iPhone 17 Pro Max unboxing and first look: Huge upgrades everywhere

September always brings a new iPhone, but this year feels special. The iPhone 17 Pro Max arrives with a completely fresh aluminium design, a bigger battery that charges faster, major upgrades to the selfie and telephoto cameras, and iOS 26 with its shiny new Liquid Glass interface. This one feels like Apple’s most polished Pro Max in a long time.

Unboxing the phone

Opening the box is a simple affair. Inside, you get the phone itself, a USB-C cable, SIM ejector tool and some paperwork. That is all. Apple has skipped the charger, case, and even the famous stickers again. It might seem like a small detail, but many users still miss that little keepsake.

The 17 Pro Max is available in Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, and Silver. Our Deep Blue review unit looks every bit as premium as expected. The design stays flat but with softer curves and a striking two-tone back. The camera module is now so large that Apple calls it the “Camera Plateau”, running nearly edge to edge.

Display and build quality

The star of the front is a massive 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate and 3000 nits of peak brightness. The anti-reflective coating makes it much easier to see under bright light. Apple has replaced the titanium frame with an aluminium unibody, paired with Ceramic Shield glass on the back and the newer Ceramic Shield 2 on the front. It is IP68-rated, so it should shrug off splashes and dust without trouble.

Performance, cameras and battery

Inside, the A19 Pro chip runs the show, built on a 3nm process, with up to 12GB of RAM and as much as 2TB of storage. iOS 26 brings a refreshed design and improved Apple Intelligence features.

The cameras are now three 48MP shooters for wide, telephoto and ultrawide, along with an upgraded 18MP selfie camera with Center Stage. Battery life gets a welcome bump too, with 4832mAh in the SIM model and 5088mAh in the eSIM-only variant. Charging is faster at 40W wired and 25W MagSafe.

Price and initial thoughts

Pricing starts at ₹1,49,900 for 256GB, ₹1,69,900 for 512GB, ₹1,89,900 for 1TB and ₹2,29,900 for 2TB.

This year’s Pro Max is Apple at full throttle. You get a brighter display, sharper cameras, longer battery life and quicker charging. If you want the ultimate iPhone right now, this is the one that delivers.