iPhone 17 Pro Review: Paradox in a Box!

Summary

MKBHD reviews the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, highlighting what he calls the “Pro Paradox” - that making these phones more professional actually benefits mainstream users the most. The new design is thicker and heavier than previous models, but this allows for bigger batteries, a vapor chamber for better thermal management, and improved cameras. The iPhone Air’s existence freed Apple to make the Pro phones more substantial. Key upgrades include three matching 48-megapixel cameras (with a new 4X telephoto), the A19 Pro chip with 20% better performance, 20% larger batteries, 40-watt charging, and an all-aluminum body design. Despite some nitpicks about color options and “Scratchgate” concerns, MKBHD concludes this is the best Pro iPhone yet.

Highlights

”The best thing about iPhone Air is what it lets them do with Pro”

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“The best thing about the iPhone Air is actually how much it enables Apple to make the Pro phones even more pro.” — Marques Brownlee, 0:00

”90% of orders are Pro Maxes”

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“Over half of Dbrand orders are Pro Maxes, that’s like 90% of orders.” — Marques Brownlee, 1:25

”Not a glass sandwich anymore”

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“This is not a glass sandwich anymore. Literally, the whole body is aluminum with glass cutouts.” — Marques Brownlee, 5:02

”The Pro Paradox”

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“The paradox is that making the Pro iPhones more pro is actually better for the masses.” — Marques Brownlee, 10:52

”Pro Max cracks 5,000mAh for the first time”

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“The 17 Pro has a 20% larger battery and the Pro Max actually cracks 5,000mAh for the first time ever, and also 40 watt charging now.” — Marques Brownlee, 9:11

Key Points

0:00 The Pro Paradox: The iPhone Air’s existence allows the Pro phones to be thicker and more feature-rich, and the Pro Max is by far the most popular model (90% of Dbrand accessory orders)
1:57 Pro Cameras: Three matching 48-megapixel cameras; telephoto upgraded to 4X (from 5X) with 48MP sensor for better zoom shots and less noise
3:30 Camera Limitations: Point light flare problem at night still not fixed; no 8K video despite 2TB storage option
4:24 Pro Video Features: Log video recording capability and genlock support for multi-device shoots
5:02 New Design: All-aluminum body (not a glass sandwich anymore), more durable, includes vapor chamber for the first time
5:54 Camera Plateau: The raised camera area provides a natural resting spot for finger; Corning Ceramic Shield for scratch prevention
6:13 Color Nitpicks: No black color option available; color shows around front bezel making orange and silver less appealing
6:56 Scratchgate: Anodization layer can scratch off revealing raw aluminum; camera plateau is the most vulnerable spot
7:35 Performance: A19 Pro chip benchmarks 20% faster; vapor chamber keeps phone cooler under load
8:15 Sustained Performance: Phone maintains higher frame rates and display brightness during long video recording
9:11 Big Battery: 17 Pro has 20% larger battery; Pro Max cracks 5,000mAh for the first time; 40-watt charging (half battery in 20 minutes)
10:03 Battery Life: Five plus hours of screen on time daily; very efficient
10:20 Display Features: First iPhone with PWM dimming toggle; display reaches 3000 nits peak brightness
10:52 Conclusion: Making Pro iPhones more pro is better for the masses; this is the best Pro iPhone yet

Mentions

Companies

Apple - 0:00 - Manufacturer of iPhone 17 Pro
Dbrand - 1:25 - Channel sponsor, makes cases and screen protectors
Corning - 6:06 - Maker of Ceramic Shield glass
Best Buy - 11:43 - Retailer now selling Dbrand cases

Products

iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max - 0:00 - Main subject of the review
iPhone Air - 0:00 - Thin iPhone that freed Apple to make Pro phones thicker
iPhone 17 Base - 1:10 - The phone MKBHD thinks most people should buy
iPhone 13 Pro / 14 Pro - 3:58 - Older Pro phones mentioned for comparison
A19 Pro chip - 7:39 - New processor with 20% better benchmarks
MacBook Air - 6:28 - Mentioned as lacking black color option
AirPods - 6:34 - Mentioned as coming in many colors but no dark neutral
Electric G Wagon - 3:30 - Upcoming review to be shot on iPhone 17 Pro
Grip Case - 11:20 - Dbrand case product
Ghost Case - 11:35 - Dbrand case with lifetime warranty
Prism Protectors - 11:57 - Dbrand screen protectors

People

Tyler Stalman - 4:57 - YouTuber with in-depth camera review
HGX Studio - 8:02 - YouTuber who did thermal testing visualization
JerryRigEverything - 7:21 - YouTuber who tested durability; identified camera plateau as weak spot

Surprising Quotes

“The best thing about the iPhone Air is actually how much it [enables Apple] to make the Pro phones even more pro.”

