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Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone 12 Pro MaxAppleiPhone 17 Pro
Overview
ReleasedNovember 2020September 2025
Display
Screen size6.7″6.3″
Resolution2778 × 12842622 × 1206
Sharpness457 pixels per inch458 pixels per inch
PanelOLEDLTPO OLED
Refresh rate60 Hz120 Hz
Peak brightness1,200 nits3,000 nits
Display typeSuper Retina XDR all-screen OLED display with a notch for the TrueDepth camera; 6.68 inches measured as a standard rectangleSuper Retina XDR OLED display with Dynamic Island
Pixel density458 ppi460 ppi
Brightness detail800 nits max (typical); 1,200 nits max (HDR)1,000 nits max (typical); 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 1 nit minimum
Always-on displayNoYes
Screen protectionCeramic Shield front; fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coatingCeramic Shield 2 front, Ceramic Shield back
Display featuresHDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)ProMotion adaptive refresh; HDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical); anti-reflective coating
Performance
ChipA14 BionicA19 Pro
Memory6 GB12 GB
Storage128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB
CPU6 GB of Samsung RAM (iFixit)6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores
GPU–6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracing
AI engineNext-generation Neural Engine16-core Neural Engine
Cooling–Apple-designed vapour chamber laser-welded into the aluminium unibody
Cameras
Main camera12 MP48 MP
Ultra wide camera12 MP48 MP
Telephoto camera12 MP48 MP
Optical zoom2.5×4×
Front camera12 MP18 MP
Main camera12MP Wide, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, seven-element lens, 100% Focus Pixels48MP Fusion Main, 24 mm, ƒ/1.78 aperture, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos
Ultra wide camera12MP Ultra Wide, ƒ/2.4 aperture, 120° field of view, five-element lens48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 120° field of view, Hybrid Focus Pixels
Telephoto camera12MP Telephoto, ƒ/2.2 aperture, optical image stabilisation, six-element lens, 2.5x optical zoom48MP Fusion Telephoto, 100 mm (4x), ƒ/2.8 aperture, Hybrid Focus Pixels, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilisation and autofocus, tetraprism design
Front camera12MP TrueDepth camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus Pixels
Zoom2.5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 5x optical zoom range; digital zoom up to 12x (photos) and 7x (video)12MP optical-quality 2x (48 mm) from the Main camera and 8x (200 mm) from the Telephoto camera; 8x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out (16x optical-quality zoom range); digital zoom up to 40x
Video recordingHDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps; 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; HEVC and H.2644K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps, and at 100 or 120 fps on the Fusion Main camera; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps (Fusion Main); ProRes up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording; ProRes RAW; Apple Log 2; ACES; genlock; spatial video at 1080p 30 fps; Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; HEVC, H.264, ProRes and ProRes RAW
Front videoHDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 fps; 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; ProRes up to 4K at 60 fps with external recording; ProRes RAW; Apple Log 2; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps
Camera featuresLiDAR Scanner; Night mode (Ultra Wide, Wide); Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 3; Apple ProRAW; Portrait mode with Depth Control; Portrait Lighting with six effects; brighter True Tone flash with slow sync; sapphire crystal lens coverPhotonic Engine; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 5; next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control; Night mode; Photographic Styles; ProRAW; spatial photos; 48MP macro photography; Adaptive True Tone flash; LiDAR Scanner; four studio-quality mics; Camera Control
Battery and charging
Battery3,687 mAh3,988 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 20 hoursUp to 31 hours
Wireless chargingUp to 15 WUp to 25 W
Battery life detailUp to 12 hours streamed video playback; up to 80 hours audio playback; 3,687 mAh (GSMArena); 14.13 Wh (iFixit)Up to 28 hours streamed video playback; EU energy label class A, 47 hours per charge, at least 1,000 charge cycles
Wired chargingUp to 50% in around 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)Up to 50% in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher (sold separately)
Wireless chargingMagSafe up to 15W; Qi up to 7.5WMagSafe and Qi2 up to 25W with a 30W adapter or higher; up to 50% in 30 minutes
Connectivity
Satellite messagingNoYes
Mobile network5G with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A3523
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM)Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); dual eSIM support
Wi-FiWi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMOWi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO; Apple N1 wireless networking chip
BluetoothBluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 6; Thread
Ultra WidebandUltra Wideband chip for spatial awarenessApple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip
NFCNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with power reserveNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with Power Reserve
Satellite features–Emergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite
USBLightning connectorUSB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s); video out up to 4K HDR
PositioningGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and BeiDou; digital compass; iBeacon micro-locationPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC); digital compass; iBeacon micro-location
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight228 g204 g
Thickness7.4 mm8.75 mm
Height × width160.8 × 78.1 mm150 × 71.9 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68IP68
MaterialsCeramic Shield front, textured matte glass back and stainless steel designAluminium unibody (7000-series aluminium alloy)
ColoursSilver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific BlueSilver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue
Buttons–Action button; Camera Control; side button; volume up/down
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529IP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529
BiometricsFace IDFace ID
SensorsLiDAR Scanner; barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensorLiDAR Scanner; barometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensors
Speakers–Built-in stereo speakers
MicrophonesStereo recordingFour studio-quality mics; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes
Software
Operating systemiOSiOS
Software at launchiOS 14iOS 26
Software updates–Security, corrective and functionality updates for at least 5 years after it stops being sold (EU product information sheet)
AI featuresApple Intelligence not supportedApple Intelligence; Visual Intelligence
Safety features–Crash Detection
In the box–iPhone 17 Pro, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), documentation; no power adapter

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