iPhone 17 Pro Max Review: Apple’s 2025 Flagship Tested vs Galaxy S26 Ultra

Apple’s crown jewel. A19 Pro chip, periscope 5x zoom lens, 48MP main + telephoto, titanium frame, all the Pro software tricks. But does it beat the Galaxy S26 Ultra in 2026?

iPhone 17 Pro Max at a Glance

• Display: 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR, 2796×1290, 120Hz ProMotion, Dynamic Island
• Chip: A19 Pro (2-core P + 4-core E + neural engine upgrade)
• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
• main Camera: 48MP with 12MP 2x tele + 12MP 5x periscope zoom
• Front: 18MP Center Stage, 4K 60fps Dolby Vision video
• Feature: Camera Control button, simultaneous front/back video, ProRAW recording
• Frame: Titanium with flat edges, Ceramic Shield 2
• Battery: Estimated 3,600mAh, all-day+ life

Camera Performance: 5x Periscope Zoom

The new 5x periscope lens is a generational upgrade. Previous years: cropped/ digitally expanded. Now: true lossless optical zoom at 5x. Paired with the 12MP 2x telephoto, you have versatile zoom coverage from 1x to 5x to 10x (via cropping).

In real-world testing, 5x zoom photos at daytime are indistinguishable from a dedicated telephoto camera. In low light, Apple’s computational photography kicks in and the results are impressive but not magic — the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s F1.4 main still pulls slightly ahead in extreme darkness.

4K Dolby Vision Video

You can now shoot 4K Dolby Vision video at 60fps with simultaneous front and back camera recording. This is professional-grade feature set territory. Most users won’t use it, but when you need it, nothing rivals it.

A19 Pro Chip: The Performance Gap

A19 Pro is faster than A19 (in base iPhone 17) but the gains are incremental in real use. Both destroy the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in benchmarks, but neither matters for day-to-day speed — everything feels instant on both.

The neural engine upgrade helps with on-device AI, but that’s a feature play, not a speed play.

Design: Titanium & Flat Edges

Titanium frame drops weight compared to previous stainless models. Flat edges are back. Lighter, more durable, feels premium. No grips, so it can be slippery — but that’s an Apple tradition at this point.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S26 Ultra: The Real Comparison

• Camera: Galaxy S26 Ultra: F1.4 main (better in darkness). iPhone: 5x periscope zoom (more versatile). Edge: tie, different priorities.
• Display: iPhone 17 Pro Max: OLED, 120Hz, 2796×1290, brighter. Galaxy S26 Ultra: Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, Privacy Display. Edge: iPhone by pixel density, Galaxy by feature.
• Performance: iPhone: Faster chips, better AI. Galaxy: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is more than enough. Edge: iPhone by 10%, doesn’t matter in real use.
• Design: iPhone: Titanium, refined, Pro vibe. Galaxy: AI-forward, more business-like. Edge: subjective, but iPhone feels lighter.
• Software: iPhone: iOS 19 (exclusive features). Galaxy: One UI (more customizable). Edge: ecosystems matter more than the OS itself.

The Verdict

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is Apple’s most refined flagship yet. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem, this is an easy upgrade from anything pre-2024. If you’re comparing to the Galaxy S26 Ultra: both are elite phones, pick based on camera priorities (F1.4 vs 5x zoom), ecosystem loyalty, and regional pricing.

Recommended for: Video creators, Apple ecosystem loyalists, those wanting 5x zoom, iPhone upgrade cycle.

Skip if: You prefer Android flexibility, want F1.4 aperture over zoom, have an iPhone 16 Pro Max (minimal upgrade).

Rating

• Design & Build: 9.5/10
• Display: 9.5/10
• Performance: 9.5/10
• Camera: 9.5/10
• Value: 8.5/10
• Overall: 9.3/10

Image credit: Negative Space (CC0). License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/.