Apple iPhone 17

4.3

Overall Score

4.3/5

The Good Stuff

• Large 6.3 OLED display with 120Hz
• Base storage starts at 256 GB
• Light, comfortable build
• Impressive battery life
• Impressive video quality & stabilization
• Good camera system
• Support for wireless & reverse wireless charging
• Superb performance

The Bad Stuff

• Gets hot under heavy use
• No telephoto camera
• Same design as iPhone 16
• Performance drops under heavy use

Apple iPhone 17

Apple iPhone 17

“This is the most well-rounded iPhone Apple’s ever made and probably the one you should get.”

The standard iPhone has always lived in the shadow of its flashier, more expensive “Pro” siblings. It’s the dependable choice, but usually misses out on the truly exciting features. Well, get ready for a plot twist, because the iPhone 17 changes that story completely. This isn’t just an iterative update; it’s the year Apple finally gave the base model some real Pro-level firepower—most notably, that stunning 120Hz display and the brightest screen yet. With these major upgrades, the question isn’t whether the iPhone 17 is a good phone, but whether it’s the best value phone in Apple’s entire 2025 lineup. Let’s find out more from the review of the Apple iPhone 17 smartphone. 

Overview

Forget about it being the “dud” in the lineup just because it’s the standard model and its sibling is now the “Air.” The truth is, the iPhone 17 is looking like it might be the most improved phone Apple drops in 2025. This isn’t just a small update; it’s getting some serious, meaningful boosts over the iPhone 16. First off, the screen is finally getting the upgrade we’ve wanted! It’s a new, slightly bigger 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with smaller borders. And get this: the standard model finally features ProMotion tech, giving you a super smooth, variable refresh rate up to 120 Hz. Plus, the brightness is getting cranked up to a peak of 3000 nits, meaning for the first time, the regular iPhone is just as bright as the Pro models. Huge win!

Under the hood, it’s packing the brand-new A19 chipset, built on that super-efficient 3nm process. Paired with a solid 8 GB of RAM, this phone is going to be snappy for a long time, both for everyday use and for future software updates. The cameras are also getting a nice bump. The dual system is now 48MP and inherits all of Apple’s latest software tricks. That means better shots in low light and even Dolby Vision HDR video recording up to $4\text{K}@60\text{fps}$. Even the selfie camera is refreshed with an $18\text{MP}$ sensor, image stabilization (OIS), and the ability to capture spatial audio and Dolby Vision video!

While the look hasn’t totally changed from the iPhone 16, it actually might be the best-looking one of the bunch. The Pro models are apparently getting a slightly controversial glass “window” insert on the back, but the standard 17 keeps that clean, classic look with an all-glass back and an aluminum frame—less scratch-prone and just a lot sleeker, in my opinion. It hits all the modern flagship checkboxes: IP68 water resistance, MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging, and satellite features for SOS and Find My. The battery is a decent $3,692\text{mAh}$, and it even beats the more expensive Air model. Charging is quick, too, matching the Pros with wired PD3.2 and $25\text{W}$ wireless support. And perhaps the best news? The base storage is finally jumping to a much more usable 256 GB!

While the Pro models are always going to have a few extra niche features and maybe a bolder (or weirder) design, the iPhone 17 is closer to the Pros than ever before. It nails the basics better than any non-Pro iPhone before it, only missing out on the really tiny extras. Honestly, the iPhone 17 might just be “the one to get” this generation! What do you think about that screen finally getting $120\text{Hz}$? That’s the real game-changer for me!

What’s to Like

1. The Stunning 120Hz Display

Okay, so let’s get into the display, because this is where the iPhone 17 really stops acting like a “base model” and starts demanding some respect. First, it’s a huge visual upgrade. The screen is now a nice, comfortable 6.3 inches and those bezels (the black borders) are thinner, so you get more screen space in a phone that doesn’t feel much bigger. But the real game-changer? It finally has ProMotion! That’s Apple’s super-smooth 120Hz high refresh rate tech that used to be exclusive to the expensive Pro phones. Trust me, once you see how fluid scrolling, swiping, and gaming look at 120Hz, you can’t go back. This feature alone is what makes the standard iPhone 17 feel like a genuinely premium phone—it’s a massive leap over the iPhone 16.

Now, the brightness numbers were a little quirky when we tested them. Manually maxing out the slider gave us slightly less brightness than last year’s model, which is weird, but probably just due to some fine-tuning in the software. And because it has that super-efficient dynamic refresh rate tech, the phone can drop all the way down to 1Hz to save power. That low power mode is what finally allows the iPhone 17 to bring us the highly-requested Always-On Display. You can now check the time and your notifications without having to wake the phone up—it’s super convenient. Overall, the iPhone 17 display is fantastic. It’s everything you need from scrolling social media to watching movies in Dolby Vision HDR. It’s an easy A-plus upgrade.

