Skip to main content

The iPhone 17 Pro Max already sounds like a powerhouse

The back of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Apple will reveal the iPhone 16 series on Monday, September 9. Soon after, many will preorder the largest of the bunch, the iPhone 16 Pro Max. However, it’s becoming increasingly clear that next year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max will be a much bigger update.

The latest news comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who anticipates that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will include 12GB of RAM. The other 2025 iPhones are expected to stick with 8GB of RAM. This is the second time in as many days that we have heard that next year’s iPhone Pro Max model will include 12GB of RAM.

Recommended Videos

Kuo also notes that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will get a new vapor chamber cooling system, which will help cool the phone down during intense workloads. The other iPhone 17 models are expected to continue to use graphite sheets for thermal management.

Among the 2025 new iPhone models, only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the following specifications:

1. 12GB DRAM (while the ultra-thin iPhone, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and SE4 will all have 8GB). Enhanced on-device AI capabilities will likely be a major selling point for…

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) August 29, 2024

The upcoming iPhone lineup for next year is expected to have a significant redesign compared to the last three years. In addition to the regular iPhone 17 and the two iPhone 17 Pro models, Apple might introduce a new model called the iPhone 17 Slim. There’s a debate about where this model will fit into the overall lineup. Most people anticipate that this model will be priced higher than the iPhone 17 Pro Max despite potentially having fewer features.

As the name suggests, the iPhone 17 Slim could be the thinnest iPhone ever, resembling the design of the iPad Pro (2024), which is the thinnest iPad ever made.

Apple has offered an iPhone Plus model for the last three years, including this year’s iPhone 16 Plus, but it is expected to discontinue it in 2025. Hence, even with an iPhone 17 Slim, the number of iPhone 17 models will remain at four in 2025.

iPhone 16 Pro dummy units.
iPhone 16 Pro dummy units Sonny Dickson

In this year’s iPhone Pro lineup, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to get larger displays, measuring 6.3 and 6.9 inches, respectively. The larger displays will come with ever-shrinking bezels on every side. This year’s iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will remain at 6.1 and 6.7 inches, like previous models. The iPhone 16 Pro models are also expected to include a better charging system and battery upgrade,  a new color option, and more.

Apple will host the “It’s Glowtime” event at 10 a.m. PT on September 9. The prerecorded event will be streamed on Apple TV, YouTube, and the Apple website. During the upcoming event, Apple might also announce new Apple Watches, AirPods, iPads, and more.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
Why you shouldn’t care what number Apple puts on your iPhone’s software
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's screen.

One number may change to another number at an important industry event on June 9, and despite some of the headlines that have been circulating around the news, this succinct explanation of what may happen allows you to guage its real importance. Apparently, Apple may use the WWDC 2025 keynote presentation to announce a change from the expected iOS 19 software’s name to iOS 26, and here’s why you shouldn’t worry about it. 

Many people won’t even know

Read more
20 iPhones elevate Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later scene
A camera rig with 20 iPhones being used to shoot part of 28 Years Later.

We already know that the iPhone is a versatile piece of kit with a powerful camera capable of capturing highly impressive video.

That quality, coupled with the phone’s small size compared to conventional movie cameras, has been inspiring a growing number of filmmakers to use Apple’s handset for at least some of the shots in their grand productions.

Read more
iOS 19 isn’t coming this fall … because Apple is calling it something else
The back of the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Apple will unveil the latest version of the iPhone operating system at WWDC next month, but apparently it won’t be “iOS 19.”

The tech giant is going to shake up the naming system for iOS, with the next version set to be called iOS 26, according to a Bloomberg report by prominent Apple tipster Mark Gurman on Wednesday.

Read more