Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and Honor Magic 7 Pro tie on the OH Rank at a score of 78. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max wins on Performance and Battery; Honor Magic 7 Pro wins on Screen and Desktop Replacement. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is 0.9mm wider than Honor Magic 7 Pro. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max is the more recent release, from Sep 19, 2025.
EDITORIAL: Apple decided to introduce an aluminium frame for it's Pro phones after years of promoting steel and titanium as better options. The camera bump now stretches across the top portion of the back to allow for a bigger battery and the new cooling chamber. These make for the biggest design changes in years and it's a needed move considering there is much more Android competition in the premium segment. All of the back cameras are now 48MP but photography is not showing improvement over 16 Pro Max while phones from Vivo, Huawei, Vivo and Xiaomi now offer better pics. A new 18MP selfie produces great photos (as did the old one) and iPhone Pros still record the best videos, front and back. New A19 Pro is a good processor but not as powerful as are the latest SnapDragon and Mediatec chips. iOS 26 brings Liquid Glass design language while keeping the fundamentals the same. UI design feels outdated with multiple pages of icons and (while labels can now be removed) the overall design is not efficient.
EDITORIAL: While seemingly incremental, this is a real upgrade over excellent 2024 Magic 6 Pro. Only the camera is similar but the physical build, (flatter) screen, fingerprint reader, speakers, water resistance, OS, AI features and even battery charging speed (both weird and wireless) have been upgraded. There is a difference in the SiCarbon battery size this time: some markets will receive Magic 7 Pro with a 5270mAh pack, others with a 5850mAh sized battery. The smaller battery model will still give you a full-day battery life but not the 36hr level performance you will get from the bigger battery version. Either way, check before you buy. What is still missing is the SD memory expansion slot and a more polished desktop replacement software.
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.