iPhone 17 evaluate: Nearer to Professional

For years, the “common” iPhone acquired 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 now not the compromise that the bottom mannequin was once. Apple lastly blessed it with a 120Hz show and this yr’s most enjoyable digital camera characteristic, Heart Stage.

Whereas it might seem to be Apple is now not forcing iPhone customers to compromise, or a minimum of to not the diploma it used to, there’s nonetheless one large factor to contemplate. With the introduction of the iPhone Air, the corporate has shaken up the display sizes throughout the iPhone 17 lineup. As an alternative 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. 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 assume 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 instances I really feel like my cellphone is a toy, and at others it’s like I stepped again in time. I don’t significantly like both sensation.

Placing my display measurement preferences apart, the iPhone 17 stays the perfect iPhone for most individuals. Since Apple introduced its finest new options to this common mannequin this yr, you don’t need to 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 actually the highlights, however the iPhone 17 stays a solidly constructed gadget 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 quicker now. The upper refresh fee was one of many final remaining gadgets Apple had but to carry down from its Professional fashions, and this one makes a giant distinction to the general expertise. Swiping round iOS 26 feels rather a lot smoother. Apps like Instagram and Safari the place I beforehand encountered some jitters now transfer effortlessly. When it’s time to enterprise exterior, you’ll be glad that Apple boosted the height brightness to three,000 nits — a 1,000-nit improve from the iPhone 16. It’s a welcome improve for the instances it is advisable to use your cellphone in direct daylight.

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

You gained’t actually discover the show improve till you begin utilizing the cellphone, so a fast look gained’t reveal any apparent {hardware} adjustments. Except you do a side-by-side with the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, the place the dimensions variation will probably be obvious, you gained’t detect any distinction. Flip over to the again although and there’s an nearly solely new coloration palette. Black and white stay, however Lavender, Sage and Mist Blue have changed final yr’s Ultramarine, Teal and Pink choices. I desire this yr’s hues, as they aren’t as pastel-y because the 2024 lineup, and that Sage inexperienced seems to be 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 offers 3 times higher safety than on the iPhone 16. I wanted to maintain my iPhone 17 pristine for pictures throughout my evaluate, so I haven’t put it in conditions with the potential for damage simply but. My mischievous cocker spaniel did come up with it for a couple of minutes, however there aren’t any seen enamel marks or scratches from that harrowing (for me) incident.

Digicam updates take Heart Stage

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

After utilizing Heart Stage for a couple of week, it’s simply the perfect new digital camera characteristic Apple has launched in years. I can concede that the addition of macro mode and Photographic Kinds in earlier iPhones have been additionally wonderful, however Heart Stage seems like magic. I’m not even a giant selfie taker, however after I do have to snap one on a household outing, this 41 yr previous now not seems like a Boomer holding his cellphone sideways. The changes occur rapidly so that you’re not left ready, and if you happen to don’t prefer it, you may disable the auto rotation, auto zoom or each.

Heart Stage additionally works with video calls to maintain you within the body. That is significantly useful if you happen to’re strolling or in any other case shifting round whereas making an attempt 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 data footage with the entrance and rear cameras for issues like response movies. Because the dad or mum 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 believe lots of people may also movie themselves singing alongside at live shows, however I’m not one in all them.

The one challenge I’ve with Twin Seize is that it’s a problem to maintain each the motion and your self in body. You possibly can’t look in two locations without delay, so if you wish to preserve a centered response shot or ongoing commentary, you’ll have to determine a method to juggle the pictures. I’ve but to grasp it myself and also you’ll doubtless wrestle if you happen to 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 are actually two 48MP Fusion cameras. On the iPhone 16, solely the primary 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 useful options from the iPhone 16 — like Portrait Lighting. For those who’re into Apple’s Photographic Kinds, there’s a brand new one known as Vibrant 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 believe that’s an apt comparability.

