Apple has officially pulled the curtain back on the iPhone 17 family, and as usual, the Pro Max model has become the center of attention. While leaks predicted upgraded cameras, a sleeker titanium build, and some software tricks, the biggest shock was the leap in storage. For the first time in Apple’s history, you can now buy an iPhone with a staggering 2TB of storage. 
That makes the iPhone 17 Pro Max the first mainstream smartphone in the world to break past the 1TB ceiling – even Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google’s Pixel 10 Pro top out at half that capacity.
But innovation doesn’t come cheap. The 2TB iPhone 17 Pro Max is priced at a jaw-dropping $1,999. For context, the 1TB model remains at $1,599, matching last year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max pricing. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 for the 256GB configuration, so technically Apple didn’t raise base prices, but adding that much extra storage doubles the cost of ownership for those tempted by the top tier.
Who actually needs 2TB on a phone? Apple seems to be targeting content creators and professionals who lean heavily on ProRes video recording, RAW photography, and intensive app use without wanting to constantly juggle cloud storage. If you’re a filmmaker shooting hours of 4K or 8K video or someone editing large projects directly on-device, this phone makes sense. For average users who mostly take photos, stream media, and back up files to iCloud or Google Drive, 512GB or even 1TB still feels like more than enough.
It’s worth noting that Apple hasn’t extended this massive storage option to every model. The standard iPhone 17 caps out at 512GB, and even the lighter iPhone Air sticks with a 1TB maximum
. This makes the Pro Max truly unique – a tool for niche power users who are willing to pay a premium.
Some fans see this as Apple once again pushing boundaries before the competition catches up. Samsung will almost certainly respond with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and it’s only a matter of time before other Android flagships follow suit. Still, the pricing ensures that only a small slice of customers will ever actually own the 2TB edition. For most buyers, the sweet spot will remain between 256GB and 512GB, balancing cost with practicality.
Personally, unless I suddenly decide to shoot an entire documentary on my phone, I can’t imagine needing that much local storage. Cloud services have made it easier than ever to avoid storage anxiety. But for professionals who live inside their phone as both camera and editing studio, this is the iPhone they’ve been waiting for.
1 comment
Tbh only makes sense if ur a youtuber or content creator, normal ppl never fill even 512gb