The iPhone 17 lastly feels just like the cellphone everybody secretly wished from Apple

For years, the principle level of my base iPhone reviews has been that it is a strong, all-around cellphone that is excellent for the common smartphone person, with one key lacking function that is troublesome to excuse, any approach you take a look at it — 120Hz ProMotion.

Whereas a better refresh fee show is the kind of function not everybody notices instantly, as soon as you’ve got used a tool with a silky easy display screen, it is practically unimaginable to return. Add in the truth that most Android units, together with even these on the entry-level aspect, function not less than a 90Hz show, and Apple locking ProMotion to its Professional iPhones has felt like a gatekeeping cash-grab for a very long time now.

Amongst different notable upgrades, with the iPhone 17, that is fortunately not the case, making it one in all 2025’s high smartphones for the worth.

This 12 months, the iPhone 17 will get the most important improve

The enhancements do not stand out, however they matter

Whereas the iPhone 17 Pro provides top-tier digital camera efficiency identical to in years previous, and the iPhone Air offers us a restricted however nonetheless compelling glimpse at Apple’s future iPhone plans, the iPhone 17 is arguably this 12 months’s most upgraded iPhone, regardless of being by far the least flashy. Apple has refused to convey ProMotion to its base flagship since its launch again in 2022, even if even entry-level Android telephones have featured greater refresh fee shows for a number of generations, together with most not too long ago, Google’s glorious Pixel 9a and Pixel 10.

So what does ProMotion really do? It is a bit troublesome to explain and is the kind of improve it’s good to see in particular person to understand, however on a fundamental stage, the scrolling expertise on the iPhone 17’s 6.3-inch display screen is far smoother. The uneven motion that ruined the iPhone 16’s show for me simply is not an issue on the iPhone 17. All the pieces from quickly flipping between apps and doom-scrolling social media, to navigating iOS 26’s flashy Liquid Glass UI and its enjoyable animations (which I really actually like, by the best way), really feel extremely easy. As soon as you’ve got used a cellphone with a better refresh fee, you actually cannot return.

Including to that is the addition of an always-on show for the primary time now that the cellphone now contains a variable refresh fee show, permitting the display screen to dip all the way down to 1Hz to save lots of battery and ratchet all of it the best way as much as 120Hz when crucial. Which means that, just like the iPhone 17 Professional, if you set the iPhone 17 down, the display screen dims and, relying in your settings, a faded-out model of your wallpaper, widgets, and notifications seems. I turned off the wallpaper to save lots of a bit extra battery life, giving the cellphone a cleaner black and white look. Despite the fact that I am not that massive on always-on smartphone screens, I’ve appreciated having the ability to look on the iPhone 17 to examine the time and to see what number of notifications I’ve, and I feel others will, too.

Sadly, the cellphone nonetheless options sizable bezels in comparison with the iPhone 17 Professional, however that is the form of shortcoming I would count on from a base-level cellphone. On the plus aspect, the display screen is barely greater at 6.3-inches in comparison with 6.1-inches, although throughout my time with the iPhone 17 thus far, I have not actually seen the dimensions change.

The all-important selfie shooter will get a giant bump

In lots of methods, digital camera efficiency is corresponding to the iPhone 17 Professional

Whereas the iPhone 17 Professional/Professional Max are higher suited to avid photographers due to their triple digital camera setup, the iPhone 17 has stepped its recreation up this 12 months. Its important f/1.6 48-megapixel shooter nonetheless shines relating to low-light, particularly within the context of a base cellphone, and the ultra-wide shooter has been upgraded to an f/2.2 48-megapixel sensor from the f/1.9 12-megapixel shooter within the iPhone 16, although the picture high quality enchancment is not substantial.

Extremely-wide images are a bit extra vibrant, however you actually need to look intently to see the distinction. I might have most popular Apple ditched the ultra-wide for an optical zoom lens, although identical to final 12 months, the 2x sensor crop zoom supplied by the iPhone 17’s important shooter continues to be strong.

The Selfie shooter has additionally been up to date to f/1.9 18-megapixels with Heart Stage, identical to the remainder of the iPhone 17 collection, providing crisp and detailed photographs below all kinds of sunshine. Heart Stage makes use of a sq. picture sensor as an alternative of the extra conventional rectangle, permitting you to flip between portrait and panorama images on the fly and after you shoot the picture, all with out altering the cellphone’s orientation.

It is a minor addition, however I’ve discovered it to be a extremely helpful function, particularly as I slowly admit defeat and begin snapping extra images in portrait orientation. I do not take selfies typically, however after I do snap them, I’ve grown to understand this versatility.

All the pieces else

The A19 chip, sooner wi-fi charging, and extra beginning storage

There are different minor updates, too, together with Apple’s highly effective A19 chip (the A19 Professional is saved for the iPhone 17 Professional and iPhone Air). Apple’s chips have been overkill for years, so the bottom A19 is greater than highly effective sufficient for most individuals. Wi-fi charging has additionally been kicked as much as 25W, permitting you to get to 50% in simply half-hour, making it simple to rapidly high up the cellphone’s battery life. And at last, beginning storage is doubled to 256GB. Much like ProMotion, Apple has caught with 128GB with its base iPhone for years, a brutal quantity of storage by 2025 requirements, particularly in comparison with practically each trendy Android cellphone on the market. I do know most individuals seemingly subscribe iCloud storage at this level, however nonetheless, 128GB of bodily storage was laughably unhealthy.

For what you get with the iPhone 17 this 12 months, $800 is a strong value, and for the primary time, upgrading to the $1,100 iPhone 17 Professional does not really feel price it. To justify the associated fee, you actually have to be into pictures or want the additional energy the A19 Professional chip provides. For the primary time, the bottom iPhone does not function any notable compromises, making the iPhone 17 probably the most full smartphone packages Apple has ever launched.