“Over half [of Dbrand orders are] Pro Maxes, that’s like 90% of orders.”

“This is not a glass sandwich anymore. Literally, the whole body [is aluminum] with glass cutouts.”

“The paradox is that making the Pro iPhones more pro is actually better for the masses.”

“For a phone that ships in the volume that the iPhone does, very [impressive amount] of improvement when last year’s phone already had really good battery.”

Full Transcript

0:00 The best thing about the iPhone Air is actually how much it to make the Pro phones even more pro.

0:40 Have you noticed that? These new Pro phones are more room inside for bigger batteries, and a vapor chamber, and a bigger camera. It’s not quite on the but this is the most maximalist that an iPhone has ever But also, let me let you in on a little not-so-secret secret. The Pro phone is always Like this year, the iPhone and it’s getting the most YouTube but then the Base 17 is that most people should But it turns out the by far, is the most

1:24 I was gonna try to find a you know, channel sponsor Dbrand, they make a accessory for and so their sales distributions And this is the distribution this year. Over half our Pro Maxes, that’s like 90% of orders. So yeah, it’s fun to watch between being a more pro and this maximalist new design but also, being literally of all-time.

1:57 Like the cameras. Might as well start there, right? The cameras are the most pro thing about the Pro iPhone every year. And on one hand, no professional thank gosh I have eight like Apple seems to want us to believe. It clearly has three. But, the three cameras you get are more evenly matched than ever. The primary and ultra-wide from last year, but the It’s now also a 48-megapixel camera and it’s a 4X telephoto lens. Last year was a 5X but only 12-megapixels. So, this new one feels portrait focal length. It’s roughly a hundred and all of your zoom shots and much less noise, thanks to and much higher resolution.

2:45 Now, I will give them credit for the specific 2X zoom increments, because while they are they do specifically process in a 2X crop to be slightly than just a pure digital crop So, you know, it’s not the but it’s better than nothing. So, I don’t know why they only do it at these focal lengths, honestly. Either way, it’s a really Three matching 48-megapixel cameras, all of which are super reliable, just as good for casual for people who depend on or maybe who happen to have about cars that they happen (clears throat) Yeah. Electric G Wagon review shot on iPhone 17 Pro very soon.

3:34 I do still kind of find myself wishing they made some other improvements, like the point light problem at night when you shoot in the dark and those little flares always show up. They haven’t fixed that at all. Or even adding 8K video support. There’s a two terabyte iPhone model now. I feel like 8K video is just but not this year. But you know, the changes over the years from older Pro phones like the 13 Pro and the 14 Pro. It’s not a huge difference

4:04 Also, what you’re watching from the iPhone 17 Pro, which I was particularly excited about because that means I can go I think it is, and I and white balance after I Also, the file sizes are huge. And there’s even another that they couldn’t brand for themselves because pros already use it and named it, and that’s genlock support, which basically lets so that they can stay in sync over large, multi-device shoots. Pretty sick.

4:39 And also the selfie cameras more about that in the 17 Base review. But yeah, a lot going on with cameras. So let’s be real, 95% of people who get these phones are and these are more capable and If you want more in-depth like professionally with this camera, you can check out Tyler Stalman’s review, which I’ll link below. It’s really in-depth and also on the iPhone.

