September is here, and that means one thing: a brand-new iPhone is on shelves. The iPhone 17 Pro Max is Apple’s latest “best iPhone ever,” and this time it’s packing a fresh aluminium build, a beefed-up battery with faster charging, upgraded selfie and telephoto cameras, and Apple’s slick new iOS 26 with the Liquid Glass interface. On paper, this feels like the most complete Pro Max we’ve seen in years.
The unboxing experience
Pulling the lid off the box is pretty straightforward. Inside, there’s the phone, a USB-C cable, SIM ejector pin, and a bit of documentation. That’s it, that’s all you get. No charger, no case, and sadly, again, no Apple stickers this year. It’s a small thing, but those used to be a fun little keepsake.
This year’s colours are Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, and Silver. We’ve got the Deep Blue version in hand, and it looks and feels every bit as premium as you’d imagine it to be. The design is mostly flat with softly rounded corners and edges, and a striking two-tone finish. And of course, the camera island is massive now, so much so that they had to rename it to “Camera Plateau”. It stretches right across the back.
Display and build quality
Up front sits a gorgeous 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness of 3000 nits. The anti-reflective coating is a small but welcome touch, making it easier to use outdoors. The phone gets Ceramic Shield glass on the back, and Ceramic Shield 2 on the front. The titanium frame has been replaced with an aluminium unibody shell. For protection from the elements, it is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, so it’s tough enough for any minor accidents it may meet..
Power, cameras, and battery life
Inside, the iPhone 17 Pro Max runs Apple’s new A19 Pro chip, built on the 3nm process, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and a massive 2TB of storage. It ships with iOS 26, which not only gets a complete design overhaul but also improves Apple Intelligence features.
The camera setup has been given a serious boost: three 48MP sensors (wide, telephoto, and ultra-wide) plus an 18MP selfie shooter with Center Stage. Battery capacity gets a bump too. Depending on whether you get a model that supports a physical SIM or just an eSIM, you’re looking at either 4832mAh on the SIM model, or 5088mAh on the eSIM-only model.
In either case, you do get faster 40W wired charging, alongwith 25W MagSafe wireless charging.
Price in India
As for pricing, the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at ₹1,49,900 for 256GB, ₹1,69,900 for 512GB, ₹1,89,900 for 1TB, and a whopping ₹2,29,900 for the 2TB version.
What’s the key takeaway?
This is Apple going all-out on the Pro Max. It’s big, bold, and packed with every upgrade you’d expect, from the brighter display and upgraded cameras to the bigger battery and faster charging. If you want the absolute best iPhone experience right now, this is the one to beat.
