This device scores 2.6% better than the average for this price class, which includes devices like the Lenovo Legion Tab 8.8" 5, RedMagic 11S Pro and Motorola Razr (2026)
Is the iPhone 17 still worth getting versus the iPhone 18?
Rumor has it that the iPhone 18 will bring a different design, more in line with the Pro-branded models – sporting a camera plateau on the back. The phone is also expected to rock Apple's 2nm A20 chip, which promises around 30% better power efficiency in comparison to the A19 in the iPhone 17. The display, the rear cameras and the storage are expected to stay the same as the 17, while there may be a RAM jump from 8 GB to either 9 or 12 GB.
The iPhone 18 hasn't launched yet, so we can't say for certain whether the upgrade will be worth it if you're currently rocking or considering the iPhone 17. Based on what's leaked thus far, an upgrade is probably not a must.
The iPhone 17 is absolutely still a great phone in 2026. It comes with Apple's ProMotion 120 Hz display refresh rate, finally, as well as faster 40 W wired charging. The ultra-wide camera is improved and starting storage went up to 256 GB. The iPhone 17 supports Apple Intelligence and the new Siri AI, so on the software side, it's up to speed with the newest iPhones as well.
iPhone 17 release date
Officially announced on September 9, 2025, during an Apple Event in Steve Jobs Theater.
Device family
Announcement
Market release
Apple iPhone 17
September 9, 2025
September 19, 2025
Apple iPhone 16
September 9, 2024
September 20, 2024
Apple iPhone 15
Sept 12, 2023
Sept 22, 2023
Apple iPhone 14
Sept 7, 2022
Sept 16, 2022
iPhone 17 price
Starting storage now jumps to 256 GB, but the starting price remains $799, the same as its predecessors
Apple iPhone model
Starting price
iPhone 17
$799
iPhone 16 (and iPhone 15)
$799
Despite earlier expectations about a price hike on the iPhone 17, Apple has decided to keep prices the same for the entry-level iPhone 17 model, so it starts at $799.
iPhone 17 deals:
Apple: Currently, Apple is offering $35-$695 discount with Apple Trade-in.
Verizon: The iPhone 17 is currently available for free with select unlimited plans (the deal requires a new line with Verizon).
T-Mobile: T-Mobile is offering a free iPhone 17 with eligible plans (Experience More, Experience Beyond w/55+, Military, First Responder Savings). You can also get the phone for free with trade-in on select plans.
AT&T: Save up to $700 with eligible trade-in at the carrier for the iPhone 17.
iPhone 17 camera
New 48 MP ultra-wide camera
Big selfie camera upgrade to 18 MP Center Stage
According to Apple, the new 48 MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera captures up to 4x the resolution compared to the previous generation.
There's a new 48MP ultra-wide camera. | Image Credit - Apple
The iPhone 17 comes with the same 48 MP main camera as its predecessor and a big selfie camera upgrade.
iPhone 17 camera system:
48 MP main
New 48 MP ultra-wide
18 MP Center Stage selfie camera
Selfie camera upgrade
The iPhone 17's new Center Stage selfie camera. | Image Credit - Apple
The iPhone 17 gets an upgraded 18 MP Center Stage camera. Its sensor is now square, so you can take both landscape and portrait images without having to rotate your iPhone.
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The front camera hasn't changed much since the iPhone 11 back in 2019. Now, with this new sensor, selfies will look much clearer, and pictures will keep their quality even when zoomed or cropped, giving users more room to edit later.
Vertical camera alignment
The same vertical camera alignment as on the iPhone 16 is also present here for the iPhone 17. This is mainly because of Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Diagonally positioned cameras like the ones on previous iPhone cameras can't record spatial video, while vertical cameras can.
iPhone 17 storage
iPhone 17 storage:
256 GB
512 GB
Apple has now eliminated the starting storage of 128 GB, replacing it with 256 GB, all without raising the price. The iPhone 17 comes with 8GB of RAM.
iPhone 17 design
The iPhone 17 keeps the same overall look as previous iPhones
Ceramic Shield 2 with a new custom-made coating
Camera Control button
Thinner bezels around the display
The iPhone 17 in Sage. | Image Credit - Apple
The base iPhone 17 is the only model in the lineup to retain Apple’s familiar modern design language, now standing apart from the Pro, Pro Max, and razor-thin Air model, which all received more radical overhauls.
However, don't mistake familiarity for a lack of innovation – Ceramic Shield 2 is here now with a new custom-made coating that offers 3x better scratch resistance.
The phone feels incredibly premium in the hand, balancing a lightweight aluminum frame with enhanced durability.
Camera Control button
The versatile Camera Control button makes a return for its second generation on the standard iPhone 17. Far from a simple shutter button, it features a sophisticated mechanical click paired with a capacitive, touch-sensitive surface.
Bezels getting thinner
The iPhone 17 features razor-thin bezels, thanks to a technology previously exclusive to the Pro models.
This structural leap is made possible by Border Reduction Structure (BRS) technology. Basically, shrinking the top and side margins is relatively straightforward, but the bottom chin has previously given Apple engineers headaches due to internal heat generation.
