Definitely worth the wait
We have been ready for a redesign for half a decade, and the iPhone 17 Professional Max would not disappoint. You get an aluminum unibody chassis with sturdiness and thermal advantages, plus, there’s an A19 Professional chipset beneath the hood. A sq. front-facing digital camera sensor and as much as 8x optical-quality zoom spherical out the enhancements.
Professionals
- Anti-reflective show with 3,000 nits peak brightness
- Three 48MP sensors on the again with as much as 8x optical zoom
- Ceramic Defend 2, IP68, unibody aluminum chassis for sturdiness
- A19 Professional processor with 12GB reminiscence
- Versatile selfies with sq. front-facing digital camera
Cons
- Zoom pictures at 8x shall be 12MP
- Galaxy AI trumps Apple Intelligence
- Large digital camera plateau could possibly be an eyesore for some
- No black or area grey choice
- Thick and heavy
The anti-iPhone Android
The Google Pixel 10 Professional XL is the very best telephone for iPhone customers able to make a swap. It options an in-house Tensor G5 chip with fine-tuned optimizations, an amazing digital camera system, and a premium design. Plus, Materials 3 Expressive is a design language match to problem Liquid Glass.
Professionals
- Lastly helps Qi2/MagSafe by the use of Pixelsnap
- Wonderful on-device AI processing
- Premium really feel and beautiful show
- Lovely Materials 3 Expressive design language
- Android 16 with seven years of OS upgrades
Cons
- Deliberate battery throttling at 200 cycles
- Tensor G5 will get crushed by Apple A19 Professional
- Low PWM price
We have spent loads of time with the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL, and we hold coming to the identical conclusion: that is an Android telephone for iPhone customers able to make a change. That places a little bit of strain on Apple and the iPhone 17 Professional Max to supply an expertise nice sufficient to maintain longtime iOS customers on board. Now that the iPhone 17 Professional Max is official, is it sufficient to beat the Pixel 10 Professional XL and hold iPhone customers glad?
That is up for debate, as a result of whether or not you love or hate the iPhone 17 Professional Max will possible come all the way down to your ideas on the brand new aluminum chassis. In any other case, efficiency and on a regular basis use will possible really feel much like that of its predecessor. One other issue will definitely be whether or not you choose iOS 26’s Liquid Glass or Android 16’s Materials 3 Expressive design language. For those who’re on the fence, this comparability will assist you to select between Apple and Google’s prime smartphones.
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Professional XL: Design and show
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Google popularized the trendy idea of a “digital camera bar” on Pixel telephones, which has not too long ago grow to be extra of a digital camera “island” on the Pixel 9 Professional XL and Pixel 10 Professional XL. Apple appears to be copying Google’s homework a bit, as a result of the brand new iPhone 17 Professional Max has what it is calling a digital camera “plateau.” It’d sound a bit foolish, and a few assume it seems foolish, but it surely’s a part of a powerful iPhone 17 Professional Max design shift to a unibody building.
The iPhone 17 Professional Max is crafted out of 1 piece of aluminum that holds all of the parts with a small cutout on the again for a slab of glass. It creates one thing of a two-tone search for the iPhone — additionally harking back to older Pixels — that makes wi-fi charging transmission stay doable. The design change improves sturdiness and thermals, as aluminum is best at dissipating warmth than titanium, and the iPhone 17 Professional Max has a vapor chamber for the primary time.
It is price noting that Google has been utilizing polished aluminum for some time on Pixel Professional telephones, and had vapor chambers for cooling earlier than Apple.
I are typically crucial of huge and heavy telephones, and the iPhone 17 Professional Max really makes the Pixel 10 Professional XL really feel small on this regard. Apple’s telephone is 8.75mm thick (which does not even take the digital camera plateau into consideration) and weighs 233 grams.
In the meantime, the Pixel 10 Professional XL is thinner at 8.5mm and lighter at 232 grams. These figures do not embody the digital camera bump both, however the Pixel 10 Professional XL remains to be thinner and lighter than the iPhone 17 Professional Max. Possibly that issues to you, perhaps it would not.
