4 the reason why I by no means purchase an iPhone ...

An more and more frequent tactic in loads of industries, not simply smartphones, is to create an “ultra-premium” product. Most of your prospects will not have the ability to afford it, however the ones who can will greater than make up for it. Within the free-to-play sport business, these individuals are referred to as “whales.” You may not be spending something by yourself Fortnite account, however the household subsequent door is holding the lights on at Epic by shopping for lots of of {dollars} in character skins.

Apple has a couple of ultra-premium merchandise, none extra vital for the time being than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. I will allow you to in on a secret, nonetheless — I’ve by no means purchased a Professional Max, regardless of being each a long-term iPhone person and a tech journalist. There are a couple of the reason why, all of which ought to in all probability level you in the direction of a 17 or 17 Professional except cash is not any object.

The batteries in different iPhones are ok

For many customers, anyway

There are two key promoting factors to Max fashions: the largest display screen and the largest battery. I will get to the display screen tech in a minute, however as for battery life, I’ve by no means had an incident the place different iPhones could not make the reduce. I would’ve needed to put my cellphone into Low Energy Mode for some time, or use a transportable battery pack, however that was sufficient to make it to a charger with a little bit of juice to spare.

Let’s take a look at the arduous numbers for the present era. The iPhone Air has the weakest battery life, rated for 27 hours of continuous video playback — in sensible actuality, sufficient to get most individuals to the tip of the day, albeit working on fumes typically. The iPhone 17 does higher at 30 hours, whereas the 17 Professional and Professional Max ship 33 and 39 hours, respectively. Chances are high that the bottom iPhone 17 will probably be greater than sufficient, since even my 16 Professional is supposedly no higher than the Air.

There are solely a handful of circumstances the place a Max’s battery life may legitimately be essential. One is when you’re a global traveler who can go a complete day with out significant time to cost. Alternately, you may be a service technician (or different skilled) utilizing their system for work, or a resident of a disaster-prone space who cannot assure how lengthy the facility will probably be out. Even underneath these circumstances, a MagSafe battery may be essentially the most sensible strategy.

A wierd middle-ground

The large show on a Max is clearly the very first thing you discover, and I am not proof against its enchantment. It makes some text-based duties simpler, similar to typing, internet shopping, or checking e-mail and social media. If you happen to watch video regularly, extra actual property is at all times welcome — though you will by no means appease the spirit of David Lynch.

My difficulty is that it is usually a marginal acquire, primarily based on my hands-on time. You are still effectively in need of the room on an 8.3-inch iPad mini, not to mention a full-sized iPad, so it isn’t such as you’ll be cranking out work assignments with nothing greater than your cellphone and a Bluetooth keyboard. Apple would not even assist a number of app home windows on Maxes, which you’d suppose can be pure provided that it has been an choice for years on similarly-sized Samsung units. Who is aware of, perhaps that can change after iOS 27 and the primary foldable iPhone.

There may be one thing to be stated for individuals who discover telephones arduous to learn and sort on generally, however iPhones have been rising in measurement for a very long time. You may’t purchase a brand new one which measures lower than 6.1 inches, and most are actually 6.3. If you happen to’re nonetheless having bother, you will in all probability be higher served by tweaking iOS’s accessibility settings.

The scale generally is a downside

Holy gigantic cellphone, Batman

Normally, I am not one to complain concerning the measurement of telephones, tablets, or laptops. I’ve bought reasonably-sized arms, and provided that my fundamental passion is weightlifting, it might be ridiculous if I could not deal with a cell system for a couple of minutes. With a Max, nonetheless, pocketability is a reputable concern. I typically fumble a bit placing my 16 Professional into my pocket and taking it out — one thing the dimensions of a 17 Professional Max would be sure that occurs much more. And I am a person, fortunate sufficient to have giant pockets on most of my garments. Ladies typically get tiny pockets, if any. Solidarity, sisters.

I really ought to take a second to acknowledge the importance of weight for different folks. A 17 Professional Max may solely be 8.22 ounces (233 grams), but for some, that is nonetheless going to be sufficient to make it uncomfortable to carry for lengthy stretches of time. If you happen to’ve had points with the scale of different smartphones up to now, I strongly suggest testing the Max for a couple of minutes the subsequent time you are at an Apple Retailer or different electronics retailer. Belief your instincts if it feels awkward.

It is about what you are able to do, not simply the way you do it

One thing that may shock a few of you is that, in a approach, I remorse shopping for a 16 Professional. Not for its specs — the cellphone is nice, the usefulness of its telephoto camera apart. Quite, it is that the common iPhone 16 is sweet sufficient that I would’ve bought extra out of spending the financial savings elsewhere, like a set of AirPods Execs, or a second MagSafe charger. The principle factor I take pleasure in concerning the 16 Professional is its always-on show, which is not that particular now that AOD tech is inventory on each iPhone 17.

A working theme of each level I’ve made right here is that you must take into account a Max’s worth to you in real-world conditions. Sure, it is nice to stare at a giant show and by no means fear about battery life, however that may not make you a lot happier or extra productive. Conversely, you’ll discover an adjunct that permits you to do one thing you were not in a position to earlier than, or which removes some kind of ache level.

I would argue that loads of 17 Professional Max consumers can be higher off getting the bottom 17 and placing the remainder of the money in the direction of an Apple Watch SE or Collection 11, if they do not have already got a smartwatch. Having the ability to test notifications out of your wrist is liberating, and I’ve heard too many anecdotes of individuals efficiently utilizing an Apple Watch to get in form. You will really feel quite a bit higher about your self in a yr for closing your rings day by day than you’ll for having one thing barely larger to look at TikTok on.