Why I Actually Like the iPhone 17 Pro Max (And Why I’m Giving Some Away)

OgRobby - iPhone 17 Pro Max

I’ve used iPhones long enough to know when Apple is playing it safe — and when they’re actually listening. The iPhone 17 Pro Max caught my attention for a reason most people won’t talk about.

Not the camera.

Not the color.

Not the marketing.

It’s the cooling.

For years, iPhones have been incredibly fast… right up until you actually push them. Long gaming sessions. Extended recording. Heavy multitasking. That’s where heat shows up, screens dim, and performance quietly slips away.

The 17 Pro Max finally starts to change that.

Apple added a new internal cooling system, and in real use, it matters. The phone stays usable longer. Brightness holds. Performance doesn’t drop off nearly as fast. It feels less like a sprint and more like something built for endurance.

Is it perfect? No.

Under sustained heavy load, the phone can still get warm. Dedicated gaming phones with aggressive thermal designs still have an edge. But this is the most honest step forward Apple has taken on thermals in years — and that matters more than pretending the problem doesn’t exist.

I don’t treat phones gently. I use them the way modern devices are meant to be used. If a phone can’t keep up when things get intense, it doesn’t earn a place in my pocket. The 17 Pro Max comes closer than any iPhone before it, even if it hasn’t fully crossed the finish line yet.

What excites me most is the direction.

This feels like the foundation for something more innovative. Apple has the talent and resources to lead in thermal design, not trail behind it. I’d love to see them push further — smarter cooling, bolder engineering, fewer compromises.

When a device shows real progress, I want other people to experience it too.

That’s why I’m giving these phones away.

Not as a flex. Not as content bait. But because tools matter — especially for creators, artists, and people who don’t always get access to the best ones. If a phone helps someone create more without fighting heat and throttling, that’s worth passing on.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max isn’t revolutionary.

But it’s honest progress.

And sometimes, that’s the most important upgrade of all.