Pros & Cons
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- Sharp, powerful cameras
- Advanced video tools
- Incredible battery life
- Bright screen
- Ultra-quick speed
- Top-notch build quality
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- No 2TB storage option
- Expensive
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Specs
| Battery Life (As Tested) | 27 hours, 42 minutes |
| Camera Resolution (Rear; Front-Facing) | 48MP, 48MP, 48MP; 18MP |
| CPU | Apple A19 Pro |
| Dimensions | 5.91 by 2.83 by 0.34 inches |
| Operating System | iOS 26 |
| Screen Resolution | 2,622 by 1,206 pixels |
| Screen Size | 6.3 |
The $1,099 Apple iPhone 17 Pro is a pocket powerhouse. No other phone this size provides this much creative performance, making it easy to recommend if you want to carry a top-notch camera everywhere you go. It includes all the tools and functionality of the larger iPhone 17 Pro Max ($1,199) in a more manageable size for $100 less. That said, the standard iPhone 17 ($799) has the same spectacular screen and similar features for less money, making it our Editors' Choice winner and our top recommendation for most people. Still, if the iPhone 17 Pro's professional-grade camera features and extra battery life appeal to you, it's worth the extra money.
Design: A Tip of the Scale
The iPhone 17 Pro is just like the Pro Max, only smaller. Other than the tighter dimensions and shorter battery life, it's basically the same phone. It matches the bigger, pricier Max spec for spec and feature for feature across the board, which means it's no second-rate offering. It's a potent performer that goes anywhere without giving up anything to the larger model.
Owing in part to their shared 6.3-inch screen, the iPhone 17 Pro (5.91 by 2.83 by 0.34 inches) is about the same size as the iPhone 17 (5.89 by 2.81 by 0.31 inches), but it's a full ounce heavier (7.27 ounces versus 6.24 ounces). The Pro Max is significantly bigger (6.43 by 3.07 by 0.34 inches) and heavier (8.22 ounces).
In comparison, the $999 Pixel 10 Pro measures 6.02 by 2.83 by 0.34 inches and weighs 7.30 ounces, making it larger but about the same weight.
I'm an unabashed Pro Max user. It's been my iPhone of choice for years, but the iPhone 17 Pro is undeniably impressive in what it delivers for its size. The (semi-)compact frame makes it terrific to carry around and use. It's a more appropriate size for those who shy away from mega-sized phones that weigh a ton and stretch your pants in every direction.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The 17 Pro shares its aluminum chassis, Ceramic Shield 2 front panel, Ceramic Shield rear panel, IP68 rating, and color palette with the Pro Max. It's just as well built, just as tough, and comes in the same distinct colors (Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, or Silver). I really like the Deep Blue hue of my review unit.
Apple's new camera plateau stands out as the most significant visual design element (other than the Cosmic Orange). It consumes a huge portion of the phone's rear panel and is far more prominent than the camera bar of the Pixel 10 series or the vertically stacked camera module of the Galaxy S25 phones. The glass insert is also a new style for Apple. Where the Silver model has a contrasting white panel, the Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue models have color-matched panels.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Functionally, the iPhone 17 Pro is equivalent to its stablemates, thanks to uniform button and port placement around the outer frame. The right side holds the power button and Camera Control, the left side houses the Action Button and volume toggles, and the bottom edge contains the high-speed USB-C 3.0 port and speaker grille.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)I appreciate the way the aluminum frame curves along the glass seams. This helps reduce the phone's size in hand feel, despite the flat edges of the outer chassis. Some phones have sharp edges along the glass, which can make them feel bigger when gripped tightly.
The 17 Pro feels dense, sure, but big? No. It's an ideal-sized phone for many people.
Display: Bright, Sharp, and Dynamic
The iPhone 17 Pro has the exact same screen as the (cheaper) iPhone 17. For the first time, all four new iPhones share equally capable displays.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The OLED screen measures 6.3 inches across the diagonal, has a resolution of 2,622 by 1,206 pixels, and shares its pixel density of 460 pixels per inch (ppi) with the other iPhones. Perhaps the most significant change is the screen's increase in brightness, which ratchets up from a maximum of 2,000 nits on the 16 Pro to 3,000 nits. I had no trouble reading it under the brightest lighting conditions.
