(Image credit: Future / Lucy Scotting)
I won't lie — I've been an exclusive Apple iPhone user for the past decade. While some of my fellow Tom's Guide AU colleagues swear by Android powerhouses like Samsung and Nothing phones, I will always come to bat for Apple.The brand's latest flagship, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, has been the talk of the town as of late. From its impressive vapour cooling technology and long-lasting battery life, to its great photo-taking capabilities (even in space), there is a lot to like about the latest Pro model. There's also a lot to dislike — namely its inflated RRP between AU$2,199 (256GB) and AU$3,799 (2TB).But when the Phone 17 models were announced in September last year, I didn't line up immediately for preorders. At the time, I was being fiscally conservative — I mean, aren't we all right now? — and I knew it wasn't worth parting ways with my iPhone 14. The phone, which I purchased in 2022, was still kicking on, and as per my own research, it was bound to hold up for at least five years of software updates, battery life and general wear and tear. In theory, I didn't need to upgrade my phone for five years from when it was released.That said, in the few short years between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 17, the world of smartphones and wearables has grown exponentially. While, yes, Apple is a few strides behind when it comes to AI capabilities, even the comparative jump between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 to the iPhone 16 was drastic enough to make me reconsider my five-year plan.So after skipping the initial release, I thought that I could hold off another year and be first in line for either the iPhone 18 or iPhone 19 models, assuming by then, Apple would have caught up to its competitors. And even after forking out for my iPhone 14 only a few years ago, I naively thought that I'd have no serious FOMO on features or camera quality until my next upgrade. But after a month of testing the iPhone 17 Pro Max, I can safely say I was wrong.To really put the Pro Max to the test, I outlined three make-or-break factors that would either justify keeping my current iPhone, or push me towards an upgrade. Those factors were camera quality, battery life and overall user experience. So, let’s jump in, shall we?Camera quality is unrivalled
