iPhone 17 Review: Surprisingly Different

Its been a few weeks since the iPhone 17 series was released to the public, and while that still is not a very long time, the reviews are in. But these quick assessments from sites and YouTubers are not always helpful, so I am going to try and make my review of these iPhones a little more practical.

Of course the battery is good, the phone is new.

Of course it feels good in the hand, the phone is new.

And of course it feels snappier, the phone is new.

These things go without saying and apply to all of the new iPhones. But I’m here to tell you this is a good year for the iPhone, for a number of reasons. The base iPhone 17 is the best value, the iPhone Air is the most different, and the iPhone 17 Pro is the most…well…pro. So let’s get into it.

First off, here is what all of the new iPhones have in common:

• 256 GB starting storage capacity
• 120Hz ProMotion display
• New 18-megapixel Center Stage front facing camera

Ok, now lets get into it.

The iPhone 17 is, by a wide margin, the best of Apple’s new handsets in terms of dollar-to-features. If you have an iPhone 13 or older, like my mother, then the new 17 is the perfect choice. Compared to that older 13, the new 17 has a higher quality display, much better cameras on both the front and rear, double the storage capacity, USB-C for charging, and a significantly better processor in the A19. It is the best deal from Apple, without question.

I do not recommend trying to save $100 by getting last year’s iPhone 16. The 16 has a worse display (60Hz refresh rate) and less storage (128 gigabytes). Those two things are worth much more than the $100 savings. Just get the 17 and thank me later.

As for the iPhone Air, I wrote about it in a separate article because I think it deserved its own space. Long story short, it is a very niche device that has a lot of concessions. Once the novelty of the thin design wears off, I don’t think buyers will be happy with their purchase due to two key limitations: battery life and camera options. I bought the iPhone Air, in Cloud White, and ended up returning it. If you really think you want one, I highly recommend going to an Apple Store and playing around with it in person.

Compared to the iPhone Air, the iPhone 17 is a superior product. It has more battery life (three more hours) and an extra rear camera (the ultra-wide lens), while having the same screen, starting storage, and selfie camera. As I said in my review of the Air, you are paying for the engineering brilliance of a 5.5 millimeter iPhone. It is incredible, no doubt, but it does have limitations and isn’t the “most” iPhone you can buy.

If you want the “most” iPhone, then Apple has the Pro model.

The design of the Pro is the most notable variation with the larger “plateau” (what we consumers have called the “camera bump”) stretching across the back. This houses the components such as the processor and antennas, but it also sort of solves the “rocking” issue that existed in prior Pros when it was laid flat on a table. Apple has also scrapped titanium in favor of unibody aluminum, which is much better at dissipating heat than titanium. The downside is aluminum is less scratch resistant, which many people have pointed out.

The cameras in the Pro are still three lenses, but they are now all 48-megapixel as opposed to just two of them in the prior models. That is nice, but compared to the 16 Pro or even the 15 Pro they don’t really look all that different. The telephoto gets the biggest improvement, and does look better, but you’d really have to examine it closely. Recording video is still extremely high quality, and the tools at a creator’s disposal are still best of the best — well beyond what a simple point-and-shoot user would use.

Performance remains excellent on the Pro model. The A19 Pro chip is very fast in day-to-day use, but not so much faster that you would notice a massive difference coming from even an iPhone 14 Pro. The biggest net gain with the processors is in terms of efficiency, as the iPhone 17 Pro gets 33 hours of battery life (six more hours than the 16 Pro) and the new Pro Max gets a whopping 39 hours of battery life.

If you are a power user — which I will define as someone who is on their phone a lot or need the camera for professional workflows and jobs — then this new 17 Pro is really good. But it is overkill for most people.

Alright, here are my upgrade recommendations:

• If you have an iPhone 14 or older, then the iPhone 17 represents a great upgrade. Even those with a newer device like the iPhone 15 or iPhone 16 would see nice improvements in terms of screen quality and storage size. It is just a great year for the base model, especially given that it remains at the same $799 price.
• If you have a Pro model from the last two years, there probably is not enough here to warrant an upgrade — especially given the $1,099 price. Even the iPhone 14 Pro should still be ticking just fine, though the lack of USB-C at this point would drive me insane.

The one caveat to all of this is the iPhone Air. It has no comparison, because Apple has never made anything like it. It is thinner, lighter, and more premium than any other option from Apple right now, much more than the Pro models. Hold it in your hand you will quickly see why it is so difficult to ignore.

But I find the Air hard to recommend. It has the worst battery life (27 hours), camera (only one lens), and speaker (one, in the earpiece) compared to any other iPhone in the lineup. If you want the latest in bleeding edge phone technology from Apple, then get the Air. But know that you have been warned.

The 17 is the best overall option this year, but it isnt the sexiest. The iPhone Air isn’t the best value, but it is the best looking by a wide margin. The Pro models have the most features, but they don’t look good and are more expensive than ever. Choose wisely.