It includes variable refresh rate tech, which Apple calls ProMotion. The screen can dynamically switch from as low as 1Hz up to 120Hz depending on the circumstances to provide the best experience or the most efficient performance. The screen also has a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, which means HDR videos look amazing. It's simply a fantastic screen.
In comparison, the Pixel 10 Pro has a 6.3-inch screen with 2,856 by 1,280 pixels, a 1Hz to 120Hz variable refresh rate, and a brightness of up to 3,300 nits (peak outdoor).
Performance: Faster in Benchmarks Than the Pro Max
The iPhone 17 Pro actually outperforms its larger sibling on some benchmarks, but I wouldn't get too worked up about that.
The 17 Pro has Apple's new A19 Pro chip, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB ($1,099), 512GB ($1,299), or 1TB ($1,499) of storage. If you want the 2TB storage option, you'll have to upgrade to the Pro Max. The processor has the same configuration as the Pro Max, which means it packs a six-core CPU, a six-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core NPU.
I tested all the iPhones by running Geekbench 6, GFXBench Aztec Ruins, 3DMark, and AnTuTu. They all did well, but the 17 Pro did better than the rest (though only by about 1% or so). It's possible the higher pixel count of the Pro Max display played a role in its GPU test results versus the 17 Pro.
Looking at the Pro's competitors, we have to weigh the Pixel 10 and Galaxy S25. These phones pushed more frames per second on graphics benchmarks, but the 17 Pro beat them handily in raw CPU performance. For example, the 10 Pro scored 2,355 and 6,466 on Geekbench 6—nowhere near the iPhone 17 Pro.
Benchmarks don't matter as much as real-world performance, however, and in that respect, the iPhone 17 Pro ran just as smoothly as the other iPhone 17 models. Whether you're browsing the web, editing photos, recording tracks to GarageBand, or processing RAW video, the phone can handle it all. It does get warm, but the vapor chamber does a fine job of keeping the processor cool enough to continue running under pressure.
Battery: No Compromises Here
As is often the case, the iPhone 17 Pro's battery is the second-best performer in the iPhone 17 family. In our battery test, the Pro Max set a new bar by lasting longer than 32 hours on a single charge. The 17 Pro did almost as well, coming in at 27 hours and 42 minutes, though it falls short of Apple's advertised battery life of 30 hours. Our battery test involves streaming a video over Wi-Fi with the display's brightness cranked all the way up.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The 17 Pro beats the iPhone 17 (24 hours, 31 minutes) and the iPhone Air (19 hours, 15 minutes) with hours to spare. It also easily outlasts the Pixel 10 Pro (12 hours, 40 minutes) and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (14 hours, 15 minutes). In fact, it runs twice as long as either phone.
The phone supports wired charging at up to 30W and MagSafe or Qi2 wireless charging at up to 25W. I tested it with Apple's new 40W variable-rate charger, and it recharged from zero to full in 53 minutes. That's one of the fastest charging times I've seen for an iPhone. Last year's iPhone 16 Pro needed 71 minutes to reach a full charge, and the Pixel 10 Pro needed 1 hour and 35 minutes.
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Connections: Speedy Surfing Ahead
The phone's radio package is identical to the iPhone 17 and Pro Max. It has all the latest modems and covers a wide spectrum of connectivity options, whether you're comfy on the couch at home or carefully scaling a granite face on another continent.
The full breadth of 5G is on board, which means super speedy mmWave, C-band, and the bulk of sub-6GHz spectrum. The phone's 5G performance matches its peers, and it snagged quick speeds (689Mbps down, 262Mbps up) in testing on AT&T's 5G network around New York City. In the US, you're limited to eSIM (there's no physical SIM card on board).
The same goes for Wi-Fi. With Wi-Fi 7 support, you'll get quick local area wireless speeds when inside. Again, the phone matched other iPhones in upload and download speeds, which ran 785Mbps down and 315Mbps up in testing.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Bluetooth 6 ensures you can connect to the best Bluetooth accessories, and Thread support keeps the phone in touch with your smart home tech.
Apple says your iPhone 17 Pro's mobile hotspot and AirDrop features should perform better thanks to its proprietary N1 radio chip, which combines the Wi-Fi, Thread, and Bluetooth radios.
