Apple is leaving something on the table with the Pro Max
Apple's iPhone Pro Max carries a quiet contradiction: a device large enough to rival tablets, yet bound by software designed for phones half its size. As the gap between iPadOS and iOS widens, the question of whether Apple's commitment to consistency serves its users or simply limits them grows harder to dismiss. The Pro Max's size is a promise the software has yet to keep.
- The iPhone Pro Max's 6.7-inch screen offers more real estate than many tablets, yet runs identical software to Apple's smallest phones — a tension that sharpens with every iPad feature left uncrossed.
- iPad users multitask fluidly with Split View and Slide Over while Pro Max owners scroll through the same single-app experience as someone holding a 5.4-inch Mini — the disparity is no longer easy to ignore.
- Advocates are pushing for targeted adaptations: a Slide Over-style floating panel formatted as interactive widgets, and a compact Apple Pencil variant tuned for phone-scale precision work.
- The Pro Max was the world's second-best-selling phone in 2021, and rumors of a second 6.7-inch model suggest Apple knows size sells — the question is whether software will finally catch up to hardware ambition.
- Apple's philosophical commitment to iOS consistency across all models remains the real obstacle, a principle that once felt like strength but increasingly reads as a ceiling on what its largest phone can become.
Apple's iPhone Pro Max presents a quiet paradox: a phone whose 6.7-inch screen rivals some tablets, yet runs the exact same iOS as the company's smallest models. While the iPad has evolved so distinctly that Apple gave it its own operating system in 2019, the Pro Max remains tethered to software built for devices a fraction of its size.
The features most worth borrowing from iPadOS are already proven. Slide Over — which floats a secondary app in a movable panel alongside a primary one — seems tailor-made for a screen this expansive. Rather than a direct port, Apple could adapt the concept as interactive widgets pinned to any corner of the display, a pattern iPhone users already understand. The hesitation appears rooted in Apple's long-standing principle of software consistency across its entire iPhone lineup, but that consistency increasingly looks like a constraint rather than a virtue.
A second proposal centers on stylus support. Steve Jobs once dismissed the stylus outright, and that skepticism has lingered. Yet the Apple Pencil has found genuine purpose on iPad, and Samsung's Galaxy S Ultra line proves there is real demand for pen input on large-screen phones. A smaller Pencil variant — with a finer tip suited to phone-scale work — would resonate with photographers, annotators, and note-takers already drawn to the Pro Max's premium positioning.
The commercial logic is difficult to argue with. The iPhone 12 Pro Max ranked as the world's second-best-selling phone in 2021, and Apple appears to be expanding its large-screen lineup further still. Adding iPad-like capabilities would give Pro Max owners something more than extra screen space and camera hardware to justify the premium — and an optional Pencil would open an additional revenue stream from customers already committed to the platform.
Apple has tailored software to specific hardware before, from the original iPad to the Apple Watch. The barrier here is not technical but philosophical. As the Pro Max grows larger and more capable, the question becomes whether consistency remains a strength or simply a missed opportunity — a chance to make Apple's largest phone feel as genuinely distinct as its size already suggests it should be.
Apple's iPhone Pro Max is a paradox: a phone with a screen so large it rivals some tablets, yet running the exact same software as the company's smallest models. The 6.7-inch display on the iPhone 13 Pro Max dwarfs the standard iPhone's 6.1-inch screen and the Mini's 5.4-inch panel, yet all three devices operate under identical iOS constraints. It's a missed opportunity that becomes more glaring when you consider what sits just across Apple's product line: the iPad, which has evolved so far beyond the iPhone that Apple renamed its operating system to iPadOS in 2019.
