Pros & Cons
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- Best value among iPhone 17 models
- Fast performance
- Competitive battery life
- Speedy wireless connections
- Pro-level display
- Flexible cameras
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- No telephoto camera
Apple iPhone 17 Specs
| Battery Life (As Tested) | 24 hours, 31 minutes |
| Camera Resolution (Rear; Front-Facing) | 48MP, 48MP; 18MP |
| CPU | Apple A19 |
| Dimensions | 5.89 by 2.81 by 0.31 inches |
| Operating System | iOS 26 |
| Screen Resolution | 2,622 by 1,206 pixels |
| Screen Size | 6.3 |
The standard iPhone has never been better. With the iPhone 17 (starting at $799), Apple has upgraded the base model in meaningful ways that level it up against the rest of the iPhone 17 family—and competing flagship phones. It benefits from the same display as the iPhone 17 Pro ($1,099), delivers better battery life and performance than the iPhone Air ($999), and costs much less than the iPhone 17 Pro Max ($1,199), providing an ideal blend of features, performance, and value. The Air may exhibit more wow factor, and the Pro models have more advanced camera systems, but the iPhone 17 is our Editors' Choice winner and the best iPhone for most people.
Design: Elegant Simplicity
It may not have the Air's slim design or the Pro models' chunky camera module, but the iPhone 17 strikes a good balance between size, weight, features, and usability. Of all the new Apple phones, the standard iPhone 17 is the most like its immediate predecessor, the $699 iPhone 16, in appearance. It has one of the simplest and cleanest designs, and elegantly blends its Ceramic Shield 2 front glass, Ceramic Shield rear glass, and aluminum frame with subtle seams and a comfortable shape. Anyone who's purchased the base iPhone model in the last few years will feel instantly at home with its compact size, solid build quality, and familiar controls. This year's finishes include a pleasing Lavender, Sage (pictured below), Mist Blue, Black, and White.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The iPhone 17 (5.89 by 2.81 by 0.31 inches, 6.24 ounces) is a hair larger and heavier than the iPhone 16 (5.81 by 2.82 by 0.31 inches, 6.0 ounces), owing to the larger screen (6.3 inches versus 6.1 inches). The difference is slight enough that you won't notice unless you have both of them in your hands simultaneously. It's still the most compact member of the iPhone 17 family. Meanwhile, the $799 Google Pixel 10 (6.02 by 2.83 by 0.34 inches, 7.2 ounces) is bigger and heavier, and the $799 Samsung Galaxy S25 (5.78 by 2.78 by 0.28 inches and 5.71 ounces) is smaller and lighter. These three compact flagships are all in the same ballpark in size and weight.
I like the matte feel of the rear panel glass and the minimalistic look of the camera module. Apple says it infused the color directly into the glass. The metal frame has a pleasing grain only visible when you inspect it closely. The phone carries over the IP68 rating from the iPhone 16, the same level of dust and water protection you'll find on the Pixel 10 and Galaxy S25. You may still feel compelled to buy a case for it.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The buttons and ports are in all the same places. From top to bottom along the left edge, you'll find the Action button, the volume up button, and the volume down button. As before, you can program the Action button to perform many tasks. On the left edge, you'll find the large power button nearer to the top and the Camera Control a bit below it. All buttons have plenty of travel and feedback, while the Camera Control has a smoother feel. The USB-C (v2.0) port and speaker grille are on the bottom edge, as are two tiny screws. You won't find a SIM card tray, a feature that's been absent since the iPhone 14. The US models support eSIM only, though international models still include a physical SIM tray.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)It's a bummer that Apple hasn't upgraded the USB port. The 2.0 connector is limited to data transfer speeds of 480Mbps, while the Pro models get faster USB 3.0, which can handle speeds of up to 10Gbps (20x faster than USB 2.0).
Display: A Pro Screen for Less
With the 17, Apple upgrades the base iPhone to a pro-level screen without increasing the price, and I'm here for it. Spec for spec, the iPhone 17 has the same display as the 17 Pro.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The screen increases from 6.1 inches on the iPhone 16 to 6.3 inches, jumps from a resolution of 2,556 by 1,179 pixels with a density of 460 pixels per inch (ppi) to 2,622 by 1,206 pixels at 460ppi, and leaps upward in brightness from a peak of 2,000 nits to a peak of 3,000 nits. You also get the full Dynamic Island with Face ID scanner for secure biometric transactions.
