A recent Weibo post from a leaker suggests that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have an exclusive advantage in its camera system compared to the standard iPhone 17 Pro model.
Each year, Apple’s two Pro models tend to differ in their features. However, when it comes to cameras, the company usually makes both models feature parity. Last year, for example, both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max had identical camera systems.
The latest leak indicates that this year may be different. The leaker claims that a new smartphone will be released next month with an incredibly powerful telephoto lens. According to the post, this phone is none other than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
While the exact reasons for this advantage are unknown, the fact that it’s only mentioned on the Pro Max model suggests that it may have a unique feature not available on the standard iPhone 17 Pro. It’s also possible that Apple will give the Pro Max an upgraded telephoto lens with features like an 8x optical zoom.
The current telephoto lens on both iPhone 17 Pro models is 12MP, and if upgraded to 48MP, it would make the rear camera system more powerful. However, since only the Pro Max has this exclusive advantage, it’s likely that Apple has something even better in store for its larger model.
Source: https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/15/iphone-17-pro-max-might-have-a-camera-advantage-over-iphone-17-pro