iPhone 17 overview: Nearer to Professional

For years, the “common” iPhone obtained hand-me-downs from the Professional fashions. This was much less so with the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, however the trickle-down philosophy was nonetheless there to a level. For 2025 and the iPhone 17 ($799) is not the compromise that the bottom mannequin was once. Apple lastly blessed it with a 120Hz show and this 12 months’s most fun digital camera function, Middle Stage.

Whereas it could seem to be Apple is not forcing iPhone customers to compromise, or at the very least to not the diploma it used to, there’s nonetheless one large factor to think about. With the introduction of the iPhone Air, the corporate has shaken up the display screen sizes throughout the iPhone 17 lineup. As a substitute of the earlier 6.1-inch iPhone and 6.7-inch Plus mannequin, Apple is splitting the distinction with the iPhone 17’s 6.3-inch display screen. That additionally aligns it size-wise with the iPhone 17 Professional, whereas the Air sits in the course of the sequence at 6.5 inches.

I suppose I’m a big-phone man now, as a result of it’s been a tough week transitioning from the 16 Plus to the iPhone 17. At occasions I really feel like my telephone is a toy, and at others it’s like I stepped again in time. I don’t significantly like both sensation.

Placing my display screen dimension preferences apart, the iPhone 17 stays one of the best iPhone for most individuals. Since Apple introduced its finest new options to this common mannequin this 12 months, you don’t should really feel such as you’re ready for the thrilling instruments from the Air or Professional to make it to a extra reasonably priced iPhone mannequin in 12 months. The upgraded show and new entrance digital camera are definitely the highlights, however the iPhone 17 stays a solidly constructed machine with reliable all-day battery life and succesful efficiency.

Lastly, a 120Hz show

An enormous change on the iPhone 17 is the 6.3-inch ProMotion 120Hz show. Not solely is it barely greater than the 6.1-inch iPhone 16, but it surely lastly refreshes sooner now. The upper refresh charge was one of many final remaining gadgets Apple had but to deliver down from its Professional fashions, and this one makes an enormous distinction to the general expertise. Swiping round iOS 26 feels quite a bit smoother. Apps like Instagram and Safari the place I beforehand encountered some jitters now transfer effortlessly. When it’s time to enterprise outdoors, you’ll be glad that Apple boosted the height brightness to three,000 nits — a 1,000-nit enhance from the iPhone 16. It’s a welcome improve for the occasions it’s good to use your telephone in direct daylight.

The corporate additionally outfitted the iPhone 17 with an always-on show, which is beneficial for updates at a look when you’ve missed a notification. And naturally, Dynamic Island remains to be there, offering ongoing information for progress on issues like dwell sports activities, music playback, navigation, trip sharing and extra.

You gained’t actually discover the show improve till you begin utilizing the telephone, so a fast look gained’t reveal any apparent {hardware} modifications. Except you do a side-by-side with the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the place the dimensions variation might be obvious, you gained’t detect any distinction. Flip over to the again although and there’s an virtually completely new colour palette. Black and white stay, however Lavender, Sage and Mist Blue have changed final 12 months’s Ultramarine, Teal and Pink choices. I desire this 12 months’s hues, as they aren’t as pastel-y because the 2024 lineup, and that Sage inexperienced appears actually sharp in individual.

Enterprise again to the entrance and there’s one other necessary replace that isn’t seen. Apple upgraded the scratch resistance with Ceramic Protect 2, which the corporate says gives thrice higher safety than on the iPhone 16. I wanted to maintain my iPhone 17 pristine for photographs throughout my overview, so I haven’t put it in conditions with the potential for harm simply but. My mischievous cocker spaniel did come up with it for a couple of minutes, however there are not any seen tooth marks or scratches from that harrowing (for me) incident.

Digital camera updates take Middle Stage

For a lot of, digital camera efficiency is probably the most important facet of an iPhone, and this 12 months’s mannequin obtained a major improve there. The most important change is the brand new 18MP Middle Stage entrance digital camera that replaces the 12MP TrueDepth digital camera. This new model has a sq. sensor that permits the iPhone 17 to routinely swap from portrait to panorama when extra folks enter the body for a selfie.

After utilizing Middle Stage for a couple of week, it’s simply one of the best new digital camera function Apple has launched in years. I can concede that the addition of macro mode and Photographic Types in earlier iPhones have been additionally glorious, however Middle Stage looks like magic. I’m not even an enormous selfie taker, however after I do must snap one on a household outing, this 41 12 months outdated not looks like a Boomer holding his telephone sideways. The changes occur shortly so that you’re not left ready, and when you don’t prefer it, you possibly can disable the auto rotation, auto zoom or each.

Middle Stage additionally works with video calls to maintain you within the body. That is significantly useful when you’re strolling or in any other case shifting round whereas attempting to have a chat. It does take a second for the system to make its adjustment after you progress from the middle of the body, but it surely’s easy and gained’t be a distraction to anybody on the decision.

