iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max Hands-On - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max Hands-On

Apple introduced the iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max yesterday and gave members of the media some hands-on time with them. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera was able to take a look to check out the new design and share his first impressions.


Rather than using titanium and glass, the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models have a unibody aluminum frame. There's aluminum around the camera plateau and at the back except for where there's a Ceramic Shield insert for MagSafe charging. The camera plateau is much bigger, and there's a two-tone look thanks to the aluminum and Ceramic Shield design.

The updated iPhones feel solid and well built, and Apple promises that durability and scratch resistance have improved. Apple added a new anti-reflective coating, and while it's not a dramatic change, it does cut down on glare.

The new dark blue and orange color options are attention grabbing, but Apple didn't provide a space black or space gray kind of option. It's silver, orange, or dark blue only this year.

There's a new Telephoto lens that supports up to 8x zoom, and an upgraded front-facing camera that lets you take selfies in portrait or landscape mode without rotating your phone.

Apple is launching the new iPhones on September 19, and we'll have a more comprehensive review then. We also took a look at the iPhone Air if you want to check out that video.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Stickers Ad

Apple Covers iPhone 17 Pro in Stickers in New Ad

Thursday April 16, 2026 8:25 am PDT by
In a video uploaded to its YouTube channel in South Korea today, Apple showed off a handful of iPhone 17 Pro devices decorated with tiny stickers. The stickers are placed on the iPhone 17 Pro's so-called "plateau," the protruding aluminum area housing the rear cameras, an LED flash, a microphone, and the LiDAR Scanner. The video has the hashtags #PhoneDecor and #iPhoneCustomization....
Earthset Feature

NASA Astronaut Shares Incredible 'Earthset' Video Captured With iPhone 17 Pro Max

Monday April 20, 2026 1:28 pm PDT by
Apple's iPhone became qualified for extended use in space back in February, and during the Artemis II mission to the Moon in April, NASA astronauts shared several photos taken with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman recently followed up with a shot on iPhone video of an "Earthset," or the moment that the Earth disappears behind the Moon. The video was captured from the...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Some iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Users Experiencing a Charging Issue

Thursday April 30, 2026 9:47 am PDT by
Earlier this week, 9to5Mac's Benjamin Mayo reported on an apparent charging issue affecting at least some of Apple's latest iPhone models. In short, Mayo said that when he attempted to charge his iPhone Air with a USB-C cable just seconds after the device ran out of battery, it failed to turn on and did not display the usual red battery icon that indicates charging is occurring. Mayo...

Top Rated Comments

BarredOwl Avatar
9 months ago
These are the worst looking iPhones ever; just ghastly hideous.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dustin_ Avatar
9 months ago
that silver/white thing is an abomination. blue is tolerable. orange is fine because it’s something new, but it certainly isn’t pretty. ugliest pro lineup ever.

i’m sure they’re excellent phones.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 months ago
“one of the better iPhone designs that we’ve seen in the last few years”.
Good thing I don’t visit MR for actual reporting or any sense of reality. This is easily one of the ugliest phones I have ever seen.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GMShadow Avatar
9 months ago
While I'm not in the market (no need to upgrade from my 16PM), a Master Chief colored iPhone would be fun to have.

Attachment Image
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
9 months ago
I ordered the blue because it felt the least two-toned. Don’t mind the look of the orange but I wish the silver back cutout was more silver. It really looks white in some photographs/videos.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
imamacperson Avatar
9 months ago
Just can't believe there is no black color option!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)