2. The Impressive Battery Life

The iPhone 17 packs a slightly bigger battery—it’s 3,692 mAh—but here’s the kicker: when we ran our standardized tests, the overall “Active Use Score” was almost exactly the same as the iPhone 16. It really seems like Apple’s main goal every year is just to make sure the battery life doesn’t drop, no matter how many flashy new features they add. The good news is that with about fifteen hours of battery life from tests done, the iPhone 17 should last you the whole day if you use it moderately.

The only real difference we spotted was in the breakdown of those numbers. We saw a slightly lower score for web browsing compared to the older model. Why? Because of that fantastic new 120Hz screen you just read about! Smooth scrolling uses a little extra power. But don’t worry about streaming or gaming—those tests still run at 60Hz, so those scores haven’t really been affected. Basically, you get the same reliable, all-day battery life, but now with a super-smooth display. 

3. Superb Performance

Alright, so let’s dive into what’s actually under the hood. The iPhone 17 is running on Apple’s latest A19 chip. Even though it’s the standard version and not the “Pro” one found in the expensive models, it’s still impressive. It’s so similar to the Pro chip that it makes you wonder what the “Pro” even means anymore. You also get 8 GB of memory here, which is the same as the iPhone 16. It’s totally fast enough, but it does feel like we’re still waiting for that 12 GB bump to finally make its way down to the vanilla model. But here’s the real good news: the base storage just got a major boost!

The entry-level iPhone 17 now starts with a generous 256 GB of super-fast storage, doubling the 128 GB you got last year. The best part? They did this without raising the price! That’s a huge win for everyone buying the base model.

Whilst reviewing benchmarks, we did see the standard A19 lag slightly behind the Pro version, confirming that it’s likely a bit downclocked. However, when we looked at tests that put a massive, varied load on the phone the regular iPhone 17 actually outperformed the iPhone Air! That tells us the cooling and overall efficiency of this vanilla model are really well-tuned. So while you’re not getting the absolute highest top-end power, you’re getting super reliable, sustained speed when you need it most.

4. Good Camera System

The main cameras are still 48MP and have the same sensor (for the third year in a row), with sensor-shift stabilization. While solid, it’s not the most cutting-edge option anymore. Here’s the good news: there are two upgrades to the camera system. Firstly, the ultra-wide camera has been improved from 12MP to 48MP, which is similar to the Pro and the Pro Max models. This also includes PDAF, which works with autofocus. What it does is that it allows you to focus up close and doubles as a macro camera. 

Second is the selfie camera.  It’s an all-new $18\text{MP}$ sensor with PDAF and image stabilization. It has a unique octagonal (shaved corners) shape that enables “multi-aspect” shooting, giving the same diagonal field of view for vertical and horizontal selfies. However, this shape causes a drop in resolution for $1:1$ (square) photos (down to $13.5\text{MP}$ or $9\text{MP}$ depending on settings).

The downside? No telephoto camera here, which is a minor thing, but that will be explain a little later. Overall, the ultra-wide and the selfie cameras are the stars of the show this year, while the main camera is unchanged, and no telephoto camera.

What’s Not to Like

1. Heat issue

It looks like the regular iPhone 17 is having a bit of a heating issue, unlike its fancier siblings. The Pro and Pro Max models finally come with a cool-sounding vapor chamber for better cooling. The problem seems to be the new Apple A19 chip, which gets pretty hot, especially when you push the graphics hard. What happens then is the phone has to intentionally slow itself down to keep from melting. That means you lose a good chunk of performance. 

The good news is that the performance drop is a gradual slide, not a jarring, sudden nosedive. Still, the phone’s back gets really hot, to the point where it gets slightly uncomfortable to hold. Now that Apple’s finally gotten serious about cooling with the vapor chamber in the Pro models, we’re really hoping they’ll do the right thing and bring that tech to the standard iPhone next year.

2. No Telephoto Camera

As great as the camera system the iPhone 17 has, it doesn’t come with a telephoto lens, like the Pro and the Pro Max models. Yet still it captures amazing photos and pictures using the 2x digital zooming feature that is included in the main camera. If that’s how it is, then it doesn’t really need telephoto.   

Apple iPhone 17 Alternatives

Verdict

All I can say is this: The new iPhone 17 is actually a great phone for 2025. Apple finally gave the regular iPhone some much-needed love, adding upgrades like: a smooth, fancy 120Hz display (with super thin borders) and a decent amount of base storage. They also improved the selfie camera, gave the ultrawide camera a nice 48MP bump with autofocus for macro shots, and even made charging the iPhone 17 a bit faster.

This is the most well-rounded iPhone Apple’s ever made and probably the one you should get. Sure, it’s not perfect—it can get a little warm when you push it super hard — but it’s minor issue. With a Pro-level screen, great performance, a capable camera, and usable storage, all wrapped up in that classic Apple look, this phone has never been this affordable for what you get. I bet it’s going to be the most popular iPhone this year!

So let’s hear what you think. Is this the ideal iPhone that you’re looking for? What features are you excited about? What other phones are you looking at? Let me know below at the comments section. And if you fancy yourself using it or your interested to know more, then CLICK HERE. That’s all for now. Check out the website to find more phones, laptops or other gadgets. I’m sure you’ll find some thing you like. Keep well. Until next time 😀