Audio: Plenty of Volume
The Pro offers the same high-level audio performance as the Pro Max. It's excellent for voice calls, speakerphone calls, FaceTime calls, and blasting your favorite tunes around the house.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The earpiece reaches a hardy 76.9dB, and the speakerphone increases that to 83.2dB. Whichever way you choose to place a call, it'll be loud enough for you to hear in most places and free of distracting background noise.
Our test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," sounded particularly good from the stereo speakers, which reached as high as 84.6dB in testing. That's loud enough to fill your kitchen with a soundtrack while you make supper.
Like the Pro Max, the iPhone 17 Pro does a stellar job of recording audio. It has a four-mic system matched with AI processing and can capture mono, stereo, or spatial audio, and perform advanced edits after the fact.
Cameras: Top Photos and Video
Apple doesn't compromise on the camera and video package for this phone. It's just as capable as the Pro Max, which makes the iPhone 17 Pro a compact dynamo at capturing your content.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The phone has a triple 48MP Fusion camera system. You get a 48MP main camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 48MP telephoto camera with up to 4x true optical zoom. Each of these cameras blends 48MP and 12MP images to create 24MP photos. You can choose from several different file formats (HEIF, JPEG, DNG) and resolutions (24MP and 48MP).
You can take advantage of the Camera app's simplified user interface to quickly shoot photos and record video, or dive into the settings tools to access photography styles, alternate shooting modes, or make adjustments to the app's performance. I like that the Camera Control is a little more responsive than on the iPhone 16 Pro. It feels like it launches the camera quicker.
These three cameras give you the photographic equivalent of a 13mm to 200mm zoom range, which covers the vast bulk of scenes you might need to capture. I'm sure you'll be delighted by the final results, which are sharp, have vibrant color, and provide just the right amount of detail in the shadows and highlights.
You also get nice close-up results using the automatic portrait and automatic macro modes, as revealed in these samples. I really like the color in these shots, which is 100% accurate to what my eyes saw in real life.
Apple has introduced something new with the 17 Pro's selfie camera. Called the Center Stage camera, the front-facing 18MP shooter ditches the standard 4:3 aspect ratio sensor for a square 1:1 aspect ratio. This allows the sensor to crop the image based on Apple’s programming, enabling you to take landscape or portrait-oriented photos regardless of how you're holding the phone. It's as simple as toggling an on-screen button. Combined with the zoomed and wide viewing angles, you can achieve results similar to the shots below without moving your hand.
Video is where the iPhone 17 Pro really excels. It carries an incredible amount of power for capturing video, whether that's a child's first birthday party in the backyard or a chase scene in your latest thriller.
You have a wide range of resolutions (720p to 4K) and frame rates (24fps to 120fps) to choose from, in addition to advanced modes like Action and Cinematic, which let you add character to your footage. You also have plenty of choices of formats, such as Academy Color Encoding System (ACES), Apple Log 2, Genlock (new this year), ProRes, and ProRes RAW. These give serious cinematographers lots of post-production options to tweak their results.
Whatever your video needs are, the 17 Pro can meet them time and again. The sample footage I shot looked simply fantastic. Anyone who's serious about video can rely on the iPhone 17 Pro to be their always-available pocket camera and production studio.
Software: A Refreshed Look and Powerful Features
The iPhone 17 Pro has all the same software and features as the rest of the iPhone 17 family. That means iOS 26 comes preloaded. You can expect to see five or more years of software support from Apple, which doesn't quite match the seven years Google and Samsung provide for their phones.
First and foremost, iOS 26 adopts Liquid Glass. It is definitely a new look. Although it's an evolved version of iOS 18 (meaning you have the same tools for tweaking the home screen appearance), new options let your app icons almost disappear. Surely some will love it and others will find it not to their taste. If you enjoy dressing up your lock screen, iOS 26 introduces new features and widgets for making it your own.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)From a practical standpoint, Live Translation could be the most powerful new tool. If you often find yourself traveling to other countries, you'll be able to converse with someone in English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish (at launch) on the phone or in person, even if the other person doesn't have a phone at all. In testing, I found the feature can be a little awkward, but it lets you communicate more than just the basics in real time—and that's huge. Live Translation will be available in more languages and locations over time.
Closer to home, the Apple Photos app earns some improvements. For example, the Cleanup function is better at finding and deleting background distractions from your otherwise perfect vacation shots.