The gap between what an iPhone Pro Max could do and what it actually does is worth examining. iPad owners enjoy multitasking features that iPhone users simply don't have access to—Split View, which divides the screen between two apps, and Slide Over, which floats an app in a movable panel on the side of the display. For a phone with a screen as expansive as the Pro Max, Slide Over seems particularly well-suited. Imagine checking Slack messages in a narrow column while your email client occupies most of the screen, or glancing at a calendar widget while composing a message. The Pro Max is large enough to make this work, yet Apple has chosen not to implement it. The company could adapt these features by formatting them as interactive widgets—a design pattern already familiar to iPhone users—that could be pinned to any corner of the display. The hesitation likely stems from Apple's commitment to software consistency across its entire iPhone lineup, a principle that has defined the platform's appeal. But that consistency comes at a cost: the Pro Max's size advantage remains largely cosmetic.
There's a second feature worth considering: an Apple Pencil designed specifically for the iPhone. Steve Jobs famously dismissed styluses as unnecessary for mobile devices, and that skepticism has shaped Apple's approach for years. Yet the iPad Pencil has proven its worth, and Samsung's Galaxy Note line—now folded into the Galaxy S Ultra family—demonstrates there's genuine demand for stylus support on large-screen phones. A smaller Apple Pencil variant, with a finer tip suited to a phone-size screen, would appeal to photographers who edit images in apps like Adobe Lightroom and Pixelmator, as well as to note-takers and document annotators. It's not a feature everyone would use, but for the audience willing to pay premium prices for the Pro Max's size and camera system, it would feel like a natural addition.
The business case for these changes is straightforward. The iPhone 12 Pro Max was the world's second-best-selling phone in 2021, according to Counterpoint Research, proving that demand for larger iPhones is real and substantial. Rumors suggest Apple is considering replacing the iPhone Mini with another 6.7-inch model, further signaling that size is a competitive advantage. Adding iPad-like features would deepen that advantage, giving Pro Max owners tangible reasons to justify their premium spending beyond screen real estate and camera hardware. An optional Apple Pencil would create an additional revenue stream from an already-committed customer base.
Apple has demonstrated the ability to tailor software to specific hardware before—the original iPad received custom features, as did the Apple Watch. There's no technical reason the company couldn't do the same for the Pro Max. The real barrier is philosophical: Apple has long valued consistency, the idea that iOS works the same way whether you're holding a compact SE or a sprawling Pro Max. That consistency is part of the brand's appeal. But as the Pro Max grows larger and more capable, that principle begins to feel less like a strength and more like a constraint. The phone isn't broken without these features, and the Pro Max is already a commercial success. Yet there's a palpable sense that Apple is leaving something on the table—a chance to make its largest phone feel genuinely different from its smallest ones, and to give customers more of what they're already paying for.
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The iPhone Pro Max is already a hit, but why not do more with it? It would be a great way to further distinguish the Pro Max from its smaller and less-expensive iPhones.— CNET commentary
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Why does it matter that the Pro Max runs the same software as smaller iPhones? Isn't that consistency valuable?
It is valuable, but only to a point. When the size difference becomes this dramatic—6.7 inches versus 5.4 inches—you start to have a device that's almost a different category. The consistency argument works when the phones are similar in size. But at this scale, you're leaving capability on the table.
So you're saying the Pro Max is big enough to handle iPad features without feeling cramped?
Exactly. Slide Over, for instance, wouldn't feel like you're squinting at two tiny apps. You could have one app taking up most of the screen and a widget-like panel on the side. It's a natural use of the space.
What about the Apple Pencil? That seems like it goes against everything Apple has said about styluses.
Jobs was right that you don't need a stylus for basic phone tasks. But the Pro Max isn't a basic phone—it's a premium device with a large screen and professional-grade camera apps. For photo editing or note-taking, a stylus makes sense. Samsung proved there's an audience for it.
Does Apple actually have the technical ability to do this, or would it require a complete redesign?
They absolutely have the ability. They've done it before with the iPad and Apple Watch. The real barrier is their philosophy about consistency. They'd have to decide whether differentiation is worth breaking that principle.
If they did add these features, would it actually change how people use the Pro Max?
For some people, yes. For others, probably not. But that's fine—it would be optional. The point is giving Pro Max owners more tools to justify what they're already paying for.