iPhone

iPhone 17 Pro Max has been out for over 7 months now, so this is my mid-cycle review. Let's start off by talking about durability, because in my experience, the 17 Pro Max has simultaneously been the least and most durable iPhone I have ever used. The Ceramic Shield 2-glass Apple is using on both the front and the back of the 17 Pro Max is damn near bulletproof. Well, maybe not bulletproof exactly, but this thing does not scratch at all. I've got no scratch on this thing, and I'm completely fine doing that because this thing is so damn resistant. But the switch to an aluminum unibody away from stainless steel and titanium on previous iPhones has yielded mixed results. Because, well, the thermals are way better on aluminum because aluminum is a far more conductive material. But at the same time, if you decide to use this phone case-less and place it down on a table without the gentlest of care, you are denting the crap out of this thing. My personal 17 Pro Max is okay for the most part, except for this corner here where there's a massive dent because this thing, this dent, is completely fine because this thing is so damn resistant. But right after the drop, I actually had to push the screen in a little bit because it popped off ever so slightly, and now I have a permanent mangled corner on this phone, even though I dropped it in a case, which is just kind of bonkers. But as for the rest of the phone, the cameras and the mics are so dependable. The mics sound amazing, and the actual phone experience is absolutely... it's an iPhone, like you really know what to expect. Now, in terms of battery life, I did notice at the start it was really good, but after the most recent 26.4 update, has been cheeks, and I don't want it to be like that, so Apple, please fix that with a feature update, otherwise, the battery life was really freaking solid. Overall, my experience with the 17 Pro Max has been pretty positive for the most part, except for durability concerns. Because yes, the phone is fine, but having a mangled corner that you can feel when you go into the control center is most pleasant experience.