Each telephones have spectacular sturdiness options. The iPhone 17 Professional Max and Pixel 10 Professional XL are each IP68-certified in opposition to mud and water ingress, and every has sturdy glass — Ceramic Defend 2 and Gorilla Glass Victus 2, respectively.
The iPhone 17 Professional Max has a bigger show, measuring 6.9 inches. It is an OLED display screen with a 120Hz variable refresh price, and it tops out at 3,000 nits of peak brightness. The Pixel 10 Professional XL’s 6.8-inch OLED show is definitely brighter, maxing out at 3,300 nits. This might assist the Pixel with outside visibility, however the iPhone has the benefit of an anti-reflective show coating.
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Professional XL: {Hardware} and specs
{Hardware} and specs may lean in favor of both the iPhone 17 Professional Max or the Pixel 10 Professional XL, relying on whether or not you need uncooked energy or practicality. For those who want the previous, the Apple 19 Professional chip within the iPhone 17 Professional Max will run circles round Pixels in benchmarks.
It is quicker and might deal with AAA gaming on-device, paired with 12GB of reminiscence. Whereas the Tensor G5 chip within the Pixel 10 Professional XL is vastly improved, it nonetheless lags a bit behind Apple and Qualcomm in benchmarks and strenuous use instances, like gaming. Google did equip the Pixel 10 Professional XL with 16GB of RAM, which is able to assist with longevity and turn out to be useful in sure conditions, like on-device AI processing.
Talking of AI, the Pixel 10 Professional XL clearly has the higher synthetic intelligence suite with Google AI and Gemini. Apple Intelligence is not something to jot down residence about in the meanwhile — we’re nonetheless ready for the revamped Siri, and Visible Intelligence is a subpar expertise in comparison with multimodal Gemini Dwell. The excellent news is which you can get a lot of Google’s greatest AI options on iOS through the Google, Chrome, and Gemini apps.
Class | iPhone 17 Professional Max | Google Pixel 10 Professional XL |
|---|---|---|
Show | 6.9‑inch (diagonal) all‑display screen OLED show, 2868‑by‑1320-pixel decision at 460 ppi, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Fee, 3,000 nits peak brightness | 6.8-inch Tremendous Actua OLED, 1344 x 2992, 486 PPI, 1-120Hz, 3300 nits |
Processor | Apple A19 Professional | Google Tensor G5 |
Reminiscence | 12GB | 16GB |
Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Entrance Digicam | 18MP, f/1.9 vast | 42MP 103-degree Twin PD AF selfie |
Rear Digicam 1 | 48MP Fusion Primary: 24 mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, OIS | 50MP essential |
Rear Digicam 2 | 48MP Fusion Extremely Broad: 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture and 120° discipline of view | 48MP 123-degree ultrawide with macro focus |
Rear Digicam 3 | 48MP, 4x optical zoom, 8x optical-quality zoom | 48MP 5x telephoto |
Digicam Options | Adaptive True Tone flash, Photonic Engine, Deep Fusion, Good HDR 5, Subsequent-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Management, Portrait Lighting with six results, Night time mode, Panorama (as much as 63MP), Newest-generation Photographic Kinds, Spatial pictures, 48MP macro pictures, ProRAW, Broad colour seize for pictures and Dwell Images, Lens correction (Fusion Extremely Broad), Superior red-eye correction, Auto picture stabilization, Burst mode | 4K/60 10-bit HDR on all cameras, 8K/30 on rear cameras, Finest Take, Magic Editor, Digicam Coach, Add Me |
Battery | 5,088mAh | 5,200mAh |
Charging | 40W wired, 25W MagSafe or Qi2.2 wi-fi | 45W wired, 25W Qi2.2 Pixelsnap wi-fi |
Connectivity | 5G, mmWave, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, UWB, Thread, NFC | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, Twin-band GPS, 5G mmWave (NA solely), 5G Sub-6, LTE |
Biometrics | Face ID | Beneath-display fingerprint sensor |
Ingress Safety | IP68, Ceramic Defend 2 (entrance glass), Ceramic Defend (rear class), Aluminum | Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front-and again, IP68, Aluminum |
Dimensions | 163.4 x 78 x 8.75mm | 162.8mm x 76.6mm x 8.5mm |
Weight | 233 grams | 232 grams |
Software program | iOS 26 | Android 16 |
When it comes to connectivity, each the iPhone 17 Professional Max and Pixel 10 Professional XL provide the most recent and best wi-fi expertise. You get Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, mmWave 5G, UWB, and NFC on each fashions. Apple takes issues a step additional with a Thread radio, however it will solely matter in case you have or plan to make use of Thread-supported networking and good residence merchandise.
