Who should buy the iPhone 17 Pro?

While the standard iPhone 17 has been upgraded to be more worthy, Apple's Pro line still ensures many improvements in both technology and appearance.

International news sites have just shared reviews of the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. These are two high-end devices with screen sizes of 6.3 and 6.9 inches respectively.

Compared to previous generations, the design of the iPhone 17 Pro has many new points, notably when the frame material changes from titanium to aluminum. Apple also upgraded the camera, A19 Pro processor chip and vapor chamber cooling system for better heat dissipation.

Outstanding design

Writing in GQ magazine, editor Robert Leedham emphasized that the appeal of the iPhone 17 Pro is no less than other models, such as the standard iPhone 17 or iPhone Air.

“This is a quiet but impressive upgrade to what is already the best smartphone available,” said Leedham.

Leedham expressed his impression of the cosmic orange color. Combining the orange of Hermès with Carhartt, the iPhone 17 Pro stands out to the naked eye, and can even "shake" people who want to buy a dark iPhone to attach a case.

Cosmic orange on iPhone 17 Pro Max. Photo: The Verge .

Not only the color, people can easily recognize the iPhone 17 Pro when looking at the back combined with aluminum and glass, above which is the long camera cluster. Apple equipped Ceramic Shield 2 coating, increasing scratch and shatter resistance.

In the same vein, Tom's Guide 's John Velasco loves the new design of the iPhone 17 Pro, which features a two-tone look and a striking orange hue. When viewed from the side, the aluminum frame is a deep orange, creating a contrasting effect with the light orange of the glass.

Speaking about the switch from titanium to aluminum frame, Velasco said that this does not affect the product's structure.

The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max come in dark blue, but no longer in black. Photo: The Verge .

“The device still feels solid, with Ceramic Shield 2 on both the front and back,” the author added.

Compared to previous generations, Leedham assessed the appearance of the iPhone 17 Pro as rougher and more practical. The glass frame for the MagSafe magnet cluster looks out of place, but on closer inspection, it fits the Liquid Glass design language.

The iPhone 17 Pro's camera cluster protrudes from the rest, but still feels symmetrical. Other small changes include a slightly curved frame instead of being completely flat, making the device more comfortable to hold.

“Even though the color options are down to three this year, I think the space orange stands out the most. I take the device out and people really notice it,” John Velasco from Tom’s Guide noted. The iPhone 17 Pro is also thicker than its predecessor, allowing Apple to fit a larger battery.

Is vapor chamber cooling effective?

Talking about hardware, the editor from GQ emphasized the vapor chamber cooling system on the iPhone 17 Pro, which helps to maximize the power of the A19 Pro chip.

“While not too excited about this detail, you can still feel the improvement of the iPhone 17 Pro, at least in benchmark tests.

Compared to the iPhone Air (also with the A19 Pro chip and 12GB of RAM), ray-tracing graphics are maintained at a stable frame rate, and the temperature is better dispersed around the body. This makes for a more comfortable grip when playing games like Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding , or Resident Evil 4 Remake ,” Leedham said.

iPhone 17 Pro screen. Photo: Tom's Guide .

Writing on The Verge , authors Todd Haselton and Allison Johnson also appreciated the cooling system. After 45 minutes of playing War Thunder , the phone got warm, but not right on the processor chip, which is annoying with the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Despite the benefits to performance and cooling, the authors note that the cooling system contributes to the iPhone 17 Pro Max being slightly heavier (233g). This is higher than the iPhone 16 Pro Max with a titanium frame (227g), but still lighter than the iPhone 14 Pro Max with a stainless steel frame (240g).

According to Tom's Guide , the iPhone 17 Pro's benchmark scores on Geekbench 6 reached 3,834 (single-core) and 9,988 (multi-core) respectively, surpassing the Galaxy S25 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (3,031/9,829 points) and significantly higher than the iPhone 16 Pro (3,400/8,341 points).

With the GPU, the iPhone 17 Pro averaged 158.37 fps on the 3DMark WildLife Unlimited test, which is significantly higher than the iPhone 16 Pro (109.33 fps), though still slightly behind the Galaxy S25 Ultra (161.66 fps).

According to The Verge , the iPhone 17 Pro Max's battery is enough to last all day. When not watching videos , the device was active from 7:23 am to midnight with 16% battery left. During the whole day, the author team turned on the screen for about 5 hours and 15 minutes.

