Apple’s new iPhone 17 Pro Max is the triple-A gaming phone I’ve been waiting for

For years now, Apple has been trying to position the iPhone as a great way to play your favorite games. Back when Capcom announced that several Resident Evil games were coming to the handset, fans were excited to play them on the go. Unfortunately, until now, titles like Resident Evil: Village and Resident Evil 4 Remake wouldn’t run at their best, dipping as low as 25 FPS. However, some videos have emerged of users putting the iPhone 17 Pro Max through its paces, and it appears that Apple’s promise may finally be coming to fruition.

As seen in a clip further down the page, published by YouTuber MrMacRight, ten of the best iPhone games are put to the test, including Resident Evil 2, Hitman: World of Assassination, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Three iPhones are used for the experiment: the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and the new iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The results are surprising and potentially frustrating for those with the iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16 Pro Max. When testing Resident Evil 4 Remake, which was apparently meant to be a showcase of the 15 Pro Max’s A17 Pro chip, the game runs far better than ever before on newer hardware, reaching 60 FPS on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, compared to 36 FPS and 46 FPS on the older iPhones, respectively.

This improvement stretches to other games too, with Death Stranding now hitting 43 FPS, Subnautica at 60 FPS, and many more. It’s a huge jump from just two years ago and makes the iPhone 17 Pro Max handsets a justifiable choice to buy as a gaming handheld now.

Having owned an iPhone 15 Pro Max since its September 2023 launch, one of the big reasons I upgraded from my iPhone X, apart from an improved screen, great cameras, and Dynamic Island that replaced the notch, was Apple’s new promise for gaming. Seeing Resident Evil 4 Remake running on the handset was very impressive at the time and made me think back to how I’d play Pokémon Gold on my Game Boy Color in the year 2000, assuming that handheld games couldn’t get better than that.

Unfortunately, that thought stayed with me when I eventually played Resident Evil 4 on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, as I was very disappointed at the low frame rates and PlayStation 2-like graphics on display. It still topped our list of the best iPhones for gaming at the time, offering more performance power than the previous generation, but it seemingly pales in comparison to what the new iPhone 17 Pro and A19 Pro chip can do.

With the great results of the iPhone 17 Pro Max from MrMacRight’s video, it looks like my plans to upgrade to an iPhone Fold next year, if the rumors come true, could finally give me the ability to play these modern games at a far faster frame rate than what was promised for the 15 Pro Max. For now, though, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could be a serious contender to handhelds like the Steam Deck OLED and Ayaneo Pocket S2.

That said, if you’re curious about how games could fare on Android phones instead, check out our guides to the best Android phones and the best mid-range phones. Or, if you’re looking for something just to play games on, take a look at our list of the best handheld consoles.