More importantly, the iPhone 17 drops the static 60Hz panel of last year's phone and adopts the ProMotion Display, which has a variable refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz, and introduces the always-on display to base-level iPhone users. The always-on display (which shows your wallpaper, clock, notifications, and widgets) has been available on the Pro iPhone models (and budget Android phones) for years. It's a welcome upgrade.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Performance: All the Power You Need
The iPhone 17's performance lands right where I expected it to. It's not quite as quick as the Pro models, but it outguns much of the Android competition, including Google's Pixel 10, on benchmarks.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The iPhone 17 is built around Apple's base A19 processor, which packs a six-core CPU, a five-core GPU, and Apple's Neural Engine, or NPU. New for the A19, the GPU cores each have their own Neural Accelerator, which the company says boosts the chip's ability to process AI calculations. The iPhone Air upgrades to the A19 Pro with the same number of cores. The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max also get the A19 Pro processor, but each has an additional GPU core. Clock speeds are unknown.
As expected, the iPhone 17 has the least memory of the lot at 8GB of RAM, while the other models all have 12GB. Importantly, Apple has finally boosted the base storage from 128GB on the iPhone 16 to 256GB for the iPhone 17. You can opt for a 512GB model if you wish. (Did I mention yet that the base iPhone still costs $799?)
I ran the phone through the typical battery of benchmark tests to see how it fares against the competition. Surprisingly, it runs a bit faster than the iPhone Air, which becomes much hotter than the 17 under load. Meanwhile, the Pro iPhones are about 10% faster, which isn't as big a difference as I expected.
The iPhone 17 buries the Pixel 10's Tensor G5 processor in testing, though Google tells us it designs its chips to run AI calculations, not perform well on benchmarks. The iPhone 17's A19 also bested the Galaxy S25's Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip in CPU performance, though it fell behind in GPU calculations.
Ultimately, the iPhone 17 and its combination of memory and A19 power are more than enough to handle all your apps, daily tasks, and Apple Intelligence requests. In my tests, the phone had no trouble generating AI images, conjuring up new Genmoji, and powering Apple Photos' editing tools.
Battery: It Gets the Job Done
Apple doesn't disclose the size of the iPhone 17's battery, but we know it lasts long enough to get you through the day. Historically, the base-level iPhone has generally posted respectable battery numbers, and in that regard, the 17 is no different.
Our battery test involves streaming a full HD YouTube video over Wi-Fi with the screen's brightness set to the max. Under these circumstances, the iPhone 17 lasted 24 hours and 31 minutes. That's less than Apple's stated battery life of 27 hours for streamed media, but it's significantly better than the iPhone Air's battery life of 19 hours and 31 minutes. In my tests, the Pro and Pro Max batteries lasted about three and eight hours longer, respectively.
The Pixel 10 and Galaxy S25 batteries don't fare as well, at 12 hours and 40 minutes and 14 hours and 15 minutes, respectively.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The iPhone 17 is a bit quicker at charging than the 16. It can handle wired charging at up to 30W and wireless charging at up to 25W (with MagSafe and Qi2), the same as the Pro iPhones. I tested it with Apple's new variable-rate charger, and it charged from 0% to 100% in 1 hour—a 5-minute improvement over the iPhone 16.
Connections: All the Right Radios
The iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and Pro Max share the same radio components. That means an unspecified third-party modem (most likely from Qualcomm), the company's N1 chip, and more. The iPhone Air, however, uses Apple's proprietary C1x modem.
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You've got sub-6GHz 5G with C-band on board and mmWave. This pairing means you can access most 5G networks worldwide, including the absolute fastest service from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon in the US. I tested the iPhone 17 using AT&T's network in the New York City area and came away with fast, if not earth-shattering, results.
Our chart shows that the phone reached a maximum download speed of 675Mbps and a maximum upload speed of 255Mbps when on AT&T's fastest 5G service. I've seen AT&T 5G reach more than 1Gbps, so there's room for improvement. The phone performed at about the same level as the 17 Pro and Pro Max on 5G, and about 50Mbps quicker in cellular speed tests than the Air, which doesn't have mmWave.
Many of the phone's other radios, including Bluetooth 6.0, Thread, and Wi-Fi 7, are contained in Apple's N1 chip. This is a custom piece of silicon that's new this year. It works hand-in-hand with Apple's A19 processor to deliver what Apple says are the best and most efficient results. I've seen faster Wi-Fi performance on my home Wi-Fi network, but the iPhone 17 still delivered impressive numbers with a max download speed of 668Mbps and max upload speed of 278Mbps. The company says the chief benefit of the N1 will be with features such as AirDrop and the personal hotspot—particularly when connecting to other Apple devices.
In my tests, the Bluetooth radio handled the AirPods Pro 3 easily and remained connected even when I moved throughout my home. The phone supports the AAC, APAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, and FLAC codecs, which is unchanged from older iPhones.
You can bank on the iPhone 17's dual-frequency GPS radio to direct you through urban canyons and far-afield tree-filled forests.