Back of iPhone 17 Pro Max. Photo: The Verge .

After syncing and updating, the iPhone 17 Pro Max's battery life gradually improved. On the second day, the device had 50% battery left from 7:32 to 20:43, with 5 hours and 11 minutes of screen-on time. The main tasks included working on Slack, texting, surfing the web, and taking photos.

“For comparison, I usually charge the iPhone 16 Pro Max at around 20h, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max still has around 50% battery left. This seems like a big improvement. Of course, it is still too early to comment exactly, and the actual battery life depends on the user's needs,” the authors wrote.

In addition to battery capacity, Apple also improved the charging ability on the iPhone 17 Pro with 40W wired charging, charging 50% battery in 20 minutes. Wireless charging capacity is also slightly faster, reaching 50% in 30 minutes if using a suitable 30W wireless charger.

Camera is still professional enough

This year, the cameras on the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are identical with 48 MP sensors for standard, ultra-wide and telephoto lenses, supporting up to 4x optical zoom (native resolution) or 8x (cropping the sensor to 12 MP).

Compared to competitors like the Pixel 9 Pro or Galaxy S25 Ultra with 100x digital zoom, author Robert Leedham from GQ emphasizes that this is not a big problem.

“In my experience, you need to hold the camera very still for these zoom features to work. Even then, there are still a lot of AI processes to make the photo usable.

With 8x optical zoom, you will be more comfortable without having to get too close to the subject to take portrait photos, and without having to spend too much effort to take landscape photos. However, you still need to limit shaking to ensure sharp, detailed photos," Leedham commented.

Camera cluster of iPhone 17 Pro Max. Photo: The Verge .

According to The Verge , the 48MP sensor also increases the quality of digital zoom. The 2x sensor crop mode with the main camera has been improved, helping to highlight details. Of course, the basic photo quality is still suitable for sharing on social networks.

Agreeing, John Velasco from Tom's Guide commented that the iPhone 17 Pro Max's main camera has good quality, especially when taking photos during the day.

“Compared to the Pixel 10 Pro XL, I like the stronger contrast of the iPhone 17 Pro, and the colors are also richer. The ability to capture details is quite good on both devices, but the iPhone 17 Pro captures small details more clearly and sharply,” this writer added.

The iPhone 17 Pro's 120-degree ultra-wide-angle camera takes brighter photos, and its exposure in dark environments is also better than the Pixel 10 Pro XL (123-degree wide angle).

With the telephoto sensor, 4x zoom shots on the iPhone 17 Pro are better than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which relies on sensor cropping to adjust to 4x.

When moving to 8x, the iPhone 17 Pro uses a sensor crop, the photo resolution is still 12 MP. With digital zoom, the iPhone 17 Pro supports up to 40x, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 25x.

Some photos taken from the rear camera of iPhone 17 Pro. Photo: The Verge .

Apple also focuses on video recording capabilities on the iPhone 17 Pro, although most of it is aimed at professional users. Among them, the ProRes RAW format supports video recording with original parameters for post-production.

For the average user, the most notable improvement of the iPhone 17 Pro camera comes from the 18 MP front sensor, square for vertical and horizontal shooting without rotating the phone. The Center Stage feature even automatically adjusts the zoom level to capture every subject in the photo.

Not for everyone

In conclusion, the two authors from The Verge “do not forget” Apple's poor AI feature set compared to other devices.

Haselton and Johnson argue that these should be standout features on the iPhone, but are relegated to the background. The authors argue that the iPhone 17 Pro's improvements are worthwhile, but may not be necessary for most average users.

iPhone 17 Pro Max (left) and iPhone Air. Photo: The Verge .

“The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max are the best iPhones if you're looking for the longest battery life, best camera, and most powerful performance in the 2025 iPhone lineup.

These are also top picks if you want orange, but most should consider the more affordable iPhone 17, which has the same screen technology and power for most needs,” the authors say.

Meanwhile, Robert Leedham from GQ emphasized that the improvements on the iPhone 17 Pro are all meaningful, and users will feel it is worth upgrading.

“This is a truly powerful smartphone, ready for the long haul, and the most complete vision of Apple's iPhone Pro line,” Leedham concluded.

Source: https://znews.vn/iphone-17-pro-danh-cho-ai-post1586417.html