It might not look as completely different because the redesigned Professional fashions this yr or be as wafer skinny as the brand new iPhone Air, however the iPhone 17 marks an enormous yr for the usual Apple smartphone.
That’s as a result of Apple has lastly introduced among the finest options of recent smartphones to its base-model flagship cellphone: a super-smooth 120Hz display screen.
And it has achieved so, whereas additionally doubling the beginning storage, with out growing the value. The iPhone 17 nonetheless begins on the similar £799 (€949/$799/A$1,399) as its predecessor, sitting under the £999 Air and £1,099 Professional, whereas providing a variety of iPhone for the cash.
From the surface it doesn’t look as if something has modified for the reason that iPhone 16, however the 17 is ever so barely taller to squeeze within the larger display screen with slimmer borders with out making the cellphone materially bigger. The 6.3in display screen now matches the super-bright show on the 17 Professional coated with considerably toughened glass to raised resist scratches.
The 120Hz “Professional Movement” tech is the very best bit, doubling the refresh price of the display screen to make scrolling and animations a lot smoother and extra responsive. It has been a function frequent to rival smartphones for years, however Apple has till this level reserved it for Professional fashions of the iPhone, MacBooks and iPads.
The 17 additionally has the beforehand Professional-only always-on show function, which exhibits the time, widgets and notifications whereas the cellphone is idle. And it runs the identical iOS 26 with Apple’s new glass-like interface design as the remainder of the iPhone lineup. It seems to be a bit completely different and a few components have been simplified or condensed to get out of the way in which of the content material you’re attempting to see, however usually it really works the identical with some good touches right here and there.
Specs
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Display: 6.3in Tremendous Retina XDR (120Hz OLED) (460ppi)
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Processor: Apple A19
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RAM: 8GB
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Storage: 256 or 512GB
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Working system: iOS 26
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Digicam: 48MP fundamental + 48MP UW; 18MP front-facing
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Connectivity: 5G, wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 6, Thread, USB-C, Satellite tv for pc, UWB and GNSS
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Water resistance: IP68 (6 metres for 30 minutes)
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Dimensions: 149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95mm
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Weight: 177g
Fast A19 chip and strong battery life
The iPhone 17 has Apple’s new A19 chip, which is barely rather less highly effective than the A19 Professional within the different fashions this yr, making it one of many quickest chips in a smartphone. Apple nonetheless has a lead over Android rivals in processors, even in cheaper fashions.
In consequence the 17 handles all the things you possibly can wish to do with a cellphone with aplomb. Battery life can also be good for a cellphone of this measurement, lasting a strong 44 hours of blended utilization throughout wifi and 5G between fees, actively utilizing the display screen for about six hours and with the always-on show function turned on. That’s barely shorter than its predecessor, however barely longer than the equally sized 17 Professional and a good bit longer than the iPhone Air. Most individuals might want to cost the 17 each different day.
Sustainability
The battery will final in extra of 1,000 full-charge cycles with not less than 80% of its unique capability and may be changed for £95. Out-of-warranty display screen repairs value £349.
The cellphone accommodates greater than 30% recycled materials together with aluminium, cobalt, copper, gold, lithium, plastic, uncommon earth components, metal, tin and tungsten. The corporate breaks down its environmental influence in a report. Apple provides trade-in and free recycling schemes, together with for non-Apple merchandise.
Digicam
The 17 has two 48-megapixel cameras on the again – one fundamental and one ultrawide – plus Apple’s new 18MP centre stage selfie digicam, as seen on the iPhone 17 Professional and Air.
The primary digicam stays unchanged from the iPhone 16 and shoots nice pictures throughout a spread of lighting circumstances. Sometimes it may be blown out by shiny lights or endure from a little bit of blur or grain in low-light circumstances, however it’s a reliably good point-and-shoot digicam. It will probably carry out a 2x crop zoom, which works nice in good gentle and OK in dimmer indoor lighting. The ultrawide is an improve on predecessors, capturing with larger element and vary. It really works notably properly for the macro mode for closeup pictures.
The digicam can digitally zoom up 10x, however the ensuing pictures lack element and sharpness. An actual digicam zoom continues to be restricted to the Professional fashions on an iPhone.
The brand new front-facing digicam shoots strong selfies, that are barely higher than earlier iPhones. However its social gathering piece is the flexibility to mechanically pan and zoom to suit everybody in for group photographs, regardless of which orientation you maintain the cellphone. Capturing panorama pictures whereas holding your cellphone in portrait is surprisingly helpful.
The 17 has loads of modes to play about with and shoots nice video, together with a dual-capture function that information from the back and front cameras on the similar time to place the photographer into the shot in a little bit window.
Value
The iPhone 17 begins from £799 (€949/$799/A$1,399) with 256GB of storage.
For comparability, the iPhone 16e prices £599, iPhone Air prices £999, iPhone 17 Professional prices £1,099, the iPhone 17 Professional Max prices £1,199, the Google Pixel 10 prices £799, the Samsung Galaxy S25 prices £699 and the Fairphone 6 prices £499.
Verdict
The iPhone 17 might not look all that completely different from final yr’s mannequin, however it’s a significant improve on all the usual mannequin iPhones which have come earlier than.
That’s as a result of it has key options pulled down from Apple’s pricier Professional fashions, together with a considerably higher, brighter and 120Hz-smooth display screen. It’s a must have function that has been commonplace on rival telephones for years. The always-on show is tremendous useful too, whereas double the beginning storage to 256GB and about two-day battery life could be very welcome. For the primary time in a few years, utilizing the iPhone 17 doesn’t really feel like a big downgrade from the Professional fashions.
The twin digicam on the again is sweet, however the lack of a telephoto possibility retains it from being nice. The iPhone 17 nonetheless feels compact for a contemporary cellphone, and whereas not fairly as featherlight because the iPhone Air, it isn’t precisely heavy.
Until you want a digicam zoom, the usual iPhone 17 is the one to get for Apple patrons. It’s nice.
Execs: fast, nice 120Hz display screen, good twin digicam with macro mode, not less than 256GB storage, nice measurement, motion and digicam management buttons, USB-C, good battery life, lengthy software program assist, Face ID.
Cons: no telephoto digicam, samey design, not the thinnest, lightest or strongest mannequin.