One other replace to the front-facing digital camera is a brand new Twin Seize mode. This concurrently information footage with the entrance and rear cameras for issues like response movies. Because the father or mother of two children in youth sports activities, I can see the utility for issues like championship video games, and even milestone moments at college. I feel lots of people will even movie themselves singing alongside at live shows, however I’m not considered one of them.

The one concern I’ve with Twin Seize is that it’s a problem to maintain each the motion and your self in body. You may’t look in two locations directly, so if you wish to keep a centered response shot or ongoing commentary, you’ll have to determine a method to juggle the photographs. I’ve but to grasp it myself and also you’ll probably wrestle when you desire your selfie clips shot from a downward angle.

The front-facing digital camera isn’t the one photography-centric improve on the iPhone 17. Round again, there at the moment are two 48MP Fusion cameras. On the iPhone 16, solely the principle was a Fusion digital camera whereas the ultra-wide has a 12MP sensor. You’ll get the identical 0.5x, 1x and 2x zoom choices as earlier than, computerized macro mode, True Tone flash and the remainder of the helpful options from the iPhone 16 — like Portrait Lighting. In the event you’re into Apple’s Photographic Types, there’s a brand new one referred to as Brilliant that enhances pores and skin tones and makes the remainder of the picture extra vibrant. My colleague Cherlynn Low in contrast it to the now-retired Oslo filter on Instagram, and I feel that’s an apt comparability.

By default, the principle digital camera delivers photographs in 24MP decision for a steadiness of element and brightness. Generally, the photographs I took with the iPhone 17 seemed to be barely sharper than these I captured with my iPhone 16 Plus, particularly in particulars like texture (as evidenced by the photographs of pumpkins and my canine Biscuit). There isn’t an enormous leap in rear digital camera efficiency right here, however I seen a slight enchancment.

In lower-light settings, like in my footage below the awning of my native produce stand and inside a neighborhood bar, colours remained correct and crisp. Macro photographs have been simply as sharp and detailed as earlier than, judging from my close-up of a sunflower which you’ll see right here. Night time time pics nonetheless produce correct colours, particularly when rendering the heat or coolness of avenue lights, and people parts aren’t missing in readability both. Swap your digital camera settings to 48MP and also you’ll discover enhanced element in photographs that include landscapes, as one instance. Simply needless to say these max-res photographs are restricted to 1x zoom and any Night time mode or flash photographs will all the time be saved at 12MP.

Moreover the truth that it makes use of the non-Professional A19 processor, the cameras are the principle space the iPhone 17 lags behind the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. They’ve a 3rd digital camera round again — a 48MP Fusion telephoto — that’s outfitted with 3D sensor-shift optical picture stabilization. That three-camera array additionally gives further zoom choices at 4x and 8x. In addition they unlock ProRAW for stills and each ProRes and ProRes Uncooked for video, and include a four-microphone setup for “studio-quality” audio seize. In the event you need the head of Apple’s photographic prowess (at present, anyway), the iPhone 17 Professional begins at $1,099 — $300 greater than the iPhone 17.

Efficiency

Whereas Apple outfitted the iPhone 17 with its newest A19 chip, there’s nonetheless a six-core CPU and five-core GPU — identical because the iPhone 16. The distinction right here is that the GPU now has Neural Accelerators on every core, which Apple says will increase peak computing energy for AI duties. Except you’re coming from an older iPhone, you most likely gained’t discover an excessive amount of of an enchancment year-to-year. Apple explains that the CPU efficiency within the iPhone 17 is as much as 50 p.c sooner than the iPhone 13, however that telephone is from 4 years in the past — principally an eternity. Clearly, you’d anticipate to see a significant uptick in pace when evaluating the flashy new mannequin to such an ageing machine.

That stated, the iPhone 17 speedily dealt with any job I threw at it. Throughout my on a regular basis use, I didn’t encounter a single time the telephone stuttered or struggled to finish the job. The one time I needed to watch for something was for Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT to generate my newest immediate or make a Genmoji in Picture Playground (I don’t suggest asking for “a sizzling canine thunderstorm,” by the best way). What’s extra, I by no means seen the iPhone 17 getting heat when utilizing these AI instruments on their very own, but it surely did begin to warmth up after I concurrently began multitasking (enjoying music, and so on.). The iPhone 17 by no means obtained greater than noticeably heat to the contact, although.

I’m not an avid cellular gamer, however I did play some Future: Rising (a advice from the Engadget workers) on the iPhone 17 for my due diligence. The mixture of the A19 chip and the 120Hz show supplied silky easy motion for the first-person shooter, even in chaotic skirmishes. Plus, the iPhone 17 did not get sizzling throughout my gaming periods, regardless of not having the vapor chamber that the Professionals do. This most likely led me to play quite a bit longer than I ought to at occasions, because the machine by no means obtained heat sufficient to remind me of how a lot time had handed. The iPhone 17 Professional, Professional Max and Air all have the extra highly effective A19 Professional chip, however the common iPhone this 12 months is a succesful cellular gaming machine too.

