The iPhone 17 Pro Max is the pinnacle of Apple’s current lineup – but who is it for?

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is awesome – what’s not to love about it?

I picked up my 17 Pro Max on launch day, and I’ve a bit to chat over with you about it.

For starters, and a little bit off topic, let me just mention Apple’s somewhat flaky pre-order and order setup. This is the second year on the bounce I’ve been caught out. This year, I thought I was safe as I had pre-ordered the two phones I wanted to buy (I also picked up an iPhone Air).

So at 1 pm on release day, when Apple’s site inevitably crashed, I wasn’t too concerned as I’d pre-ordered this year. I mean, my phones were in my cart, and they had even taken card details – what could go wrong? Well, something sure did!

By the time Apple’s site was back up, I was told my iPhone Pro Max in Cosmic Orange with 256GB of storage would not be delivered until early October! I’m sure you can imagine the language…

I was lucky that I had a few contacts within Apple Business in London who managed to pull some strings for me. But Apple’s iPhone ordering seems a bit broken to me. I guess it’s not their fault that the site crashes on this day every year, but you’d think by now they’d be prepared for it, wouldn’t you?

And although I said it’s not their fault, I suppose non-ironically it is all their fault due to the ongoing popularity of the iPhone. Anyway, all that to say I luckily managed to get both the phones I wanted on release day, so now it was time to get to work with them, and initially, the 17 Pro Max was going to get all my attention.

Spoiled for choice

Apple had taken a beating over the previous eighteen months, but to their credit, this year, they’ve come back strong and delivered in almost every area.

iPad has had some of its issues sorted out with its new OS and iOS 26, although not perfect, it’s brand new and brings a new lease of life to the iPhone. The net result is that the iPhone lineup this year is about as good as it’s ever been.

There is something for everyone. Earlier this year, they launched the 16e – which I’m a pretty big fan of. If you want a phone that does phone stuff, with few thrills or complications, and you only want a point-and-shoot camera, then you could do a lot worse than to take a look at the 16e.

Apple continually surprises me with its pricing, though. The 16e is a good phone, but then they stole its thunder in the autumn by pricing the iPhone 17 at only £100 more. Don’t get me wrong, £100 is a tidy sum of money, but it immediately made people question whether it was worth spending that extra few quid for the larger ProMotion screen, larger battery and, of course, the extra camera.

If only Apple had dropped the price of the 16e by £100 or $100, it would have made the case for buying it more compelling. The amount of comments I get saying ‘if only it were £499…Still, not my problem, I guess.

But all that to say that the iPhone 17 is yet another great phone you can pick up this year. It’s feature-packed and fairly priced, too. For many punters, it’s the pick of this year’s bunch and in loads of ways I’d go along with that.

But that spoil of riches gets yet further confusing with the addition of the iPhone Air. Don’t judge it until you hold and use it, that’s all I’ll say. There is something weirdly hypnotic and mesmerising about the iPhone Air. It’s kind of Apple back to being Apple and just releasing a phone because they could, and it’s a piece of art!

Back to Apple being odd, though, they kind of scored an own goal with that battery pack they released alongside the Air. I’ve used the Air heavily over the past few weeks and the battery is not a problem. I’ve taken it as my primary device on a couple of trips, which included using it in the car via wireless CarPlay, and then shooting loads of content with it, and guess what? It got me through the day. But in releasing that battery pack, it gave the impression that even Apple were not confident about its battery performance. Odd, very odd.

It’s 100 per cent a luxury phone, with its biggest shortfall, I guess, being the single camera. I mean, both the 16e and the iPhone 17 both do pretty much everything the Air can do, but in the 16e’s case, for £400 less! Apple’s pricing once again muddying the waters.

But you get my point – this year’s iPhone lineup is strong.

And then…and then we have the iPhone 17 Pro Max and 17 Pro. So, here’s my question. What’s the point of the iPhone 17 Pro Max any more?

iPhone 17 Pro Max – what’s the point?

Like the Air and the 16e, I have been on the road with that, too.

The battery has been a bit of a disappointment from time to time, but other than that, it is a bloody good phone. But let’s not pretend here, at this point, it is no longer a phone but a camera dressed up as a phone.

All of the iPhone 17 Pro Max cameras are now 48MP and are capable of shooting super high-resolution 48MP images. These images are so good now that they can even withstand being printed out as large format prints and still look good. I should know, as I’ve done just that and am thinking about selling some in the future.

But for now, I have them up on the wall in my studio, professionally framed, and they look pin sharp and really highlight how capable the iPhone 17 Pro Max is as a camera.

Leaving to one side the square sensor on the front camera that by now you’ll know all about, it’s those cameras on the back of the 17 Pro Max that elevate this phone to new heights and make me wonder who it’s for?

The lust for more

I’m a self-confessed nerd, and I love watching videos about using the iPhone as a pro device. But just how far are we going to push it and how far do we want to take it?

I was watching a video last night about a pro videographer who rigged up his iPhone 17 Pro Max and used it to shoot a wedding with. There’s a cage, a DOF adapter, an Irix Cine 65mm T1.5 lens and of course an SSD and a wireless mic. That lens, by the way, is a cool $1000, and the entire thing looks something similar to that used by Apple to shoot their events with.

