New iPhone 17 Pro Max Rumors Emerge, and Now 7 Features Might Sway My Upgrade Decision

We're a little more than a month out from the expected reveal of the new iPhone 17 models, and rumors about what's coming are hard to ignore. So although I try to wait calmly each year, what I'm hearing about the iPhone 17 Pro Max is making me impatient. They're also causing me to second-guess my longstanding stance on buying the standard-size iPhone Pro, since historically the Max model has gotten some new features ahead of the regular model, like the 5x zoom introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. (And this also reinforces that now is not the time to buy a new iPhone.)

Here's a rundown of some of the features rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro Max that I'm most curious about.

Making the case to go larger

The iPhone Pro Max models are tanks compared to the rest of the line -- well, they're not on the toughness level of the Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 Pro, so maybe they're more like solid midsize SUVs. But they're notable for their larger screens, bigger bodies and especially for having room for more of everything in an iPhone.

And that includes a larger battery. The Max models already have more battery space than other models, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max could end up being almost half a millimeter thicker, at 8.725mm, according to a May post by 9to5Mac. Has anyone ever asked for a more bulky iPhone? Actually, yes, yes and yes.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max could get thicker.

Apple/Lily Yeh/CNET

Add the new Adaptive Power feature in iOS 26, which uses AI to distribute power more efficiently when demand is high, and we could see a boost in daily use before reaching for a charger. (Then again, Adaptive Power could be a software workaround that could mean longer life using the same physical battery size.)

If you're already committed to carrying a larger iPhone, a tad more thickness and heft isn't too much more to shoulder.

The back of the iPhone 17 Pro case is also rumored to shift the Apple logo down from its current perch. That doesn't seem like a big functional change, but it should help soothe folks who choose to add a clear MagSafe case, since the logo will be centered within the MagSafe area. You can't say Apple doesn't sweat the design details.

A leak on X from Majin Bu purports to show an iPhone 17 Pro case, though it's not clear whether that's something assembled by hand to match rumored specs or is some iPhone knockoff.

Bring on all the camera upgrades

We can't talk about the case without mentioning the camera bump, which could become a more expansive camera island (or maybe on the larger iPhone 17 Pro Max, it will be more like a camera continent) that stretches across the width of the iPhone back, according to CAD renders by Majin Bu.

That expanse may include an upgraded 48-megapixel telephoto camera, which feels overdue for a top-tier camera system. Granted, it will probably take extra steps to capture photos in the full 48-megapixel resolution, as is the case with the current main Fusion camera in the iPhone 16 Pro models, where images are "pixel-binned" with multiple pixels grouped together to enhance light gathering ability. But given the great results we've seen from the 48-megapixel camera in the current models -- the iPhone 16E leans heavily on that resolution using its sole rear-facing camera -- extending it to the telephoto camera would definitely be a win for photographers.

Will the layout and configuration of the cameras change from the iPhone 16 Pro shown here in the new iPhone 17 Pro Max?

James Martin/CNET

Speaking of resolution, a 24-megapixel front-facing camera is expected, up from 12 megapixels, so perhaps my selfies will look better. More likely, it's to boost the next rumored feature.

A movable camera lens

I'm breaking out this camera rumor separately because it would mark a huge change in the iPhone camera system. According to a post at MacRumors, the iPhone 17 Pro could have an 8x optical zoom. Not only that, it's said to be able to move, so perhaps there could be a range of zoom between 5x and 8x that is all optical (versus relying on digital zoom to crop and enlarge the image to fit the same field of view). The 5x zoom in the current iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Max uses a "tetraprism" design to achieve its telephoto range while still keeping the camera bump modest.

iPhone 16 Pro 5x telephoto camera

Patrick Holland/CNET

Video recording makes a leap

Cameras on both sides will reportedly work together with dual video recording using the built-in Camera app, a boon for conducting interviews or making reaction videos where you want to see both sides of a conversation. Third-party apps have been able to tap into this capability for some time, but haven't been available as a default option.

Not as important for everyday use, but interesting in terms of advancing the state of the art, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could support 8K video recording, as speculated by MacRumors after reports that 8K was tested for the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone is swiftly turning into a production video camera, from features such as 28 Years Later to custom cameras built from iPhone tech in the F1 movie.

An improved cooling system

Recording video in 4K resolution, much less 8K, is a demanding, power-hungry task that leads to heat build up. In already warm environments, it can even overheat the iPhone and temporarily shut it down. So the prospect of a new internal cooling architecture, while being invisible to iPhone owners, has me nerding out just a little.

According to Majin Bu and others, the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a "vapor chamber" cooling system. As the processor heats up, a small amount of liquid in the chamber evaporates and condenses in cooler areas and is then passed back to the hot areas.

Wi-Fi 7 and fast cellular via a new Apple modem

This is more geeky and less obvious to everyday phone owners, but that's also kind of the point. The iPhone 16E shipped with Apple's C1 cellular modem, Apple's first homebrew cellular hardware it has been trying to build in order to wean its dependence on Qualcomm, which has provided the modem hardware in previous iPhone models.

However, the C1 lacks a faster millimeter wave cellular network and doesn't support Wi-Fi 7, even though it's more conservative about power usage (and still performs well), an acceptable trade-off for the budget phone in Apple's lineup.

The C1 is Apple's first cellular modem. We could see a more capable C2 chip in the iPhone 17 Pro models.

Apple/Screenshot by CNET

But for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, we're talking about the next professional models, and an iPhone Pro in 2025 can't ship without the latest, fastest wireless technology. It would be more realistic to see Apple stick with Qualcomm for the Pro line than include the C1 -- but I suspect a C2 is coming.

According to MacRumors, the Wi-Fi 7 compatibility could be provided by a separate dedicated chip designed by Apple.

An orange iPhone 17 Pro Max

You don't have to be an ardent fan of the Netherlands national football team to appreciate the color orange. Leaker Majin Bu posted renders of the new color lineup for iPhone 17 Pro models, and one of them is gloriously ginger. Not only is this interesting because orange is orange, but because it would be a departure from Apple's recent line of cool, muted colors for the pro lineup. (There are also rumors that the iPhone lineup will include a new sky blue color, about which I have opinions.) I don't hide my iPhone in a case, so being able to show off a bold color sounds like a fun idea.

These aren't the only iPhone 17 Pro rumors we're tracking, but right now they're the ones that have me looking at my calendar and wishing September could arrive just a little faster.