By default, the primary digital camera delivers pictures in 24MP decision for a steadiness of element and brightness. Basically, the pictures I took with the iPhone 17 gave the impression to be barely sharper than these I captured with my iPhone 16 Plus, particularly in particulars like texture (as evidenced by the pictures of pumpkins and my canine Biscuit). There isn’t an enormous leap in rear digital camera efficiency right here, however I observed 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 pictures have been simply as sharp and detailed as earlier than, judging from my close-up of a sunflower which you’ll be able to see right here. Evening time pics nonetheless produce correct colours, particularly when rendering the heat or coolness of road lights, and people components aren’t missing in readability both. Swap your digital camera settings to 48MP and also you’ll discover enhanced element in pictures that include landscapes, as one instance. Simply remember that these max-res pictures are restricted to 1x zoom and any Evening mode or flash pictures 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 primary 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 offers extra 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. For those who need the top of Apple’s photographic prowess (presently, 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 — similar because the iPhone 16. The distinction right here is that the GPU now has Neural Accelerators on every core, which Apple says will enhance peak computing energy for AI duties. Except you’re coming from an older iPhone, you in all probability 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 % quicker than the iPhone 13, however that cellphone is from 4 years in the past — mainly an eternity. Clearly, you’d count on to see a serious uptick in velocity when evaluating the flashy new mannequin to such an growing old gadget.

That mentioned, the iPhone 17 speedily dealt with any activity I threw at it. Throughout my on a regular basis use, I didn’t encounter a single time the cellphone stuttered or struggled to finish the job. The one time I needed to look ahead to 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 scorching canine thunderstorm,” by the way in which). What’s extra, I by no means observed 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 (taking part in music, and so forth.). The iPhone 17 by no means bought greater than noticeably heat to the contact, although.

I’m not an avid cell gamer, however I did play some Future: Rising (a suggestion from the Engadget employees) on the iPhone 17 for my due diligence. The mix 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 scorching throughout my gaming classes, regardless of not having the vapor chamber that the Professionals do. This in all probability led me to play rather a lot longer than I ought to at instances, for the reason that gadget by no means bought 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 yr is a succesful cell gaming gadget 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 provide 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 adjustments to CarPlay, the cellphone app and Messages. I’m additionally beginning to get onboard with the tweaks to the Digicam 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 one in all my greatest annoyances.

I do love the mixture of the iPhone 17’s always-on show and iOS 26’s Precedence Notifications. It’s immensely useful to look over at my cellphone and see if there’s something I would like to handle instantly. This pairing can also be useful when it exhibits me issues after I may’ve missed a notification because it first popped up. It’s solely been every week, so I’m more likely to discover different components 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 seems 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 rather a lot are the earbuds’ heart-rate monitoring and Stay Translation. It’s good to not need to postpone a exercise if my Apple Watch is charging, since I now know the AirPods Professional 3 will observe my motion and correctly credit score my Exercise Rings. I can also’t wait to journey overseas with Stay Translation, for the reason that checks I’ve carried out at house 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, aside from a dedication to 30 hours of video playback or 27 hours of streaming time. My colleague Sam Rutherford bought practically 25 hours whereas streaming a video as a comparability for his review of the iPhone Air. Throughout a day of what I’d contemplate “common” use — checking e mail, responding to Slack messages, listening to music, calls, texting, scrolling Instagram and watching just a few episodes of The Bear — I nonetheless had 16 % 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 improve from the iPhone 16. For those who don’t thoughts cables, you may count on to recharge to 50 % 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

For those who’re on the lookout for a non-Apple different, 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 characteristic is surprisingly useful. 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 wonderful battery life. Gemini works higher on the S25 than it did up to now and there’s the stable construct high quality that Samsung all the time presents at this worth vary. Talking of price, 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 if you happen to’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 calmly as I’m not an individual who recommends getting a brand new cellphone yearly. More often than not, there merely aren’t compelling sufficient adjustments to warrant it. That’s not the case this yr, and if you happen to’re coming from an iPhone that’s just a few years previous, you’ll doubtless really feel as if you happen to’ve stepped into the long run.

I went into this evaluate anticipating to be desirous to return to my iPhone 16 Plus after I was by way of testing. And whereas I do desire the bigger gadget after utilizing it for a yr, the updates Apple has amassed on the iPhone 17 — particularly the Heart 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 though there’s one much less possibility within the common iPhone lineup than there was a yr in the past, the iPhone 17 continues to be the perfect iPhone for many of us.