Apple iPhone 17 reviewed: a compelling choice

This year’s iPhone for everyone is the iPhone 17, a model that brings much of what the 17 Pro offers, but without the hefty cost.

Four models of the iPhone are released every year, and while two are typically for the big spenders, one almost always stands out in who it’s made for: everyone else.

There are many iPhone models you can find today, but not everyone has the two or three thousand needed for one of those expensive models. That could be the main reason why the standard iPhone stands out, so to speak (no pun intended).

Long seen as “the iPhone for everyone”, it is typically the model that brings everything you need while missing some of the extras that make the more expensive models that little bit nicer.

They get many of the updates, but not all of them. Basically, the logic is enough to matter.

And this year, that logic of “enough to matter” helps carry the iPhone 17 to be a solid update for nearly anyone making the move.

Design

As big as the iPhone 17 Pro but somehow nearly a full millimetre slimmer, the 7.95mm iPhone 17 looks almost as pro as its higher priced sibling, but somehow comes out thinner and lighter. It’s almost like magic or something.

Both iPhone 17 and 17 Pro are made of aluminium — just the frame on the 17, whereas the Pro gets an aluminium unibody — as Apple pulls back from titanium and reserves that for the Air. They even feature similar uses of glass, both including the newly upgraded Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, though only the 17 Pro offers Ceramic Shield on the back, with no such luck for the standard 17.

But the design is such that Apple has managed to get in under the thickness of the more expensive model: the iPhone 17 Pro is 8.75mm thick, while the iPhone 17 is 7.95mm, and weighs less, too, at 204 grams vs 177g.

There are subtle increases on its predecessor, though; the iPhone 17’s 7.95mm thickness and 177 gram weight are slightly more than the 7.8mm thickness and 170g of the iPhone 16 before it, but they’re not the sort of things you’ll notice.

If anything, the iPhone 17 strikes this delightful middle ground between Pro and Air, with even Apple’s newest ultra-thin model not even feeling that much thinner or lighter.

By comparison, the Air is a full 2.3mm thinner, but only 12g lighter, boasting a thickness of 5.64mm and weight of 165 grams, but barely looking that much different when compared head on.

The 17 is a really solid balance in design, and it works.

Features

It’s similar in the feature world, where Apple’s spec stands out by offering much of what made the Pro models interesting over the past few years, and upgrading bits and pieces you might not realise make the package better overall.

The iPhone 17 features the A19 chip as opposed to the 17 Pro’s A19 Pro processor, a different model with changes to the architecture and one less graphics core, though uses identical wireless connections: sub-6 5G, WiFi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be), Bluetooth 6, ultra-Wideband (UWB), GPS, Thread, and NFC for Apple Pay.

However, the one wired connection at the bottom is different: while both are USB-C, the iPhone 17 supports USB 2 while the 17 Pro sees support for the faster USB 3 standard.

Cameras are a little different, as well.

They’ll both get the 18 megapixel Centre Stage selfie camera, and they both also get 48 megapixel cameras on the back.

But while the 17 Pro is a three-camera phone, the standard 17 only gets two, offering a 48 megapixel main wide camera and a 48 megapixel ultra-wide.

The phones are similar in other ways, though, supporting MagSafe and Qi2-capable wireless charging when they’re dry, though they can get wet at other times, sporting an IP68 water resistance.

Display

If it sounds like the iPhone 17 is the slightly poorer cousin to the 17 Pro, you’d never realise it glancing at the screen: it’s identical.

In what’s probably a boon to Apple for repair jobs, the 6.3 inch OLED 120Hz ProMotion screen used on the iPhone 17 Pro is the same screen used on the iPhone 17.

That means you’ll get a 2622×1206 resolution, the always-on screen technology that stops the display down to 1Hz to keep it “always on”, support for Apple’s white-balancing True Tone, and maximum 3000 nits brightness you can get outside.

It’s a little larger than the 6.1 inch screen used on its predecessor, but it’s also the same as what Apple uses on its more expensive phone, and that can only be a good thing.

