iPhone 17 Review: No Asterisks!

The iPhone 17 offers significant improvements to its display, selfie camera, battery, and storage, making it a surprisingly compelling and high-value option that often renders the more expensive Pro models unnecessary for most users.

• iPhone 17 offers a flagship-quality display and an innovative new selfie camera.

• Improved battery life and doubled base storage make the iPhone 17 an exceptional value.

• The iPhone 17 is the recommended choice for most users, as Pro model benefits are now largely for specialized needs.

The iPhone 17 is presented as a remarkably good deal, offering flagship-level features at a competitive price, distinguishing itself from previous base models that felt like compromises. Key upgrades include a top-tier display, a highly innovative selfie camera, and improved battery life, powered by a capable A19 chip and doubled base storage. This makes the standard iPhone 17 the recommended choice for most people, as the benefits of the Pro models are now largely tailored to professional or niche use cases.

iPhone 17's Value Proposition

• 00:02:12 The iPhone 17 stands out as the best base iPhone since the introduction of the Pro lineup, feeling like a significantly better deal compared to its more expensive counterparts. This base model has incorporated features previously reserved for Pro versions, offering a premium experience without the premium price tag. The base storage has also doubled to 256GB, effectively making the phone feel $100 cheaper when compared to previous models requiring a storage upgrade.

Display and Camera Enhancements

• 00:02:59 The iPhone 17 now features a top-tier display that is brighter (up to 3000 nits) and finally includes a variable refresh rate (1-120Hz), which also enables an always-on display and PWM dimming. A new 24-megapixel 'Center Stage' selfie camera intelligently switches between horizontal and vertical crops for individual or group selfies, significantly improving both photo quality and video stabilization due to its larger sensor. This selfie camera improvement is available across the entire iPhone 17 lineup.

Performance and Battery Life

• 00:05:20 Every new iPhone 17 model, including the base version, boasts a physically larger battery and improved charging speeds. The base iPhone 17 benefits further from its more efficient variable refresh rate display, contributing to meaningfully longer battery life, even if not drastically so. Powering these features is the new A19 chip, which, despite not being the 'Pro' chip, remains one of the most powerful single-core chips globally, ensuring ample headroom for future demands.

iPhone 17 vs. Pro Models

• 00:09:35 The excellence and value of the base iPhone 17 make the Pro models harder to justify for the average user, as the incremental benefits are now mostly for professionals. Features like the vapor chamber for sustained thermal performance, LiDAR emitter, telephoto camera, and advanced ProRes RAW video are niche capabilities that most casual users will not fully utilize or even notice. For the vast majority, the standard iPhone 17 provides a complete and high-quality experience without the need for the additional $300 investment in a Pro model.