Apple iphone 17

 

 

What Apple got right / improvements

Display & durability

  • ProMotion 120Hz on the non-Pro base iPhone 17 is a big deal — smoother scrolling, better animations.
  • Brighter displays: the Pro models have very high peak brightness (up to ~3000 nits outdoors) and improved contrast and anti-reflection coatings. 
  • More scratch and crack resistance: upgraded Ceramic Shield 2, better back-glass durability. 

 

Performance / Hardware

  • New chips: A19 / A19 Pro, which bring better CPU/GPU performance and efficiency. Apple+2Tom's Guide+2
  • Improved cooling in Pro models via a vapor-chamber + heat-forged aluminum unibody, helping with sustained performance, especially under load.

 

Cameras

  • 48MP triple rear cameras in the Pro line, including better telephoto zoom (4× optical) and “Camera Control” features. Apple+2Tom's Guide+2
  • Upgraded front camera (18MP), with better framing via Center Stage, etc.

 

Battery life

  • More room in the body (thanks to design changes) gives better battery in the Pro Max especially: Apple is claiming more hours of video playback vs iPhone 15/16 Pro Max.

 

Other nice touches

  • New networking chip (N1), meaning better WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.
  • Removing physical-SIM tray in more countries, pushing eSIM — less moving parts, sleeker internal design.
  • Skipping smaller base storage — base starts at 256GB now.

 

What are the drawbacks / limitations

 

Cost vs previous generations

  • Pro models are more expensive or higher-priced tiers in many places, especially once you add features like 1TB/2TB storage, telephoto, etc. Tom's Guide
  • If you have iPhone 15 Pro or even 16 Pro, upgrades might feel incremental rather than dramatic in everyday use.

 

Design change is divisive

  • The “camera plateau” (that wide camera bar) and two-tone design may not be to everyone’s taste. 
  • The shift from previous materials (e.g. Pro models switched back to aluminum from titanium) is a trade-off: lighter, better thermal-conductivity, but some may see it as a downgrade in “premium feel.” 

 

Physical SIM removal & eSIM-only behavior

  • If you travel or switch SIMs often, the lack of a SIM tray in many countries could be inconvenient. It depends a lot on carrier support locally.

 

Innovation not “revolutionary”

  • Many of the upgrades are refinements: better camera, display, battery, etc. Not a lot of “brand new” features in most models (unless you’re in the Pro or Pro Max tier).
  • Some features like Apple Intelligence are still catching up to what Google, Samsung, etc. already offer in AI/assistant / visual intelligence.

 

Size / weight trade-offs

  • The Pro Max is large and possibly heavy; if you prefer compact phones, these might still feel big. Though the new iPhone Air helps for people wanting thin/light phones.

 

My verdict

          If I were you, here’s when I’d consider it:

  • If you use your phone a lot for photography, video, outdoor visibility (bright sun), gaming, or other demanding tasks, the Pro or Pro Max will likely feel like a meaningful upgrade.

  • If your current phone is 1-2 generations old (say iPhone 12-14), you'd see noticeable improvements.
  • But if you have a recent Pro (16 Pro), the jump may not feel huge — mostly better tweaks rather than radically different.