iPhone 17 Pro Max Review: 10 Months Later in Kenya – Still the King?

Posted: August 1, 2025

I still remember the buzz back in September 2024. The Apple event wrapped up, and the tech world, from Nairobi to New York, was buzzing about the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The promises were huge: a revolutionary camera, on-device AI that actually felt intelligent, and the best battery life ever.

But hype fades. What matters is how a device holds up after the initial excitement, in the real world. For the past 10 months, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has been my daily driver—navigating Nairobi traffic, capturing sunsets in the Rift Valley, and handling countless M-Pesa transactions.

So, is it still the undisputed king of smartphones in mid-2025, especially when you consider its hefty price tag in Kenya? Let's break it down.

Design: The Beauty of Refinement

At first glance, the 17 Pro Max looks familiar. It continues the titanium legacy of its predecessors, but it feels different. The edges are subtly more contoured, making the large device surprisingly comfortable to hold without a case. I have the "Kalahari Sand" color, a matte, warm beige that has done an incredible job of resisting fingerprints.

After 10 months of being slid into pockets and placed on countless café tables, the Ceramic Shield front and matte glass back have held up remarkably well, with only micro-scratches visible under direct light. It’s a durable, beautiful piece of hardware that still feels premium every time you pick it up.

The Display & A Smarter Dynamic Island

The Super Retina XDR display is, as expected, stunning. But its real test isn't watching 4K videos in a dark room; it's using it under the brilliant Kenyan sun. This year's panel is noticeably brighter, making it perfectly legible even at high noon in Uhuru Park.

The Dynamic Island has also matured. It’s no longer just a clever notification bubble. In Kenya, it's genuinely useful. It seamlessly shows live Safaricom 5G network status, a persistent timer for my cooking, and even provides live updates on my Bolt ride's arrival without me having to switch apps. The rumoured integration with M-Pesa for a quick transaction confirmation pop-up hasn't materialized yet, but one can hope for iOS 19.

The Camera: A Maasai Mara Game-Changer

This is where the iPhone 17 Pro Max truly justifies its "Pro" name. The new 48MP main sensor is incredible, but the star of the show is the new 5x Periscope Zoom lens with Adaptive Optics.

On a recent trip to the Maasai Mara, this was a revelation. I could capture crisp, detailed photos of lions from the safety of the vehicle without resorting to grainy digital zoom. The "Adaptive Optics" isn't just marketing jargon; the lens physically adjusts to counteract handshake, resulting in shockingly stable video footage even while bumping along a dusty track.

In the city, the low-light performance is the best I've ever seen on a phone. Photos of Nairobi's vibrant nightlife or a dimly lit dinner at a restaurant in Westlands are bright, sharp, and full of color, with very little noise. For content creators, this is a device that genuinely blurs the line between a smartphone and a dedicated mirrorless camera.

Performance & Apple Intelligence: The A18 Pro Bionic

The A18 Pro chip is ridiculously fast. Gaming, editing 4K ProRes video on the device, and multitasking between a dozen apps—nothing slows this phone down.

But the real leap forward is "Apple Intelligence," the on-device AI. It's subtle but powerful. It can transcribe a voice note from my boss in Sheng into a perfectly coherent English email draft. The Photos app can find any picture based on a vague description like "that photo of a giraffe at sunset near a tree." Siri is finally faster and more context-aware, making it useful for setting complex reminders and controlling my smart home devices. It’s the kind of AI that works quietly in the background to make your life easier, not the kind that feels like a gimmick.

Battery Life: The All-Day Champion

Previous "Pro Max" iPhones had great battery life, but the 17 Pro Max is on another level. I am a heavy user. My day involves two hours of podcasts in traffic, constant WhatsApp and Slack messages, hours of Browse, plenty of photography, and dozens of M-Pesa transactions.

I can confidently say I have never had to look for a charger before midnight. On an average day, I end with 30-40% battery left. This is the first iPhone I’ve owned where battery anxiety is completely non-existent.

The Kenyan Verdict: Is It Worth KES 320,000?

Let's address the elephant in the room: the price. With prices starting from around KES 320,000 at authorized resellers in Kenya, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is an extreme luxury. It costs more than a new boda boda.

So, is it worth it? The answer is complicated.

For the average user, frankly, no. The fantastic iPhone 16 or high-end Android phones from Samsung or even Techno's latest flagships offer 80% of the experience for a fraction of the price.

However, if you fall into one of these categories, the answer is a resounding yes:

1. Professional Content Creators & Photographers: The camera system is so good it can genuinely replace more cumbersome gear for many shoots. The investment pays for itself in convenience and quality.

2. The Tech Enthusiast Who Wants the Absolute Best: If you demand cutting-edge performance, industry-leading battery life, and the most polished software experience, there is still no other phone that puts it all together this flawlessly.

3. The Business Professional: For those who live on their phone, the reliability, security of the Apple ecosystem, and all-day-and-then-some battery life make it a powerhouse productivity tool.

After 10 months, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has proven to be more than just hype. It's a statement piece, a creative powerhouse, and an incredibly reliable daily companion. It’s an astronomical expense, but unlike many other gadgets, it’s one that delivers on every single one of its promises. It is, without a doubt, still the king.