Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Wireless charging | 15 W | 25 W |
| RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB |
| AnTuTu | 1530000 | 2080000 |
| Battery capacity | 4422 mAh | 3692 mAh |
| Weight | 221 g | 203 g |
| Wired charging | 27 W | 30 W |
Between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes out ahead in battery capacity / screen size, while the iPhone 17 Pro wins on wireless charging / ram. Overall, the iPhone 15 Pro Max scores 63 and the iPhone 17 Pro scores 64.3 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (63 vs 64.3). The decision is not about overall quality — both clear the bar — it is about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
Pick the iPhone 15 Pro Max if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. The biggest gaps in its favor are battery capacity, screen size. The single most decisive one: Battery capacity — 19.77% more. 4422 mAh vs 3692 mAh.
Pick the iPhone 17 Pro 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. The single most decisive one: Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.
Both ship with comparable main camera, refresh rate, 5g support, so those specs do not 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 says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max or Apple - iPhone 17 Pro?
Apple - iPhone 17 Pro leads the current Mars Score by 1.3 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare screen size, ram, battery capacity against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max if…
Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max has the measurable edge on battery capacity mah, screen size in.
Choose Apple - iPhone 17 Pro if…
Apple - iPhone 17 Pro has the measurable edge on wireless charging w, ram gb, antutu score.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max wins
- ▲Battery capacity — 19.77% more. 4422 mAh vs 3692 mAh.
- ▲Screen size — 6.35% more. 6.7 " vs 6.3 ".
Why Apple - iPhone 17 Pro wins
- ▲Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.
- ▲RAM — 50.00% more. 12 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲AnTuTu — 35.95% more. 2080000 vs 1530000.
- ▲Weight — 18.00 g less. 203 vs 221.
- ▲Wired charging — 11.11% more. 30 W vs 27 W.
- ▲Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 5).
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 221 g | 203 glead |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 6.7 "lead | 6.3 " |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2000 nits | 2200 nitslead |
Performance
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| RAMⓘ | 8 GB | 12 GBlead |
| Storageⓘ | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| AnTuTuⓘ | 1530000 | 2080000lead |
| CPU total clockⓘ | 16.5 GHz | 20.4 GHzlead |
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacityⓘ | 4422 mAhlead | 3692 mAh |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 27 W | 30 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 15 W | 25 Wlead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | false |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 15 Pro Max | Apple - iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOS | iOS |
| Promised OS updates | 5 years | 6 yearslead |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro?+
iPhone 15 Pro Max has 19.8% more battery — 4422 mAh vs 3692 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro?+
iPhone 17 Pro is 18g lighter — 221g vs 203g.
Is iPhone 15 Pro Max waterproof?+
iPhone 15 Pro Max has an IP68 rating.
Does iPhone 17 Pro support 5G?+
Yes, iPhone 17 Pro supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro?+
iPhone 17 Pro offers 12GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 17 Pro?+
iPhone 17 Pro has a 48 MP main camera vs 48 MP.