Original release date: September 19, 2025 | Storage capacity: 256GB, 512GB | Screen size: 6.3 inches | Features: A19 chip, Always-on 120Hz ProMotion display, Aluminum frame, USB-C port (USB 2), Camera Control button, Action button, 25W MagSafe charging, Apple Intelligence | Cameras: 48MP wide, 48MP ultrawide, 18MP Center Stage front | Color options: Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, Black | Dimensions: 5.89 x 2.81 x 0.31 inches | Weight: 6.24 ounces
Read our full iPhone 17 review
The iPhone 17 is the most significant upgrade to Apple’s “regular” iPhone in years. While there are certainly still reasons to pay extra for an iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max, very few of those still feel essential for the average person. For most, the base model now covers all the necessary bases for $300 or $400 less. Yes, Apple (Apple!) has made a smartphone that’s a genuinely strong value for money in 2026.
Most of our enthusiasm stems from the new 6.3-inch display. It’s a little bigger than the iPhone 16’s 6.1-inch panel, and with a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, it should be easier to read outdoors. (The previous model topped out at 2,000 nits.) Most importantly, it’s a “ProMotion” display, which means its maximum refresh rate has (finally) jumped from 60Hz to a faster 120Hz. That might sound dorky to highlight, but it makes scrolling web pages, playing games and simply interacting with iOS feel smoother and more responsive. Once you see the difference — and you will — it’s difficult to ever go back.
The refresh rate is also adaptive, so it can dip down to 1Hz to save power when the phone is idle, and since this is an always-on display, it can show notifications on the lock screen without forcing you to physically touch your device. We’ve dinged Apple in the past for relegating these sorts of features to its Pro series — especially since cheaper Android phones have had them for years — but that’s in the past now, and the iPhone 17 feels far less dated as a result.
The cameras are better, too. The front cam has gone from a 12-megapixel sensor to a crisper 18MP one, while an updated “Center Stage” feature lets you take landscape-oriented selfies without having to turn your phone sideways and keeps you centered in frame during video calls. On the back, the ultrawide camera is now 48MP instead of 12MP, which can help make textures look a bit sharper in different lighting conditions. You can now shoot video from the front and rear cameras simultaneously as well. While camera performance is still the main area where the Pro phones pull ahead, this is still a great point-and-shoot setup for the quick pics most people want to take with a phone.
The iPhone 17 starts at the same $799 as the iPhone 16, but it comes with 256GB of storage by default — twice as much as before. It has a new A19 chip, which doesn’t bring a massive leap in real-world performance but should keep the phone snappy for years to come. Apple rates the battery for up to 30 hours of video playback, an eight-hour jump over its predecessor. That’s probably an optimistic reading, but either way, we had no issues getting the new model to last through a typical work day, and it’s not far off the iPhone 17 Pro’s 33-hour estimate. It supports faster 25W wireless charging, up from 22W, and with the right wired charger Apple says it can refill 50 percent battery in 20 minutes instead of 30. The updated “Ceramic Shield 2” glass on the front is slightly more scratch-resistant as well.
All of this comes in a design that’s still handsome, sturdy and well-proportioned, with an aluminum frame, the useful-enough Camera Control and Action buttons and a selection of tasteful color choices. It may look more boring than the 17 Pro or the iPhone Air, but the former’s upgrades are mainly for power users at this point, while the latter is worse in demonstrable ways despite costing $200 more. We wouldn’t say you have to upgrade if you own an iPhone 16, but for the first time in a while, it won’t feel like a waste if you do feel like switching just one year later.