Audio: Loud, Clear Calls, But Don't Push the Speakers
The iPhone 17 has shockingly loud speakers. As per the norm, the phone generates stereo sound by combining the downward-firing speaker with the earpiece. During calls, you get audio from the earpiece only.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)In test calls, voices sounded excellent, whether through the earpiece or the speakerphone. Clarity was outstanding, and voices had a nice, natural tone. The phone does a fantastic job of tamping down environmental sounds, like passing cars and lawn equipment. The earpiece reached a maximum volume of 79dB during a test call, and the speakerphone topped 90dB, which is more than loud enough to hear your caller in just about any environment.
I found you can push the speakers too far. At maximum volume, the phone reached 93dB, one of the highest numbers I've seen from any phone. But the speakers broke up and distorted at this volume. I recommend dialing it down a bit, so you can hear the fine details on tracks like The Knife's "Silent Shout." The bass here really shines, though it sounds better through a Bluetooth speaker or pair of earphones.
Cameras: Excellent Results All Around
With the iPhone 17, you get two rear cameras and a reimagined front-facing selfie shooter, which is similar to what Apple has used in the past, but with some refinements.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Apple has revised the camera app for the iPhone 17 and iOS 26. It's now somewhat simpler when you first launch it, showing only the photo shutter and video capture buttons. You must swipe the button left or right to access more shooting modes. Some of the settings are buried a bit in new menus. All the same features are there, but they're arranged differently. Your experience will depend a bit on how often you care to use the more advanced features.
The main 48MP Fusion camera has an aperture of f/1.6 and sensor-shift optical image stabilization. Like the main cameras of the Air, 17 Pro, and Pro Max phones, it shoots a combination of 48MP photos and binned 12MP photos and then combines the data into a final 24MP result. Apple claims this gives you the best detail and light capture. The company has upgraded the ultra-wide camera to the same style of 48MP Fusion camera sensor with an aperture of f/2.2 and a 120-degree field of view. The iPhone 16 has a 12MP ultra-wide camera, so this is a significant boost for the wide-angle shooter.
This combination of cameras allows you to take shots at 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 4x with "optical" zoom quality. You can use digital zoom out to 10x. The Air is limited to 1x and 2x optical quality, while the Pro models push it out to 8x with optical zoom quality, thanks to the additional telephoto lens.
As always, the iPhone takes terrific photos. And as you can see, my test shots show sharp focus, good exposure, nice color, and a natural look.
The selfie camera is identical across all four new iPhones. It's an 18MP Center Stage camera with a new square-shaped sensor that lets you take wide or tall photos, no matter how you hold the phone. You can select from four basic shot profiles and then apply portrait and other effects for an incredible range of selfie "lewks." Selfie fans will appreciate this addition. The front camera takes stellar photos across the board.
The iPhone 17 includes enough video capture tools to satisfy most casual users. In addition to 4K60 recording in Dolby Vision, the phone supports a wide range of time-shift shooting modes, Action and Cinematic modes for stylized footage, and enough resolution and frame rate combinations to get the exact result you want. The footage I captured with the iPhone 17 looks outstanding. I was pleased with the level of detail I saw, and found the tools more than adequate for everyday videography.
Last, the iPhone 17 gains Dual Capture, which lets you shoot video from the front and rear cameras at the same time. Although Android phones have been able to do this for 10 years or more, it's a new feature for the iPhone that will likely lead to lots of new content across social media. It worked fine in my tests.
Software: Liquid Glass Upgrades the Look
All iPhone 17 models ship with iOS 26, a massive update to Apple's mobile platform. The biggest change is the totally refreshed look, which Apple calls Liquid Glass. I'm not 100% on board with it, but at least it's flexible enough to let you personalize it to your tastes. The phone will receive at least five years of software updates, which is good, but doesn't match the seven years promised by Google and Samsung for their Pixel and Galaxy phones.
In addition to the new coat of liquid paint, iOS 26 cleans up the Photos app, adds tools like polls to the messaging app, and expands Apple Intelligence. For example, Live Translation lets you speak with someone in a different language, Visual Intelligence is better at finding results when searching with your camera, and the Image Playground provides a richer array of ways to generate images. Apple doesn't go overboard with AI features this go-around, likely because the company has been under fire for overpromising and underdelivering on Apple Intelligence. If you're looking for AI power in your pocket, a Pixel or Galaxy might be a better option.
One area iOS 26 really impacts the iPhone 17 is the lock screen. Now that the iPhone 17 supports an always-on display, the added lock screen tools in iOS 26 give standard iPhone buyers a much better experience than what was available on last year's iPhone 16.
We expect to publish a full review of iOS 26 in the days ahead, so check back soon.