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Apple's "Awe Dropping" event is underway, and we have now seen the official unveiling of the long-anticipated iPhone 17. While the phone might initially look very similar to the iPhone 16, there are more than a few changes that indicate this could be one of the best phones you can buy.
iPhone 17: Highlights
- A 6.3-inch display
- 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits
- Ceramic shield 2 glass offering 2x more resistance to scratches
- A19 chip with 3nm technology
- 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU that's 90% faster than the iPhone 14
- 48MP dual fusion main camera, 2x telephont and 48MP Ultrawide
- 18MP Center stage front camera
- All-day battery life with 8 hours more video playback compared to iPhone 16
- faster wired charging, allowing you to reach 50% in 20 minutes
iPhone 17: Price and Availability
The iPhone 17 comes in five colors: Lavender, Mist Blue, Black, White and Sage with a base storage of 256GB, as well as a 512GB option. For the base model, you're looking at a price of $799, the same as the iPhone 16. You can also get up to $700 off when you trade in an iPhone 13 or newer, no matter what the condition is.
Preorders for all the new models start this Friday, September 12, with availability beginning Friday, September 19.
iPhone 17: Display and Design
The iPhone 17 features a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display, featuring Pro Motion that offers an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. The always-on display will show users the time, on-screen widgets and Live Activities at a glance, but drop the refresh rate down to 1Hz when not in use.
The iPhone 17 screen is also much brighter, reaching a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, far exceeding the 2,000 nits seen on the iPhone 16. However, we'll need to test that for ourselves. The iPhone 17 is also stated to be more resistant, with the Ceramic shield 2 offering 3x more protection against scratches, while the seven-layer anti-reflective coating makes sure you get the best visuals possible, even when in direct sunlight.
iPhone 17: Cameras
At a glance, you might think that the iPhone 17 only offers two cameras, but that's not entirely accurate. The iPhone 17 is the first baseline iPhone to feature all 48MP cameras, including a 48MP Fusion Main camera that comes with an integrated optical-quality 2x Telephoto lens. There's also a 48MP Fusion UltraWide camera that captures up to 4x the resolution seen on the previous generation.
It's not just the rear cameras, as the iPhone 17 introduces the new "Center stage" 18MP selfie camera. This new design utilizes a square sensor rather than the more common round sensor. This new design allows you to capture more detail, but also means that you no longer have to rotate the phone to take a landscape selfie.
Center Stage utilizes AI to automatically expand the field of view when taking group shots, while also enabling Ultra-stabilized video in 4K HDR. Not only that, users can also record on both the front and back cameras thanks to Dual Capture.
iPhone 17: Performance and software
The iPhone 17 features Apple's new A19 chip that's built on 3nm technology, delivering powerful performance, efficiency and a boost in overall speed. The 6-Core GPU is reportedly 1.5x faster than the A15 Bionic chip, while the 5-core GPU is 2x faster than the one seen in the A15 Bionic chip. This means the iPhone 17 will offer stunning graphics and improve frame rates when gaming on the iPhone 17.
Not only that, the GPU features built-in neural accelerators that will help the phone to run powerful generative AI on device, which could be a game changer when it comes to future Apple Intelligence features.
The iPhone 17 will feature iOS 26 at launch, alongside a host of Apple Intelligence features. This includes being able to translate text and audio on the go, as well as improvements to Visual Intelligence. While Apple Intelligence might have struggled initially, the new A19 chip could be the kick it needs.
iPhone 17: Battery Life
The A19 chip is stated to do more than just improve performance, as combining it with the power of iOS 26 is bringing some major battery life improvements. According to Apple, the iPhone 17 will feature an "all-day battery life." When you add ProMotion, Apple states that the iPhone 17 will get up to 30 hours of video playback, which is eight more hours than we'd expect from the iPhone 16. While this is impressive, we'll hold off on judgment until we have a chance to test it ourselves.
iOS 26 also offers an Adaptive Power Mode that learns from a user's typical battery consumption. This will allow the phone to anticipate when you're likely to start running low on power, and conserve power to help get you through the day.
On top of lasting longer, Apple claims that iPhone 17 will offer much faster charging speeds as well. The iPhone 17 can reportedly reach 50% in only 20 minutes when utilizing the optional high-wattage USB-C power adapter. Hopefully, we see similar times when testing the iPhone 17 with other chargers.
iPhone 17: Conclusion
At first glance, it would be easy to judge the iPhone 17 on looks alone, and for the most part, the aesthetic difference between it and the prior model is negligible. However, a lot is going on under the hood here, with massive improvements to functionality, battery and the cameras.
I have no doubt this could be the best base iPhone model we've seen in a long time, and the lack of a price increase is icing on the cake. However, let us know what you think, and if you're planning to grab either the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro or the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
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