Apple and Google each took charging speeds to the following stage this launch cycle. The iPhone 17 Professional Max has a 5,088mAh battery, the most important ever in an iPhone, and might cost at as much as 40W wired. That equates to 50% of cost in 20 minutes in the true world. On the flip facet, the Pixel 10 Professional XL has a 5,200mAh battery and might cost at 45W over a cable.
Each telephones assist the most recent Qi2.2 wi-fi charging normal, enabling 25W wi-fi charging over supported MagSafe, Qi2.2, or Pixelsnap chargers.
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Professional XL: Cameras
Apple and Google loaded up their new flagships with related triple-camera programs on the rear, with a essential, ultrawide, and telephoto lens on every telephone. Google has the higher-megapixel essential digital camera sensor at 50MP, whereas the iPhone 17 Professional Max has three 48MP sensors.
Notably, the Pixel 10 Professional XL telephoto digital camera can do true 5x optical zoom, whereas the iPhone 17 Professional Max reaches 8x optical-quality zoom — however true optical zoom is capped at 4x size.
The iPhone 17 Professional Max has a novel benefit within the front-facing digital camera battle. On paper, it will seem the Pixel 10 Professional XL’s 42MP selfie cam runs circles across the iPhone’s 18MP sensor. Nonetheless, Apple is utilizing a sq. sensor this 12 months, enabling horizontal and portrait selfies without having to bodily rotate the telephone. It is a cool social gathering trick that’ll actually turn out to be useful when taking group pictures.
iPhone 17 Professional Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Professional XL: Which do you have to purchase?
In fact, in case you have a choice for iOS or Android, the {hardware} in Apple and Google’s respective flagships is unlikely to sway you. In reality, they’re very related from a specs standpoint. The iPhone 17 Professional Max has a barely bigger show and a quicker processor on paper, however when it comes to every day use, it’s going to possible really feel much like the Google Pixel 10 Professional XL.
To that finish, each telephones assist Qi2.2, which means they will faucet into the huge MagSafe and new Pixelsnap ecosystems of chargers and equipment. In addition they have aluminum supplies and a triple-camera system on the again. One benefit of going with the iPhone 17 Professional Max is the 2TB storage choice, however the Pixel 10 Professional XL equally has extra RAM at 16GB.
Put merely, you possibly can’t go improper with both the iPhone 17 Professional Max or the Pixel 10 Professional XL. For those who just like the Apple ecosystem, go together with the iPhone; if you need tons of on-device AI, seize the Pixel. Both method, you are going to find yourself with a wonderful telephone that may final you into the following decade.
The one for velocity
If you’d like uncooked energy and glorious industrial design, the iPhone 17 Professional Max is the clear winner. The Apple A19 Professional chipset paired with 12GB RAM delivers glorious efficiency for operating apps and video games. Plus, the sq. digital camera sensor on the entrance is a novel characteristic you will not discover on different flagships.
All about practicality
The Google Pixel 10 Professional XL won’t be the quickest on paper, but it surely’s a sensible choose that goals to be optimized and environment friendly for every day use. Google’s AI suite is way extra versatile and superior than Apple Intelligence, and there is extra truly-optical zoom right here.
