I recently upgraded from my iPhone 13 Pro Max to the new iPhone 17 Pro Max, and so far, I’ve been really impressed. In this post, I’ll walk you through the hardware specs, my full hardware and software review, my experience with phone cases, and my final thoughts on the upgrade.
Hardware Specs
The new iPhone 17 Pro has a clean aluminum design with stronger Ceramic Shield 2 glass and new colors like Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange. The Super Retina XDR OLED display is bright and smooth, and the ProMotion 120Hz makes scrolling and animations feel really fluid. With the A19 Pro chip and 12GB of RAM, the phone feels fast and efficient, and the updated vapor chamber cooling keeps it from getting too warm. The triple 48MP camera system now goes up to 8x optical-quality zoom and takes sharper photos in low light, while the 18MP front camera with Center Stage makes selfies and video calls better. Battery life is longer than before, charging to 50% in about 20 minutes with a 40W adapter. It also supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and USB-C for faster data transfer.
Hardware Review
Right out of the box, the aluminum design feels premium, solid but not overly heavy. I went with the new Cosmic Orange color because orange is my favorite, and it looks even better in person than it does online.
The transition from my old phone to the new one was surprisingly seamless. I just followed the on-screen setup steps, and everything transferred over smoothly.
The camera layout has a slightly different look this year, but honestly, it feels familiar once you start using it. While the design has changed, you still get the high-quality photo-taking ability that iPhones are known for.
One thing I’m still adjusting to is the new camera control button. It’s convenient when you intend to use it, but I’ve caught myself accidentally pressing it a few times. I’ll probably get used to its placement with time, but it definitely takes a little muscle memory retraining.
Speaking of Camera, I haven’t had a chance to do a photo quality comparison test, but from other reviews it seems like the camera is a great upgrade, especially considering I am upgrading from the iPhone 13 Pro.
Since I was going from the iPhone 13 to iPhone 17, I had to invest in a adding some new USB C chargers.
Software Review
While the hardware has been great, most of the noticeable changes come from iOS 26, which I updated to version 26.0.1 during setup.
I’m still learning all the new iOS 26 features, but here are a few that stood out so far.
Liquid Glass Design
I’m not a huge fan of this new design. It’s not terrible, just not my preference. I like the transparency aspect, but not how it tries to mimic the look of glass.
The default icons were the most distracting to me, so I switched them to the Dark Mode icons. To do this: hold down on the Home Screen → Edit → Customize → Select Icon Type (Default, Dark, Clear, or Tinted).
Core Apps like Phone and Messages design
You’ll quickly notice that the Phone and Messages apps have a refreshed look. While they’re different, I’m sure I’ll get used to the new layout soon. I do like that in the Phone app, they removed the Favorites tab and made pinned contacts appear at the top, similar to pinned messages.
Internet Browser
I’ve been using Google Chrome on my iPhone for a while, but I recently switched to Firefox on my iPad because Chrome was starting to feel a bit slow. I thought I’d give Firefox another try on my phone, but I just couldn’t get comfortable with it. I think the way the menu and tab switching are laid out feels a little off compared to what I’m used to. After that, I decided to revisit what other browsers were out there and decided to try Brave again, and so far, I’ve been really happy with the switch. It feels fast, smooth, blocks ads and just works the way I want it to on mobile. I plan on doing a more in-depth review here soon.
Phone Case
I had some trouble finding the right case for my new phone. I’ve always been a big fan of the OtterBox Symmetry Series, so I ordered the Mist Black version from Amazon. I was disappointed at first because I thought they had switched to a silicone-style design. After that, I went to Best Buy and picked up an OtterBox Commuter case, but I wasn’t sold on the look and never ended up installing it. The third case I tried was the Pelican Protector, which I liked for its rigid feel, but it made the phone too bulky. Finally, I went back to Best Buy and found the OtterBox Symmetry Series in Black, but in the hard rubber version, just like the one I had on my iPhone 13. That’s the style I prefer, and I’ve really enjoyed using it so far. The black on orange also looks very good in my opinion.
Pro tip: Otterbox Symmetry Series has two different materials!
Final Thoughts
I had amazing battery life with my iPhone 13 Pro Max and seeing similar results on the new iPhone 17 Pro Max, usually end the day with about 75 to 80% battery life with about 2.5 hours of daily usage.
I haven’t played many games on the iPhone 17 Pro yet but haven’t noticed any heat/warmth issues.
In terms of UI responsiveness, the phone feels incredibly fast and smooth. Apps launch quickly, scrolling through menus and web pages is fluid, and multitasking is seamless. Overall, the performance is noticeably better than my previous device, and I am very happy I made the upgrade.
In conclusion, even for everyday use, the iPhone 17 Pro offers a noticeably smoother and more efficient experience. Whether browsing, streaming, or multitasking, it handles tasks effortlessly, making this upgrade feel worthwhile.