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.
While there’s no news yet on that front, 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. 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 anything about the iPhone 17 Pro Max price either and that’s a bit harder to predict, since we don’t know whether Apple will raise the price from the iPhone 16 Pro Max or not. 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 any price or release date leaks yet, so it's all just educated guesses, but we'd be surprised if this phone wasn't announced in September.
One button replacing three
- Could combine the volume and Action buttons into one key
- Might have an aluminum frame rather than titanium
- 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.
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.
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, though a smaller Dynamic Island could instead be achieved through using a new ‘metalens’ technology for the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s proximity sensor.
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.
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.
A smaller Dynamic Island is possible, 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
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, so this is very likely accurate.
However, this snapper will probably still offer 5x optical zoom, and it might 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.
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.
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.
As for a mechanical aperture, we're skeptical of this, as it sounds like a major yet niche upgrade, but it's always possible.
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. 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 haven’t heard anything about the battery yet, but 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.
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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