Is it finally time to admit that my iPhone Pro days are over?

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has been the best Pro iPhone I’ve ever owned, but it could very well be my last…

You see, I have a bit of a problem!

I’ve always gravitated towards Pro iPhones as it’s the best of the best. I’m a professional, so I deserve the iPhone Pro, right? But in truth, the way I use my iPhone 17 Pro Max has changed a lot over the past year!

And with the release of the iPhone 17e, I’ve begun seriously considering whether to switch camps, save around £500, and enjoy a simpler digital life along the way.

iPhone 17 Pro Max – the last of a kind

Running the YouTube channel blurs your vision and thoughts a bit.

I wonder if I’m supposed to be seen with the Pro Max each year purely for optics to be taken seriously as a tech creator? Would viewers think less of me if I wasn’t packing the latest iPhone Pro Max every year?

In short, am I now buying the iPhone Pro Max purely for vanity and aesthetics?

This past year, I’ve learned more about how to use my Pro Max than at any other time. Endless trips around the UK and overseas have meant I‘ve explored and discovered more about my 17 Pro Max and how to fully use it than any of my other iPhone Pros.

I also have a lot to thank the 17 Pro Max for.

It lit the touch paper that has seen me fall deep in love with photography. My leisure time now is spent either watching videos to teach myself the ropes and get better, or in London, day after day, shooting.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max taught me a lot about photography. Once I started to use some third-party lenses and camera apps, I started to learn about white balance, lighting, framing, ISO settings and exposure.

Earlier this year, I bought my first brand new camera – the Canon R50V. I bought it with the 14mm-30mm kit lens, but I also have several lenses from a previous Canon that I can use on it, too. Although it’s at the budget end of Canon’s range, I couldn’t be happier with it.

The Canon is my go-to camera. I honestly can’t recall when I last took a picture with the Pro Max, which is what’s making me consider if the Pro Max is now simply overkill for me? Is it just a dead weight in my pocket?

The one feature we all gravitate towards the Pro iPhones for, of course, is the camera set-up – but now I never use it!

Time for change

Another factor to consider is that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a target!

London is no different to any other capital city where phone crime is a real risk and a £1000 bright orange iPhone is quite an easy target! Rather than enjoying my phone, when I’m in London, instead I spend all day making sure it’s squirrelled away out of sight and hiding it from view.

Cameras don’t seem to be quite as much of a target, but even so, I’ve just added my camera bag and its contents to my household insurance for peace of mind. Pretty soon, I’ll double-up and pop an AirTag in there too.

As careful as I try to be, I know all it takes is just a few moments with my head turned for the bag to vanish! Apart from lenses and cameras, I generally pack my iPad Pro and at least one phone in the bag too.

As you can tell, that camera bag has some value attached to it, thus the insurance. Better safe than sorry, right?

Time to be honest

I was heading into London this week on the train, and I began to think about how I actually use my iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The truth is, my usage is so mundane that it doesn’t come close to pushing the immense capabilities of the 17 Pro Max.

I use CarPlay for music and podcasts on my short drive to the studio and SatNav in London when I’m walking around finding locations to shoot. I use apps such as the banking and Authenticator apps, but that’s about it. I check emails on the phone but nearly always reply from a Mac or iPad.

I watch a bit of YouTube on it from time to time and post to Insta and Threads, but that’s about it! As you can see, none of that exactly warrants a Pro Max, now does it?

Although I hardly ever use the camera on my phone anymore, if I do, it’s just for casual snaps when I want to capture moments & memories. My Canon camera is the creative tool, with the phone these days very much just being a recreational thing.

All of which brings me to the iPhone 16e and shortly, the iPhone 17e.

Although not perfect, I think this more basic phone might suit my current needs better.

I get the line of attack that there is only one camera on the 16e, but the thing is, it’s a decent camera that gets the job done without unnecessary complications. Quality over quantity is a very true mantra when it comes to the camera on the 16e and 17e.

It has a decent 48MP sensor that’ll take decent enough pictures and more than reasonable 4K video, which means you have all you need when you want to grab your phone and capture that moment.

The thing is, if I’m looking for a functional phone that can do everything I need day-to-day, then I have the iPhone 16e sitting right in front of me. Every time I pick up the 16e it reminds me that it does everything I need without being such a crime magnet and at a fraction of the cost.

If I ever have to use it as a phone, it’s every bit the equal of my Pro Max, and in one area it beats the Pro Max hands down – the battery life.

I guess it’s simply a case that it’s trying to do less in the background because it can do less! Add that to Apple’s own modem, and you have an iPhone that’ll easily last you all day long.

Things are only going to get better

With all these thoughts swirling around in my head, I’ve bitten the bullet and just ordered an iPhone 17e.

I want to give it a proper run at being my main phone and see if I notice any notable difference not packing a Pro Max in my pocket every day.

The new iPhone 17e has taken much of what the 16e had and just tweaked it to make it that little bit better.

For instance, it now has Ceramic Shield 2 on the front glass, which has been a huge success on my other phones this past year. Many months in, and still no micro scratches. Apple has finally sorted this problem out.

The modem is now the C1X modem, meaning it’s faster and even more energy efficient, plus it has the N1 chip in it too.

As I mentioned earlier, the battery life was already great before, but now it should be even better.

It’s got the A19 chip inside it this year, and you get twice as much storage as before – now it comes with 256GB for the same £599 – and given the shortage of storage at the moment, that shouldn’t be sniffed at.

And the one huge gripe that I used to get a lot of comments about on the 16e was that it didn’t have MagSafe.

Well, guess what? Now the 17e has that too!

Now it’s down to me

With all those improvements coming to the iPhone 17e and looking at the way I use my phone, the 17e should match my needs perfectly.

I love the 17 Pro Max, but the truth is that it has almost done its job too well. If it hadn’t shown me what photography was all about and led me to buy a camera, then I’d still be blindly buying the 17 Pro Max and its successors for many years to come.

I managed to get some amazing results from the iPhone 17 Pro Max this past year – both video and stills. Once you take the time to get in the weeds and learn what you can achieve with these Pro iPhones, you’ll be surprised by just how good the results can be.

Yes, it’ll probably mean you buying some lenses, filters and learning how to use apps such as Blackmagic or the Reeflex pro camera apps, but it’s when you do that, you’ll start to unlock the iPhone Pro’s true capabilities.

But for me, I think it’s time to move on.

I’ve loved my years as an iPhone Pro user, but I have a feeling this photography bug is only going to start to take more of a grip on me, and if I have any money spare, I’d rather spend it on another camera or some more glass.

The iPhone 17e has just arrived, and I’m honestly looking forward to using it. The simple digital life sounds ever so appealing right now!

It’s time for a mini digital de-clutter, I reckon!

Thank you, iPhone 17 Pro Max. You’ve been brilliant, and I can only thank you for the gift you’ve given me.