5:03 My favorite thing about is actually the new design. It’s not often that the newest and get thicker and heavier, but like I said, I of the best things about them coming out with a separate phone that’s so that if you want a thin But if you don’t care about that, if that’s not one of your priorities, then here’s the new Pro, which goes the other of a few extra fractions of an inch. And I love that it’s an all This is not a glass sandwich anymore. Literally, the whole body with glass cutouts at the and then at the top for those

5:44 This makes it more durable, it makes more room inside which we’ll get to in a second, and there’s enough room for the first time ever in an iPhone. And then the new plateau at the top, I actually think it’s great. This is where I’ve been on Android phones for years. It’s like a natural resting Same thing with this one now. And Corning’s Ceramic Shield too, in case you haven’t already for preventing scratches

6:13 A couple of nitpicks though, You sickos. This is like one of those weird things that it feels like Apple’s where they’re making a bunch of products that should have a Like the new MacBook Airs come in silver, and starlight, and sky But no black? And then the AirPods in a bunch of colors, and We need a dark neutral, that you pick actually shows up around the front bezel of the phone. So you see the color It makes the orange and silver that much more annoying to me. (sighs) I told you it was a nitpick.

6:56 But then you’ve probably about Scratchgate, which like the anodization layer on top of the aluminum seems to scratch off and then reveal the raw And I kind of don’t really I feel like this has come up before with a lot of darker And as a person who rocks I haven’t had any issues I’ve been tossing it around. But the JerryRigEverything that the weakest part that or dinged is gonna be around like around the camera plateau. So we’ll see how many phones

7:33 But we gotta talk about because the redesign is one thing, but there’s even more The A19 Pro chip, It’s benchmarked around 20% and when paired with iOS these phones feel really quick But the extra thickness has also made room for a vapor chamber for the first time, and it’s actually made a real and the behavior of this phone.

8:02 Big shout out to HGX Studio, YouTuber, who is able to put thermal under load and really visualize this, but especially compared to the Air, these phones rarely got any more than slightly warm to the touch for me. And as a result, they were able to actually hold higher frame and keep the display brightness higher when recording videos for a long time. Check out the rest of his It’s freaking incredibly well done.

8:29 But, it also reminded me about like gaming phones kind The stuff that makes a like better speakers and better screen and big batteries, well, all that stuff is And it’s the same deal for the Pro iPhone. The stuff that makes a like the improved display, and the thicker, better for shooting videos longer, and better sustained performance, yeah, it turns out the masses also really enjoy nicer screens, Not a surprise.

9:09 And we’ve all been saying for years, “Hey, just make a thicker phone I just really feel like where having an iPhone Air let them feel free to go with the other phones because if they’re gonna is all-day battery life, then great, every single other phone in with bigger batteries. So the 17 Pro has a 20% and the Pro Max actually cracks for the first time ever, and also 40 watt charging now. So that’s half battery in 20 minutes. To Apple, that’s a big deal. We welcome a 20%

9:52 Now in Android land, obviously it’s, it kind of looks like nothing, like it’s nowhere near the Ultra phones with 6,000 milliamp hour and 100-watt charging and all that. But, for a phone that ships in the volume that the iPhone does, very of improvement when last year’s phone already had really good battery. The iPhone is also very efficient. So I am getting a nice five plus hours of screen on time every day and it’s lasting all day So, I’m loving it.

10:20 And then, there’s just all sorts like with this screen, I think this is the first that’s had a toggle for PWM dimming. Now it’s buried in the but you can search and find it, and that is very welcome to many people. And there’s also a slightly noticeable but better-than-nothing But more importantly, the display gets slightly brighter now and I noticed that. It’s up to 3000 nits peak. And satellite connectivity has and location sharing too

10:52 So at the end of the day, the paradox is that making the Pro iPhones more pro is actually better for the masses. And this is the best one yet, And I think, you know, if they make some iPhone I’ll probably still want But for now, this is good stuff.

11:13 Now if you are thinking but you are concerned then channel sponsor Dbrand Like this Grip Case, which And it also does a pretty good which if you’ve seen it is the most vulnerable spot for the anodization to chip off. Alternatively, if you’re you can grab one of their which comes with a lifetime and also a full camera protection.

11:42 Fun fact, these are also available at Best Buy in the US now too. Both cases check all the boxes like strong MagSafe and But most importantly, they’re And then whichever way you go, if you wanna round out your protection with a screen protector, of Dbrand’s Prism Protectors. They’re super easy to install. And if you bundle it or a Ghost Case, you can use to save 42% on the Prism. Pretty sweet deal. I’ll leave a link down below

12:10 Thanks for watching. Catch you guys very soon, in the next one. Peace.