No, the iPhone 17 didn’t get a radical makeover on the again or shed some general thickness; it appears similar to the iPhone 16, with a couple of new colours, however don’t let the similarities idiot you.
Apple’s entry-level iPhones have been slowly marching towards delivering extra worth and getting nearer and nearer to the Professional iPhones. And possibly it’s that Apple went full throttle with the Pros or that the fully new iPhone Air is a really skinny Professional, however the iPhone 17 makes three key upgrades that may have you ever questioning if you want to go Professional.
If that sounds familiar, see my iPhone 16 review from final 12 months.
Whereas it’s preserving the identical general dimensions because the iPhone 16, the display screen is bigger right here. It’s leaping from 6.1 inches to six.3 inches on the iPhone 17, courtesy of slimmer bezels, and it’s a Tremendous Retina XDR OLED display screen that’s now all the time on. And that signifies that even when it’s locked, you possibly can look at it to see the time, widgets, and no matter is actively taking part in.
Even throughout my transient demo after the “Awe dropping” occasion got here to a detailed, once I ventured to the hands-on space, the always-on nature was a giant enchancment and a greater match for the MSRP worth right here. It additionally felt a bit extra expansive, even with a 0.2-inch improve, although it’s not a significant stretch.
I’ll say that the show seemed glorious with punchy, vibrant colours and sharp, inky blacks for textual content, and it was very nice to make use of even in a brightly lit demo house. I didn’t get the possibility to strive it outdoor, although.
Alongside the always-on improve, Apple is lastly rolling out its ProMotion performance to the entry-level iPhone, and it is a vital one which feels instantly noticeable, particularly in some AAA sport demos. Basically, the iPhone 17 sports activities a variable 120Hz refresh price that can make all the pieces – particularly scrolling, streaming, or gaming – really feel buttery clean.
It is a massive improve and eventually ranges the taking part in discipline with equally priced Android telephones which have been provided this 12 months, and I actually sit up for testing this out on the iPhone 17.
The final predominant change on the entrance is the brand new Heart Stage digital camera. The selfie digital camera is getting a significant improve throughout the iPhone 17 household – together with the Air and Execs – because it’s leaping to an 18-megapixel digital camera with a bigger, sq. sensor. The improve right here is that it could actually match extra in a shot, and with only one lens, it could actually shoot a mess of selfie kinds, permitting you to play much less Tetris making an attempt to suit folks right into a shot and seize the second simply.
I attempted this out on the present flooring on the Apple occasion, and it labored seamlessly. To its credit score, Apple has built-in this characteristic merely into the digital camera app, permitting you to cycle by the totally different selfie sizes and orientations out there. It may even swap from vertical to horizontal with out you rotating your telephone.
The iPhone 17 continues to be sticking with two major cameras: a 48-megapixel Fusion predominant digital camera (large) and a brand new 48-megapixel ultra-wide lens. The latter must be a reasonably main improve when it comes to readability for pictures, because it’s a soar from 12 megapixels and can make the most of some pixel-binning tech like the principle. I didn’t actually get to place this by its paces within the demo house, however I sit up for making an attempt it out quickly. As a reminder, you’ll be capable of shoot 0.5x, 1x (at various focal lengths), and 2x as a crop in a shot. You’ll additionally get the brand new Digicam interface as a part of iOS 26, and there’s a new “Twin Seize” choice that permits you to movie with the selfie and predominant cameras without delay in the identical file. This may show enjoyable, particularly for household moments or when at a live performance or sports activities sport.
Oh, and should you’re counting, the iPhone 17 does have extra cameras than the single-lensed iPhone Air.
Final however not least, the iPhone 17 felt fairly darn responsive in my transient time, and I believe efficiency is not going to be a difficulty right here for the most typical duties, and much more power-hungry ones. It’s not a Professional chip, however the iPhone 17 does get Apple’s new A19 chip with a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU, in addition to a devoted Neural Engine. When the brand new Siri arrives and makes use of the present Apple Intelligence options, the chip is probably going greater than succesful.
Apple’s additionally doubled the beginning storage from 128GB to 256GB with out elevating the worth. The Cupertino-based tech big additionally did this with the entry-level iPad and iPad Air with M3, and it’s a wonderful development they need to proceed.
Out of the brand new colours, I believe I’m most preferential to the brand new Sage inexperienced choice or the Lavender purple, although these lack among the enjoyable of the iPhone 16 lineup – bear in mind the 2 shades of blue? It is usually out there in mist blue, in addition to white or black.
General, although, it’s going to be arduous to not take into account the iPhone 17, particularly should you don’t want a telephoto lens or an excellent slim design. It boasts a wonderful, vivid show that’s now ProMotion and always-on, a greater ultra-wide digital camera, extra storage, a brand new chip, and retains a working design whereas upgrading the sturdiness.
It’s not a radical redesign, however that’s loads to love in my ebook to date. However let me know what you suppose within the feedback beneath.
Specs comparison
Below, you’ll find a beat-by-beat comparison of the key specs offered by the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
iPhone 17 |
iPhone 17 Air |
iPhone 17 Pro |
iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Weight: |
177g |
165g |
206g |
233g |
|
Display: |
6.3-inch OLED |
6.5-inch OLED |
6.3-inch OLED |
6.9-inch OLED |
|
Resolution: |
2622 x 1206 |
2736 x 1260 |
2622 x 1206 |
2868 x 1320 |
|
Refresh rate: |
120Hz |
120Hz |
120Hz |
120Hz |
|
Peak brightness: |
3,000 nits |
3,000 nits |
3,000 nits |
3,000 nits |
|
Chipset: |
A19 |
A19 Pro |
A19 Pro |
A19 Pro |
|
Rear cameras: |
48MP wide (26mm, ƒ/1.6), 48MP ultra-wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2) |
48MP wide (26mm, ƒ/1.6) |
48MP wide (24mm, ƒ/1.78), 48MP ultra-wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2), 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom) |
48MP wide (24mm, ƒ/1.78), 48MP ultra-wide (13 mm, ƒ/2.2), 48MP telephoto (8x optical zoom) |
|
Front camera: |
18MP (ƒ/1.9) |
18MP (ƒ/1.9) |
18MP (ƒ/1.9) |
18MP (ƒ/1.9) |
|
Storage: |
256GB, 512GB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
|
Colors: |
Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender |
Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold, Sky Blue |
Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue |
Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue |
Price & availability
- Starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399
- Pre-orders open on September 12, shipping from September 19
The iPhone 17 was announced at Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ event on September 9. iPhone 17 pre-orders will begin on September 12, and the new phone will start shipping on September 19.
The iPhone 17 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 for the model with 256GB of storage, with that price rising to $999 / £999 / AU$1,799 for 512GB of storage.
You can see full iPhone 17 pricing below.
|
Storage |
US price |
UK price |
AU price |
|---|---|---|---|
|
256GB |
$799 |
£799 |
AU$1,399 |
|
512GB |
$999 |
£999 |
AU$1,799 |
You might also like
Source link
