In the midst of all fanfare around Super-Slim iPhone Air and All-Singing, All-Dancing iPhone 17 Pro, it’s easy to think of the standard iPhone 17 as the ugly duckling of this year’s iPhone lineup. But for my money, Apple’s latest basic model is the best value iPhone in some time.
Sure it looks almost identical with iPhone 16 in images, but this is a larger and better device that is as close to the pro models as any iPhone on Entry-Level has ever been.
For starters, there is the long -awaited (and frankly for long -lasting) display upgrade. At the forefront of this week’s launch event, I wrote that I would recommend the iPhone 17 over the iPhone 17 Pro if it got a 120Hz update speed and Apple has delivered at this request and then some.
Not only does the iPhone 17 boast a 120Hz update speed, but it also gets Apple’s full-blown promotional display technology that dynamically adjusts this update frequency between 1-120Hz, depending on what is happening on the screen. This helps maintain the phone’s battery life and allows for an always-on-screen, while the full 120Hz speed results in a much smoother rolling experience compared to the iPhone 16.
As a reminder, update speed refers to the number of times per second that your phone can display a new image. The higher the update speed, the smoother a phone view. As I wrote in the aforementioned pre-launch, “It may sound like marketing Mumbo-Jumbo if you have been completely happy with your 60Hz iPhone so far, but take it from the me difference between a refresher speed of 60 Hz and a 120Hz update frequency is definitely concrete for those who have experienced both.”
But Apple didn’t stop there. The iPhone 17 also gets a larger screen than the iPhone 16, thanks to slimmer frames. The actual dimensions of the two phones are the same, but you get an iPhone 17-Pro equation, 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED panel on the newer model.
Then there are the upgrades under the hood. Apple’s new, more powerful A19 chips may sound like an iterative improvement on A18 – and in terms of raw performance it is likely to be. But the A19 will also bring concrete improvements to the iPhone 17’s battery life if Apple’s bold promise of “eight hours of video playback compared to the previous generation” is something to pass by.
Other seemingly meaningful improvements include ceramic shield 2-apples new, “Three times as durable” screen protection technology-an upgraded ultra-camera and a new center stage selfie camera, which you find on all four iPhone 17 models.
But even if you have not been sold on the benefits of any of the above upgrades, the iPhone 17 is also objectively better value than the iPhone 16 compared to its pro againstpoint.
Apple has removed 128 GB of storage capacities on all iPhone 17 models, but rather than just raising the iPhone 17’s starting price to the 256 GB price of iPhone 16, it is fixed with the latter 128 GB price ($ 799 / £ 799 / AU $ 1,399). In other words, you get twice as much storage for the same money.
The iPhone 17 Pro starts in the meantime of $ 1,099 / £ 1,099 / AU $ 1,999 – It’s the same price as 256 GB iPhone 16 Pro, but that’s also $ 100 / £ 100 / AU $ 200 more expensive than $ 999 / £ 999 / AU $ 1,799 Starting price for the specific phone.
Still with me? To put it in another way: iPhone 17 is $ 299 / £ 299 / AU $ 600 cheaper than iPhone 17 Pro, while iPhone 16 was only $ 199 / £ 199 / AU $ 400 cheaper than iPhone 16 Pro. There is an extra $ 100 / £ 100 / AU $ 200 between the two models this year.
All of this is to say that despite the fact that it looks like a boring upgrade on the iPhone 16, the iPhone 17 is now, for my money, the best iPhone for most people.
Yes, the iPhone 17 Pro’s 48MP -Tele camera sounds mighty impressive, and if you are looking for one of the best camera phones, you’ll probably find it in Apple’s latest flagship.
But for everyone else, I don’t see iPhone 17 Pro be worth $ 299 / £ 299 / AU $ 600 Premium over iPhone 17. And my Techradar colleagues seem to agree.
“The iPhone 17 was the winner of Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ event,” wrote staff writer Jamie Richards as the curtain fell on this week’s showcase, while our CEO of news, Jake Krol, claimed the iPhone 17 “could be the best standard iPhone this year” in his hands-on iPhone 17 review.
So while the super-slim frame and impressive camera features in iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro are definitely tempting, I would encourage you to sit down and consider whether the cheaper iPhone 17 can actually be a better fit for your needs.