But at this point, is it still an iPhone 17 Pro Max or just a lens in an orange body? I’m confused, too, though. As you’ll likely know, this year I’ve fallen in love with photography and have forced myself to take my Canon with me on all my trips and teach myself how to shoot ‘real’ photos on a ‘real camera. But is that me being a fool?

Currently, the only camera I have is a Canon 90D, which is six years old. It doesn’t shoot video in LOG, and in many respects is older tech than my iPhone 17 Pro Max. I did buy a new 24mm f1.4 lens for the Canon this year, which has made a massive difference, but have I now pushed that camera as far as I can go with it? Am I banging an empty drum, and should I move on to the newer technology?

You see my dilemma?

Don’t be fooled

The iPhone 17 Pro Max packs some new goodies this year when it comes to its camera software.

We now have Apple ProRes RAW HQ and Apple ProRes RAW as new CODECS, Apple Log 2 and then Apple gave us Open Gate as a new resolution as well. The nerd in me loves that, and the nerd in me wants to use every new toy that I’ve been given. I mean, I’d never heard of Open Gate until the iPhone event, but even so, it must be good, right?

Now, I’m by no means suggesting I’m a full-blown pro, but I spend much of my week playing with camera settings in one way or another, and shooting videos or pictures, and I can tell you from real-world experience that you need to know what you’re doing if you’re to unlock the best results from your new iPhone 17 Pro Max.

As I’ve mentioned, for the past month I’ve been away at various locations shooting my weekly videos, which has brought new challenges and has forced me to learn double quick. I’d not change it for the world, it’s been an amazing month, but it’s also taught me not to try to be too clever.

Although at every location I tried recording my video using the Blackmagic app and all those new toys, I also shot a backup video using the native camera app in bog-standard 4K 24fps as a backup.

The worst thing that could happen on a location shoot is to come back with no footage, and on every occasion, having spent hours trying to colour correct the footage in Final Cut, for one reason or another, I ended up using the basic iPhone camera’s compressed video instead. It just looked better.

And you know what? Not one person on YouTube has mentioned that it looked bad? Which has led me to wonder, am I chasing a foolish dream? I’m not formally trained, so I’m learning on the fly about ISO settings, shutter measurements – angle versus speed, LUTS, white balance and exposure. I’m getting there, but not fast enough, and not enough that I trust myself to get the footage I need.

And as for trying to shoot ProRes LOG video outdoors on a bright, sunny day – don’t even think about it without an ND filter on your phone – something no one warns you about!

There is a ton to learn that Apple doesn’t tell you. If you’re a pro, then I’m sure you’d know how to get the most from these new settings from the get-go, but for the rest of us, tread with caution.

Edinburgh bound

So my next trip is likely to be to Scotland, and of course, there’s a reason.

I’ve been sent a heap of lenses and filters to use to make a video about. The trouble is, the learning curve is steep, and I have a lot to learn before the trip. I have just shy of $2000 worth of lenses, and I can’t let the client down, so let’s just say I’m feeling the pressure.

But again, this goes to my point about who the iPhone 17 Pro Max is for, and whether it’s redundant for most of us. I’m kind of pro, and even I’m feeling out of my depth. So, this year, has the iPhone 17 Pro Max finally crossed the point at which we now have to admit it’s a camera, full stop?

Pretty much everything else the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max does can be done on one of the other great phones you can buy this year. And with the skill, knowledge and experience needed to get the most from your phone from a photographic and video point of view, should we now simply leave it in the hands of those special people who know how to use it and shy away from the Pro phones?

Not beaten yet

I’m not down and out yet. I’ll continue to watch every video I can to learn how to make myself better. That’s the nerd in me. Because I know it can be done, I should therefore be able to do it is my typical mantra.

Also, of course, I have a client in the background expecting me to deliver, so for me, the stakes are pretty high and the clock is ticking.

But I have a couple of points to ask you before I wrap this story up, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are we trying to make the iPhone something it can never be, or is it the next evolution of the camera as we understand it?

Is the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and its subsequent successors, making photography and videography more accessible to the normal person? If that’s the case, surely that must be a positive, no?

The sensor on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, as good as it is, can never be the match of one found in a dedicated camera, so are we all just being led a merry marketing dance? Should we get back to the days of a phone being a phone and a camera be a camera?

And how much would you be prepared to spend on lenses, filters and cages to turn your iPhone into a full-blown camera? And with the kit I now have, should I accept that the 17 Pro Max is my ideal travel camera and leave the Canon at home? Can I be considered a ‘real’ pro if I’m only shooting on an iPhone 17 Pro Max? Or is the definition of a pro not in what camera I’m using, but in creating content that I get paid for and that people appreciate?

And lastly, if I or that other creator I mentioned earlier were to turn up to shoot your wedding on a rig based around an iPhone, would you laugh me out of court, or wouldn’t you bat an eyelid?

Like it or not, the iPhone has changed life for us in many ways, but this year I do feel as if the 17 Pro Max has turned a corner.

I’m excited by it for certain, but surely there will always be a place for Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras in the world, won’t there?