The display is clear, bright, and premium, delivering a lovely display for a phone that technically sits in the entry-level of the 2025 flagship iPhone range. Not too shabby, Apple.

In-use

This is the third iPhone 17 model we’ve reviewed, and unsurprisingly, it works in just about the exact same way as every other iPhone has. That’s good news for folks used to the platform, and bad news possibly for no one.

In fact, if you’re of the Android camp or thinking of switching, the approach iOS 26 currently takes by offering home screens with layout control complete with widgets in place means what you’re used to on Android also works over in the world of the iPhone, as well.

The result is a version of iOS that’s customisable and user friendly, and with the assortment of buttons Apple has used since last generation, close to what its siblings in the Pro range get, as well.

Like last year’s iPhone 16, you’ll find the custom action button replacing the silence switch, as well as the haptic touchpad camera slider for controlling the camera a little better.

In the past year, we didn’t use the latter all that much, but the button layout is spot on like its Pro and Pro Max siblings, so it’s like having the same controls across all the models, which is a good thing.

Performance

The performance is also similar, thanks in part to a new chip, even if it’s not exactly the versions used in the 17 Pro and Pro Max.

As such, the A19 (as opposed to the A19 Pro) delivers a little more oomph where it counts, and basically provides a year-on-year upgrade in tech that should keep iPhone 17 owners going for some time.

Over in the more expensive models, there’s slightly more grunt, but we doubt it’s enough to really see a major difference in apps and games, at least not currently.

That difference between A19 and A19 Pro (or iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro) is basically more grunt in single and multi-core CPU, plus more in the tank for the graphics.

But when you compare the iPhone 17 standard to previous Pro models, such as the iPhone 15 Pro and 16 Pro, you find the standard 17 stands up nicely.

Apple’s latest iPhone for everyone is more than ready to handle itself for the next few years.

It’ll even handle well against Android devices, though worth pointing out that benchmarks between Apple devices and other phones is never a proper apples and apples test. The hardware and software are both different, and so while the iPhone 17 looks great on paper, it may not be as cut and dry.

However, there’s also a solid mobile performer here, evident in our 5G tests on the Telstra network in Australia using Belong.

Before the MVNO’s bandwidth handicap came in (which on Belong is 150Mbps), we found speeds hit a good 625Mbps, meaning high speeds are definitely within reach provided you’re on a decent network and have a tower nearby (or a decent assortment of connection bars).

Camera

One of the changes to the 17 range is in the camera. There are still only two of them, and you’ll miss out on a true telephoto camera like the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, but at least you get an upgrade to the stack, meaning the combo of a 48 megapixel wide camera and 12 megapixel ultra-wide from the iPhone 16 get an upgrade, now both running at 48 megapixels.

That’s not a dramatic difference from Apple’s 48 megapixel Fusion stack concept it delivers on the Pro and Pro Max, with the only distinction being that you don’t get a 48 megapixel telephoto camera, or even any proper telephoto camera.

Apple attempts to make up for that means a 2X mode that cuts the size down to 12 megapixels, but gives you a slight zoom on what you see. It’s not a real telephoto the way it is on the other models, but it’s better than nothing. You’ll also find support for macro using the camera system, as well.

In action, the standard 17 delivers great results day and night, though clearly handles the former better. Images in the light are crisp and detailed, and you can even find some lovely up close images, too, provided you hold still when getting your shot.

The other major change is on the front, as the 12 megapixel FaceTime HD camera becomes a more clever 18 megapixel Center Stage selfie camera, a feature we tend to spell “Centre Stage” most of time because this publication is in Australia.

The feature basically brings a smarter machine learning-based approach to selfies, using a camera system that can shift between portrait and landscape, getting more people in the photo without you trying.

There are controls to tweak and turn off, should you choose to, but Centre Stage basically extends the autofocus selfie feature a little bit more.

Battery

Our tests of the battery are one area where we didn’t see any major improvements, though.

Using our own battery testing app, BatteryBench, the iPhone 17 did manage to clock up a little more battery life, measuring at just under 24 hours (23:39) of in-use screen time, a minor bump on the nearly 22 hours (21:41) of its iPhone 16 sibling. It’s not quite the 30 hour suggestion from Apple’s testing, but it’s not terribly far off, either.

