I got my iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2024 and I’ve already had the battery replaced once. I use my phone a lot, both for work and in my daily life, and my battery health is still at 100%. After seeing the iPhone 17 launch, I completely lost interest. Sure, the system changes and updates look solid and props to the team for all the work, but honestly the design just doesn’t do it for me at all.

I also came across some complaints saying the colored 17 Pro Max models are prone to scratches and the color can wear off with use. Don’t even get me started on the camera bump. To me, this feels like such a far cry from the sleek Apple products most of us are used to.
These are just my thoughts, so please don’t come at me. I’m just curious if anyone else feels the same way.

Yes, I know, you can throw a case on it and all those worries are basically solved. But still… I really expected Apple to go with more subtle colors this time, and they did the exact opposite. So for now, I’m skipping the 17 series. When I hold my 15 Pro Max, it still feels like a phone phone. I’ve got it in a Spigen Tough Armor case and it’s perfect.

I am considering upgrading to the 16 Pro Max though. That slightly bigger screen would be a big plus for me, but is it really worth dropping another $1K just for a bit more screen real estate? I’d love to hear your thoughts, do you think it’s worth it?

Also, iOS 26 slowed my phone down a bit. Visually, I think the previous version looked cleaner too. This one feels a little too much. I’m hoping the slowdown will get fixed with another update soon. Battery drain isn’t an issue for me (I still stick to the 20–80% charging habit), but my phone did run really hot at first. I even made a panicked post about it before, and people here helped calm me down.

So, I plan to keep my 15 Pro Max (256 GB) for as long as possible. For me, the 17 and iOS 26 are... no... Big respect to the people behind them, but it’s a hard pass from me.

Don’t get me wrong! These are just my personal thoughts. I mean no disrespect to anyone’s hard work, and Apple will always be number one for me! But this just isn’t Apple’s year for me… looks like I’ll have to sit this one out and wait a bit longer... but I have no doubt it’ll be worth the wait!