The iPhone 17 Pro Max might be thicker than you expected

Summary

The iPhone 17 Pro Max could measure 8.725mm thick, the thickest iPhone since the iPhone 4s in 2011.
A larger battery and improvements to the camera could be why the iPhone 17 Pro Max is increasing in thickness.
Slim iPhone 17 Air at 5.5mm may compromise battery and camera capabilities.

The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be Apple’s slimmest iPhone yet, while a new leak suggests that the iPhone 17 Pro Max might be one of the thickest.

According to known tipster Ice Universe on X, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to be 8.725mm thick, surpassing the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s thickness of 8.25mm. This would make it the thickest iPhone in well over a decade, coming shy of the iPhone 4s, which measured 9.3mm thick.

Why is Apple possibly increasing the thickness? Reports indicate it could be because it is planning to put a larger battery in the device (via 9to5Mac). However, a bigger battery doesn’t automatically equate to longer battery life, particularly if Apple is developing more power-intensive features with Apple Intelligence.

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Brand: Apple
SoC: A18 Pro (3nm)
Display: 6.9-inch 1,320 x 2,868 pixel resolution LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits (typical), 2000 nits (peak)
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Ports: USB-C
Front camera: 12-megapixel, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6″, PDAF, OIS

Best of MWC 2025: Pocket-lint’s awards for this year’s top tech

MWC 2025 has been filled with exciting new tech products and concept devices – here are the ones that stand out the most.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max and 17 Air have similar dimensions

Except for thickness, of course

asherdipps

Ice Universe also reports on Weibo that the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Air will have identical form factors other than thickness. Both will reportedly have a height of 163mm (6.42 inches) and a width of 77.6 mm (3.06 inches) and have a 6.9-inch display with 1.15mm bezels.

The main difference between the two will be thickness, which is shaping up to be quite the difference. The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly measure 5.5mm thick, making it the thinnest iPhone ever and 3mm thinner than the possible 8.725mm thickness of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Of course, the iPhone 17 Air’s slimness will come with compromises, likely in terms of battery life and its cameras. On the other hand, the increased thickness of the iPhone 17 Pro Max could also be attributed to its cameras. Apple is reportedly working on improving its video capture capabilities, and it’s rumored the phone could have a sizable rectangular camera bar. This year’s iPhone launch sure sounds like it’s shaping up to be one of the most interesting in years.

1:17