While that’s positive if you plan on watching non-stop films for your next flight, the real-world usage hasn’t really changed at all. Simply put, if you use the iPhone 17 in the course of a regular day, you may find it needs a charge overnight, such as we did.

The actual usage of the iPhone 17 revealed an active screen time closer to 5 to 6 hours max, though we did keep Apple’s addition of the always-on screen running, meaning the display was also active during standby, as well, just like its Pro and Pro Max siblings. That’s a handy feature, though one you might decide to turn off to squeeze a smidge more juice out of the iPhone 17’s battery.

When it comes time to recharge the phone, you’ll find that works via either USB-C or the combination of Qi2 and MagSafe, both of which max out at 15 watts.

That’s fine, because while there’s no Qi2 25W here — they had to leave something for the Pro models — it’s still relatively speed, at least for wireless charging that is. It’s certainly nicer than the 5W maximum of most earbuds.

Value

The price is also one of the best features, with the iPhone 17 retailing from $1399 in Australia and from $1699 in New Zealand.

If your first inclination is to balk and decry, arguing that “Leigh, that’s clearly over a thousand dollars”, the counter argument is that it’s only a few hundred more than Apple’s mid-range offering that is the iPhone 16e, and yet it comes with a better camera set and more storage, not to mention the always-on ProMotion display tech.

Technically, the iPhone 17 is fantastic value, delivering much of what makes the iPhone 17 Pro intriguing, except the difference chip and camera. And frankly, you’ll barely notice the difference between the A19 and A19 Pro processors, while the camera can make a big deal.

The price jump to get to that camera is $600 in Australia (from $1999) and nearly $700 NZD in New Zealand (from $2349), so it’s a fairly steep bump to go from the two camera system to the three, and one we’re not sure everyone will see an advantage from.

That value is really where the iPhone 17 excels. As it is, the iPhone 17 is only roughly $400 more than the iPhone 16e, and beats it on performance, camera, wireless charging, screen size, and selfies.

What needs work?

The lack of a proper telephoto camera is still a bit of disheartening, though, especially as rivals start to include proper zoom in their entry to the flagship phone barrier.

This year’s Google Pixel 10 standard is a fine example to compare the iPhone 17 against, delivering a touch more zoom where it counts, and not just by cropping the sensor, which is what the iPhone 17 is doing.

However, our biggest qualm comes back to the battery: it’s still not great.

If all you’re doing is watching videos on a flight non-stop, no worries. You will be fine. But if you actually need to use the iPhone day-to-day like most people, you’ll find the battery is about the same, needing a charge nightly.

What we love

What we love about the iPhone, however, is the value, which Apple has just nailed. It’s clearly helped by the increase in storage, which now starts at 256GB, and helps you feel like you’re actually getting the right phone for the right price.

The iPhone range has always been a premium phone. Even Apple’s entry-level model is more premium than other offerings, while still managing to cut out some of the features that its higher priced siblings offer.

Here at a $1399 starting price, you’re getting a better iPhone than what the 16e offers, complete with improvements to the screen, storage, and camera. It’s not quite on the level of the Pro model, but for the price, it’s a compelling choice.

Final thoughts (TLDR)

Four models of the iPhone are released every year, and while there are clear differences in this year’s batch, the 17 definitely brings with it some great reasons to consider it as your next phone.

We’d stop short on calling the iPhone 17 the best iPhone around because it’s not. However, what Apple delivers is one of the best value iPhones you can find.

For anyone upgrading from an iPhone 14 or older, or anyone considering a new iPhone, the 17 makes for a solid choice, giving you features and screen and design not out of kilter from what the “Pro” variation on that theme gives you.

It’s not exactly the same, and the camera capabilities on the 17 Pro are clearly superior. But if you don’t need to get close in your camera and prefer a phone that’s lighter on the pocket as well as the wallet, the standard iPhone 17 is well worth a look. Recommended.