The single most striking visual departure from older 737 generations is the total restructuring of the instrument panel. Gone are the six smaller, square display units that characterized the 737NG flight deck since the late 1990s. In their place sits a clean arrangement of four massive 15.1-inch landscape LCD screens supplied by Collins Aerospace, using advanced display architecture adapted directly from the 787 Dreamliner. Flight crews now monitor engine parameters, primary flight data, and navigational maps rendered in high-resolution color, with traditional elements consolidated onto the primary flight displays and the engine-indicating and crew-alerting system screens.

The central workspace also underwent significant ergonomic changes. The landing gear handle and the Integrated Standby Flight Display now sit squarely in the central gap between the inboard display screens, giving both pilots equal visual access and reach during emergency maneuvers or instrument failures. Further down the console, the autobrake rotary selector, multifunction display controls, and brake pressure indicators migrated toward the lower center console, between the flight management computers, while the autobrake panel moved forward, directly in front of the thrust levers, streamlining the flow needed during rejected takeoffs or wet-runway landings.

Preserving a shared type rating with the 737NG lets flight crews transition between the two types without lengthy, expensive full-type qualification programs. Flight crews undergo approved differences training, which focuses on the revised display interfaces and software logic rather than core flying techniques, while basic cockpit flows, pre-flight checklists, and overhead panel switch positions remain identical to the NG. Unlike the 737NG, which relies on traditional mechanical cables and hydraulic actuators for roll spoilers, the 737 MAX incorporates a fly-by-wire spoiler system that reduces weight, improves roll response, and automatically deploys ground spoilers during rejected takeoffs or touchdown rollout. Following recertification in November 2020, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System was updated to rely on dual cross-checked angle-of-attack sensors, trigger a flight deck recompare alert if inputs diverge by more than 5.5 degrees, and operate only once without overriding manual elevator authority.

The expanded display surface also unlocks the Vertical Situation Display, which shows a real-time profile of the aircraft's altitude relative to terrain, approach glidepaths, and waypoint altitude constraints directly beneath the horizontal navigation map. Many commercial operators also equip the captain's station with a Collins Head-Up Guidance System, projecting flight paths, airspeed vectors, and runway alignment cues onto a glass combiner plate so captains can fly Category III low-visibility approaches without losing visual contact with the outside world.