard that the main sensor on the iPhone 17 Pro Max could be smaller than on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Finally, we’ve heard that Apple might be testing a 200MP sensor, though there’s no indication that this would be included on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. More likely it would arrive on a later model.

Can you trust these rumors? 

Numerous sources have mentioned a 48MP telephoto camera, so that much is very likely. The 24MP selfie camera hasn’t been leaked as much, so we’d take that with a pinch of salt, but the claim comes from a credible source, and we’re not convinced by talk of an 8x optical zoom.

As for a mechanical aperture, we’re skeptical of this, as it sounds like a major yet niche upgrade, but it’s always possible. We’re also not currently convinced that Apple would reduce the main sensor size.

A powerful chipset and loads of RAM

• A powerful A19 Pro chipset
• 12GB of RAM

The iPhone 17 Pro Max will almost certainly have an A19 Pro chipset – after all, the current model has an A18 Pro. Multiple sources have mentioned an A19 Pro chipset, and they’ve also said that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB in the current model.

That could be a major boon to its AI capabilities, and we’ve heard both this A19 Pro chipset claim and this 12GB of RAM claim numerous times. Though there’s some debate over whether both iPhone 17 Pro models will get 12GB of RAM or whether this RAM upgrade will just be for the Pro Max.

We’ve also heard that Apple could add a vapor chamber to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, helping it stay cool and perform better. A second source has also now said to expect a vapor chamber in the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

As for the battery, reportedly the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a thinner and lighter motherboard than the current model, which in turn might leave space for a larger battery. More recently we’ve heard that the phone may indeed have a larger battery, with a leak suggesting the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a 5,000mAh battery, and we’ve also heard that it could offer reverse wireless charging.

For software, we’re almost certain the iPhone 17 Pro Max will run iOS 26, and this software has now been announced, so we know it includes an overhauled design, streamlined app layouts, new Apple Intelligence features, and a new Apple Games app, among other things. In short, it’s a major update.

Can you trust these rumors? 

The iPhone 17 Pro Max will almost certainly have an A19 Pro chipset based on past form, and we’d say an increase to 12GB of RAM is very believable too, since it could help with AI.

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