The arrival of iOS 26

My colleague Mat Smith lined all the new features of iOS 26 intimately, so I’ll refer you to his information for the nitty gritty on the replace. I’ll supply some fast ideas on the brand new software program general, beginning with Liquid Glass. After every week with the newest design, I’m nonetheless not a fan. In some areas the refresh is beneficial: I significantly just like the modifications to CarPlay, the telephone app and Messages. I’m additionally beginning to get onboard with the tweaks to the Digital camera app. However for each one replace that’s useful, I discover 5 extra I hate. I don’t like the brand new menu in Apple Music that typically requires an additional faucet to disclose the choices, which is considered one of my largest annoyances.

I do love the mix of the iPhone 17’s always-on show and iOS 26’s Precedence Notifications. It’s immensely useful to look over at my telephone and see if there’s something I want to handle instantly. This pairing can also be helpful when it exhibits me issues after I would possibly’ve missed a notification because it first popped up. It’s solely been every week, so I’m prone to discover different parts I can put to good use as I spend extra time with the brand new OS. And since iOS 26 is a much bigger visible overhaul than Apple’s typical annual refresh, the iPhone 17 looks like much more of an improve.

Since I’ve additionally been utilizing the AirPods Pro 3 for the final a number of days, two options I’ve examined quite a bit are the earbuds’ heart-rate monitoring and Stay Translation. It’s good to not should postpone a exercise if my Apple Watch is charging, since I now know the AirPods Professional 3 will monitor my motion and correctly credit score my Exercise Rings. I can also’t wait to journey overseas with Stay Translation, because the exams I’ve carried out at dwelling have already produced surprisingly useful outcomes.

Battery life

As soon as once more, Apple guarantees “all day” battery life on the iPhone 17. In fact, the corporate doesn’t quantify that phrase, apart from a dedication to 30 hours of video playback or 27 hours of streaming time. My colleague Sam Rutherford obtained practically 25 hours whereas streaming a video as a comparability for his review of the iPhone Air. Throughout a day of what I’d take into account “common” use — checking e mail, responding to Slack messages, listening to music, calls, texting, scrolling Instagram and watching a number of episodes of The Bear — I nonetheless had 16 p.c battery left by mattress time. That’s after a day that began at 7AM and ended at 12AM, and I had the always-on show lively your complete time.

Apple barely elevated the MagSafe wi-fi charging wattage on the iPhone 17. It’s now as much as 25W (with a 30W adapter), which matches the iPhone 16 Plus, and is a 3W enhance from the iPhone 16. In the event you don’t thoughts cables, you possibly can anticipate to recharge to 50 p.c in 20 minutes with a 40W (or increased) adapter and to get midway with a 30W charging accent in half an hour. That charging-to-50-percent time on the iPhone 17 is quicker than what you get on the 16 and 16 Plus by 10 and quarter-hour respectively.

The competitors

In the event you’re searching for a non-Apple various, Google’s Pixel 10 is your finest wager. It has improved efficiency in comparison with its predecessor together with an upgraded telephoto digital camera with 5x zoom. There’s assist for Google’s tackle MagSafe (Pixelsnap) and the Gemini-powered Magic Cue function is surprisingly helpful. Plus, the Pixel 10 begins at $799, identical to the iPhone 17.

Samsung’s newest entry-level flagship, the Galaxy S25, is much less of an apparent alternative. Because the sequence has lengthy been a rival of Apple’s iPhone, it deserves inclusion right here. The S25’s show and cameras haven’t been upgraded over the S24’s, but it surely has a robust new processor and glorious battery life. Gemini works higher on the S25 than it did previously and there’s the strong construct high quality that Samsung all the time provides at this value vary. Talking of value, the S25 additionally prices the identical because the iPhone 17.

Wrap-up

With probably the most vital replace in years, the iPhone 17 is a simple alternative for an improve for most individuals. Even when you’re coming from the iPhone 16, you’ll reap the advantages of the overhauled show and improved cameras. I don’t say any of that flippantly as I’m not an individual who recommends getting a brand new telephone yearly. More often than not, there merely aren’t compelling sufficient modifications to warrant it. That’s not the case this 12 months, and when you’re coming from an iPhone that’s a number of years outdated, you’ll probably really feel as when you’ve stepped into the longer term.

I went into this overview anticipating to be wanting to return to my iPhone 16 Plus after I was by testing. And whereas I do desire the bigger machine after utilizing it for a 12 months, the updates Apple has amassed on the iPhone 17 — particularly the Middle Stage digital camera — have appeased that need… for now. I don’t have a lot use for the efficiency boosts that the iPhone 17 Professional or Professional Max present, and I can’t justify splurging only for a much bigger show. So, I can confidently say that despite the fact that there’s one much less possibility within the common iPhone lineup than there was a 12 months in the past, the iPhone 17 remains to be one of the best iPhone for many of us.