BRS solves this thermal bottleneck by tightly rolling the internal copper wiring at the base of the screen upward. The result is a symmetrical, uniform bezel width around the entire display that matches the stunning 1.15mm profile of Apple’s premium tiers.
Colors to pick from
Apple went with a sophisticated, matte-infused pastel palette for this generation, swapping out the deeply saturated colors of the past for a cleaner, frosted look.
There's also a new Sage option, which is a gorgeous soft green color.
120 Hz ProMotion support finally comes to the base iPhone
All iPhone 17 models – yes, even the "vanilla" flagship – feature Samsung's M14 OLED panels, a significant upgrade from previous models. The M14 panel, used in the iPhone 16 Pro, offers 30% higher brightness, better lifespan, and lower power consumption compared to the M13.
Samsung Display's M14 panel isn't just visually impressive, but it also boasts 3,000 nits peak brightness, which is a record for iPhone displays. However, the iPhone 17 is unlikely to hit that peak, as the same panel was used in the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max without reaching such brightness levels. You also get 2x better outdoor contrast, according to Apple.
There’s also improved durability with the new Ceramic Shield 2 and the new Apple-designed coating with improved scratch resistance and anti-reflection capabilities.
Apart from that, the vanilla iPhone 17 has grown slightly in size with its 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display. On the 16 series, it was a 6.12-inch one (as on the iPhone 15).
Higher refresh rate (finally!)
ProMotion, or 120 Hz refresh rate, previously exclusive to the Pro models, is now extended across the entire iPhone 17 lineup.
The feature enhances the display's responsiveness and makes scrolling feel fluid and animations appear smoother. You can now also enjoy the Always-On capabilities of the Pro models. When not in use, the display would adjust down to 1 Hz.
iPhone 17 battery
Apple promises 30 hours of video playback
New Adaptive Power Mode learns your typical battery consumption
Fast charging now up to 40W
Apple, as usual, is secretive with the exact mAh battery size of the new iPhones.
However, thanks to the new A19 chip, the iPhone 17 is now getting up to 30 hours of video playback, according to the Cupertino company. This would be eight more hours than the iPhone 16, as Apple says. Also, there's the new Adaptive Power Mode that gets to know your typical battery consumption and intelligently conserves power.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 now has fast charging that allows you to get up to 50% of a charge in 20 minutes. Of course, you'd need Apple's new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter to get the fastest speeds.
iPhone 17 features and software
The iPhone 17 runs iOS 26 out of the box
It was widely expected that 2025 would be the year Apple fully caught up with other brands in AI. However, it didn't happen with iOS 26. Despite that, though, you can use Live Translation now with Messages, FaceTime, and Phone. Apple is also updating Visual Intelligence with Circle-to-Search-like capabilities.
Image Credit - Apple
Visually, iOS 26 is a pretty big change from previous OSes. There’s a new design called Liquid Glass with transparent elements everywhere in the operating system. It makes everything look fluid and lively, significantly changing the feel of the new iPhone.
iOS 26
The iPhone 17 will run iOS 26 out of the box. | Image Credit - Apple
With iOS 18, we got some new features that include free-form app icon placement, deep app icon customization (allowing for resizing icons and adding a colorful tint), customizable lock screen shortcuts, and a redesigned Control Center.
Apple announced iOS 26 during WWDC 2025 (and yep, there's no iOS 19). iOS 26 brings an entirely new look called Liquid Glass, which would be uniform across all Apple devices. The camera app is also getting a redesign with a new, minimalistic look. Apple is also bringing useful features to the Phone app, like Call Screening, and to Messages and other Apple apps.
The iOS 26 update is a major overhaul, so things are going to look pretty different from what we're used to.
The new Liquid Glass design language. | Image Credit - Apple
iPhone 17 hardware
iPhone 17 specs at a glance:
CPU: Apple A19 chip
RAM: 8 GB
Battery: ~3,600mAh
Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB
Camera setup: 48 MP main, 12 MP ultra-wide, 18 MP Center Stage selfie
The new A19, according to Apple, brings a huge boost in speed. There's now an updated display engine, ISP, and Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence and the new Photographic Styles. The SoC features a 6-core CPU that is 1.5x faster than the iPhone 13's chip and a 5-core GPU.
The iPhone 17 also introduces the N1, which is a new Apple-made wireless networking chip with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support. N1 also improves the performance of the Personal Hotspot and AirDrop features.
Comparisons to competitors
If you want to know more about how the iPhone 17 fares against the competition, check out our 1v1 comparisons here:
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: Would you be better off buying the base iPhone 17, or do you need the Pro features?
Review
If you want to know how the iPhone 17 feels in daily life and how it performs in our extensive battery, screen and performance tests, check out our review:
Iskra Petrova is a news writer at PhoneArena, where she covers mobile tech news and maintains the site’s device hubs with the latest leaked specs, rumors, and official details for upcoming phones. She joined PhoneArena in 2020 after three years in technical support for Microsoft Exchange, giving her practical experience with software infrastructure and troubleshooting. Iskra holds a Master’s Degree in Literature, which helps her translate complex tech details into clear, reader-friendly coverage. She is a daily Apple ecosystem user, while also closely following Sony Xperia’s camera-focused phones and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series.
