Apple Unveils the iPhone 17 Pro Max: Bold New Design Sparks Debate, Price Starts at $1,699

Apple has just officially unveiled the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, marking significant changes in both design and hardware technology.

With the Pro and Pro Max versions this time, Apple has returned to the unibody aluminum design and integrated a vapor chamber for more efficient heat dissipation. Along with that, the A19 Pro chip is introduced as the most powerful mobile processor Apple has ever developed, featuring a 6-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine capable of handling complex AI tasks while significantly improving the performance of graphics-intensive games with real-time ray tracing.

The most notable improvement lies in the brand new Fusion camera system. The triple-lens setup boasts a 48MP resolution across the board, including the main, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras.

The 48MP main camera, with its large aperture and next-generation sensor, captures more light, resulting in detailed images even in low-light conditions. The ultra-wide camera, also at 48MP, enhances sharpness at the edges and improves color accuracy. However, the most significant upgrade is in the telephoto lens, which now supports up to 8x optical zoom with a 200mm focal length—a significant improvement over the 5x zoom of previous Pro and Pro Max models.

The inclusion of 8x optical zoom unlocks crisp portrait and long-distance shots, minimizing the image distortion commonly associated with digital zoom.

The front camera has also been enhanced, now offering an 18MP resolution and supporting Center Stage to keep subjects centered during video calls, along with 4K HDR video recording and superior image stabilization.

In terms of professional video capabilities, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are the first iPhones to support high-end formats such as ProRes RAW and Apple Log 2, typically found only on dedicated video recording devices. Apple has also integrated genlock functionality, enabling multi-camera synchronization for multi-angle filming, turning the iPhone into a genuine filmmaking tool for content creators.

The placement of the large camera bump along the side of the device has been a controversial topic since the initial mockups leaked. Quite a few people have expressed their dissatisfaction with this design choice. However, this is not the first time that a new iPhone model has sparked design controversies.

The iPhone 17 Pro features a 6.3-inch display, while the Pro Max boasts a 6.9-inch screen. Both models offer a peak outdoor brightness of 3,000 nits, the highest ever on an iPhone. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures a smooth experience, and the Always-On Display feature has been retained. The second-generation Ceramic Shield glass is said to be three times harder than its predecessor, providing enhanced durability in daily use.

In terms of battery life, thanks to the unibody design and optimizations from the A19 Pro chip, Apple claims that both Pro models offer longer usage times than their predecessors, while also supporting fast charging and MagSafe wireless charging.

A significant change is the complete removal of the physical SIM card slot, moving towards an eSIM-only approach. This decision saves internal space for a larger battery and emphasizes Apple’s global outlook. Connectivity on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max is future-proofed with the latest standards, including Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and the exclusive N1 connection chip, which supports Thread for expanded functionality in the smart home ecosystem.

In the Vietnamese market, the iPhone 17 Pro will be priced from VND 34.99 million for the 256GB version, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at VND 37.99 million. The highest price goes to the 2TB Pro Max model, reaching VND 63.99 million.

For the first time in many years, the price of the iPhone 17 Pro Max has increased from around VND 34 million to VND 38 million. This is also the first time that the iPhone 17 Pro Max offers a 2TB storage option, while the 17 Pro maxes out at 1TB.

Pre-orders are available from September 12, with deliveries starting on September 19, in the first wave of releases alongside major markets like the US, Japan, and Singapore. With Apple releasing the new iPhones in Vietnam simultaneously, it will be interesting to see how the local market receives them, especially since there will no longer be scenes of Vietnamese people lining up at iPhone launch events in Singapore, Hong Kong, or Thailand to buy handsets for the “grey market” back home.