Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Apple - iPhone 17 Pro Max
Between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes out ahead in weight, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on wireless charging and ram. Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max scores 63.2 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max scores 67.5 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The iPhone 17 Pro Max edges ahead on the Mars Score (63.2 vs 67.5), but the 4.3-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the iPhone 15 Pro Max if you carry the device everywhere and weight or thickness has been the deciding factor before. The biggest gaps in its favor are weight.
Pick the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you push the hardware — gaming, on-device AI, heavy multitasking — and the extra compute headroom is worth the trade-offs. Its strongest claims are wireless charging, ram, antutu, among others.
Both ship with comparable main camera, refresh rate, 5g support, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max wins
- ▲Weight — 6.00 g less. 221 vs 227.
Why Apple - iPhone 17 Pro Max wins
- ▲Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.
- ▲RAM — 50.00% more. 12 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲AnTuTu — 37.25% more. 2100000 vs 1530000.
- ▲Wired charging — 11.11% more. 30 W vs 27 W.
- ▲Battery capacity — 5.95% more. 4685 mAh vs 4422 mAh.
- ▲Screen size — 2.99% more. 6.9 " vs 6.7 ".
- ▲Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 5).
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 221 glead | 227 g |
| Thickness | 8.25 mmlead | 8.3 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68 | IP68 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.7 " | 6.9 "lead |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2000 nits | 2200 nitslead |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 48 MP |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 4422 mAh | 4685 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 27 W | 30 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 W | 25 Wlead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS | iOS |
| Promised OS updates | 5 years | 6 yearslead |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro Max?+
iPhone 17 Pro Max has 5.9% more battery — 4422 mAh vs 4685 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro Max?+
iPhone 15 Pro Max is 6g lighter — 221g vs 227g.
Is iPhone 15 Pro Max waterproof?+
iPhone 15 Pro Max has an IP68 rating.
Does iPhone 17 Pro Max support 5G?+
Yes, iPhone 17 Pro Max supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro Max?+
iPhone 17 Pro Max offers 12GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro Max?+
iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 48 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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