Neglect the iPhone 17 Professional and Air, the bottom iPhone 17 is the one I might purchase now

After I purchased an iPhone 16 Pro final yr, one of many smaller causes was that I used to be bored with lacking out on options, significantly as somebody who covers smartphone tech for a dwelling. I might been utilizing iPhones for years, however solely ever shopping for the vanilla fashions for finances causes. For a quick second, I had sufficient cash to purchase one thing state-of-the-art, and I seized it. I do not remorse the choice for probably the most half — the telephone’s telephoto digicam is not pretty much as good accurately, however in any other case, the acquisition resides as much as expectations.

I am probably going to skip an improve till subsequent fall on the earliest, but when I do find yourself shopping for one thing this yr, the selection is fairly clear for me: the bottom iPhone 17. The iPhone 17 Pro is tempting, however it’s arduous to disclaim the worth proposition of the common mannequin now that Apple has realigned what it considers “normal” specs going into 2026. In truth, it is robust to justify a Professional in my state of affairs, and doubtless yours as properly.

The case for the iPhone 17

Greater than ok for many customers

The most important issue for me is that the bottom 17 has a 120Hz ProMotion show, identical to another mannequin. If you happen to’re solely casually accustomed to iPhones, this may not sound like a giant deal — however as soon as you have used a 120Hz display, it is robust to return to 60Hz, which makes scrolling via apps and menus really feel sluggish by comparability. Till this yr, ProMotion was reserved for Professional fashions (because the title implies), even though finances Android telephones have had 90 or 120Hz panels for ages. Base iPhones aren’t needlessly crippled anymore.

My favourite side of ProMotion is its assist for always-on (AOD) features. Throughout the workday, I can watch notifications roll in on my 16 Professional with out having to choose it up, and even wake it — very useful for somebody who must preserve an in depth tab on messages and information headlines. Even for those who do not care about checking for notifications each jiffy, it is good to see issues like climate and battery widgets at a look, or flip your iPhone into a wise show by the use of StandBy mode.

The usual 17 is on par with the 17 Professional in different methods, as properly. Each telephones measure 6.3 inches, and are protected with Ceramic Defend 2 glass on the entrance. In addition they share 18-megapixel Middle Stage entrance cameras, 256GB of default storage, and 48-megapixel essential and ultra-wide cameras. Battery life is not that far aside both. Whereas the Professional is rated for 33 hours of video playback as a substitute of 30, that is not a lot of a niche in real-world utilization — particularly since my 16 Professional is rated for simply 27. You needn’t purchase a 17 Professional for all-day runtime until you count on to report a number of your individual video, or play a number of 3D video games.

Talking of which, there’s not a lot of a efficiency hole between the 17’s A19 processor and the A19 Professional. The A19 Professional has an additional GPU core — that is it. You may discover a distinction for those who’re attempting to crank up the element in Resident Evil Village, however most likely nothing in any respect for those who’re simply skimming movies on Instagram or driving together with Google Maps. The fact is that iPhones have been overpowered for many duties for some time now. There’s not a lot sense shelling out an additional $300 to make video games look slightly higher, not when that cash could possibly be going in the direction of a tool like a Steam Deck.

It is the considered what else I might do with that $300 that is the clincher. Placing apart non-tech makes use of like payments, $300 should purchase loads of issues that can improve an iPhone greater than barely higher 3D or (relying in your wants) a telephoto digicam. You can purchase a rugged case and a multi-device MagSafe charger, for instance. You can get the Apple Watch SE or AirPods Pro 3. It is also sufficient cash for about two years of Spotify or Apple Music.

Does it make sense for anybody to get an iPhone 17 Professional?

Luxurious versus practicality

Credit score: Apple / Pocket-lint

Definitely, however with the bottom 17 having no apparent faults, the sensible benefits grow to be comparatively area of interest. The principle motive I might take into account one is healthier images — whereas digital zoom appears surprisingly good on the vanilla mannequin, you are merely going to have the ability to take higher pictures in additional conditions with a devoted telephoto digicam.

Apple has additionally upgraded its telephoto sensor from 12 to 48 megapixels for this era, resulting in superior outcomes at 4x zoom, and non-compulsory 8x digital magnification. If you happen to’re attempting to seize an occasion the place you are not up near the motion, a 17 Professional might imply the distinction between getting a good shot of your topic(s) or nothing greater than a pixelated blur.

Certainly, there are a number of different upgrades for photographers and videographers, like Genlock and ProRES RAW assist. If you happen to’re taking pictures a number of 4K footage, you will most likely want the Professional’s 10Gbps USB port, or its terabyte-level storage tiers. However there aren’t many individuals who flip to an iPhone for severe film-making, films like 28 Years Later however.

Past that, I believe the one severe argument for a Professional is battery life. Some folks genuinely want each final drop of energy, and never simply due to video games or media. After I might afford to journey extra, my iPhone 13 generally had little juice left after a cross-continental flight, even with Low Energy Mode on whereas I used to be within the air. You is perhaps taking 12-hour hospital shifts, tethering your laptop computer, or happening weekend tenting journeys. I do know I might give battery specs extra weight if I lived in Louisiana or Florida and needed a telephone that would survive a hurricane evacuation.

What concerning the iPhone Air?

Gone with the wind

Credit score: Apple / Pocket-lint

I can not presumably think about shopping for an Air. As a feat of engineering, it is spectacular, however its weight and thinness include a few main sacrifices versus the iPhone 17. One is battery life — whereas it is rated for a similar longevity as my 16 Professional, reviewers have already complained concerning the telephone operating noticeably dry by the top of the day. Apple might’ve solved this with silicon-carbon battery tech, which gives improved vitality density, however it selected to not for no matter motive.

The telephone even drops an ultra-wide digicam. This prevents any sort of macrophotography, and limits group or scenic photographs. It is really a step backward when you think about that many similarly-priced Android gadgets have triple-camera techniques.

Worth is the killer right here, although. Apple is charging $999 — $200 greater than the bottom 17, and simply $100 shy of a Professional. There’s simply no world by which that is good worth, until maybe you worth kind over perform, or you might have a tough time holding a daily smartphone as a result of grip points. That is not most individuals, and undoubtedly not me.