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There's nothing particularly flashy about the iPhone 17, no silicon carbide battery or rear displays, but it is the perfect distillation of what an iPhone should be now that it comes with a 120Hz display. The camera system is an absolute winner as always.
The Good
- Dynamic and useful camera system
- Stylish look
- Smooth display
- Speedy chip
The Not So Good
- Lacks 5x optical zoom
Need-to-knows
- Wonderfully premium design
- Great colour options
- Highly capable and dynamic camera system
- The best value an iPhone has offered for a while
Well, you asked for it.
Despite having already reviewed the ultra-thin iPhone Air and the feature-packed iPhone 17 Pro Max, I’ve been inundated with one repeated question from the comments section:
“Mark, what about the regular iPhone 17?”
So, I bought one. Yes, with my own money, because Apple still doesn’t send me review units (shocking, I know). What follows is my completely unscripted, fairly rambling, but brutally honest take on Apple’s most overlooked new iPhone. Spoiler: it’s quietly brilliant.
Shop the iPhone 17 below!
At A Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Finishes | Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender |
| Design | Aluminium frame, Ceramic Shield 2 front, colour-infused glass back |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB |
| Size & Weight | Height: 149.6 mm (5.89 in) Width: 71.5 mm (2.81 in) Depth: 7.95 mm (0.31 in) Weight: 177 g (6.24 oz) |
| Display | 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, 2622×1206 px @ 460 ppi ProMotion 120 Hz HDR True Tone P3 wide colour 1,000 nits typical 1,600 nits HDR 3,000 nits outdoor |
| Durability | IP68 water and dust resistant (6 m for 30 min) |
| Chip | A19 chip with 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency), 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, hardware-accelerated ray tracing |
| Apple Intelligence | Integrated AI features across apps with on-device privacy |
| Rear Cameras | 48 MP Dual Fusion system (Main + Ultra Wide) Main 26 mm f/1.6 sensor-shift OIS Ultra Wide 13 mm f/2.2 120° FoV 2× optical zoom in / out (4× range) Digital zoom up to 10× |
| Video Recording | Up to 4K Dolby Vision 60 fps Cinematic mode (4K 30 fps) Action mode (2.8K 60 fps) Spatial video 1080p 30 fps Macro and Night modes |
| Front Camera | 18 MP Center Stage f/1.9 autofocus 4K Dolby Vision 60 fps Cinematic and Night modes |
| Battery & Charging | Up to 30 hrs video playback 27 hrs streaming 50% charge in 20 min (40 W USB-C) or 30 min (MagSafe/Qi2 25 W) |
| Connectivity | 5G (sub-6 GHz), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread, Ultra Wideband Gen 2 |
| Location | Dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, NavIC) |
| Ports & Charging | USB-C (USB 2 speed 480 Mb/s) MagSafe 25 W Qi2 25 W |
| Buttons | Action button (customisable) Camera Control button (exposure, depth, zoom) |
| Sensors | Face ID, barometer, gyro, accelerometer, proximity, dual ambient light |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano + eSIM) Dual eSIM support |
| Safety | Emergency SOS via satellite, Crash Detection, Roadside Assistance via satellite |
| Audio & Video | Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio HDR support (Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG) HEVC / H.264 / AV1 |
| Operating System | iOS 26 with Apple Intelligence and enhanced privacy features |
The Forgotten Middle Child
The regular iPhone 17 is easy to miss. Sandwiched between the Pro-level show ponies and the flashy, wafer-thin Air, it doesn’t scream for attention. There’s no aluminium unibody, no marketing buzzwords about “the thinnest ever”, and no crazy optical zoom lengths.
And yet…it might just be the iPhone that makes the most sense for 99% of people.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem all that different from the iPhone 16. Same general silhouette. Same camera bump. Same vibe. But in person, especially in this lilac colour, it’s properly lovely. Sleek, refined, and unmistakably “iPhone”.
Related: iPhone 17 Pro Max review
It feels premium in the hand without trying too hard. And there’s something quite comforting about that.
What’s in the Box?
Now, before you get too excited, no, Apple hasn’t brought back the charger. Or the stickers. We’ve all moved on.
What you do get is a colour-mismatched (but still gorgeous) braided USB-C cable and, if you’re in the UK like me, a SIM ejector tool. Lucky us.
Related: iPhone Air review
Honestly, I’m still not over how good these new braided cables are. They’re one of the unsung heroes of Apple’s hardware upgrades over the last couple of years. Tough, tactile, and they feel like they’ll outlive the next two generations of iPhones.
Design: Matte vs Polished
The iPhone 17 continues Apple’s trend of refined, iterative design. Matte aluminium sides, smooth glass back, and none of the glossy, fingerprint-magnet polished finish you get on the Air. It’s very Apple. Understated. Familiar. And for most people, that’s perfect. The new colour options are a welcome addition to and they all look great.
There’s a noticeable difference in the hand between the regular 17 and the iPhone Air; the Air is obviously thinner, lighter, and has a bit of an x-factor feeling. But it’s also slightly more fragile-feeling, and arguably less comfortable to use over long periods. The iPhone 17 feels bulky in comparison, but a very good-looking one.
Display: ProMotion for the People
Here’s where things get really interesting.
For the first time ever, the non-Pro iPhone gets a ProMotion display. That means 120Hz buttery smooth scrolling, animations that look and feel faster, and an overall sense of responsiveness that you simply don’t get with 60Hz panels.
It’s also a slightly larger screen than the iPhone 16, up from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches. It’s a subtle change, but it does make a difference, especially now that the iPhone 17 Plus is no more. Apple’s clearly closed the gap between “standard” and “plus” sizes here, and the result is a phone that feels bang on in terms of size. Not too big. Not too small. Just right.
Check out my iPhone 16 review!
The display itself is excellent, bright, vibrant, and virtually indistinguishable from the Pro in day-to-day use. Yes, technically the Pro gets a few extra nits of brightness, but unless you’re standing under the sun in Death Valley while editing HDR footage, you won’t notice.
Oh, and yes, the Dynamic Island is still here. Still doing its thing. Still slightly weird. But undeniably useful.
Cameras: Enough for most
Let’s be honest, iPhones take great photos. They just do. Even the basic models.
The iPhone 17 keeps the camera system simple but very capable. You get the full range from 0.5x ultrawide up to 2x telephoto, and up to 10x digital zoom if you’re feeling brave. No, it’s not as versatile as the Pro Max’s 5x optical zoom, but it’s perfectly capable for social media, family snaps, and the odd artsy shot of your coffee.
What you do get, however, is the new front-facing “centre stage” selfie camera, which dynamically reframes your shot whether you’re shooting in portrait or landscape. It’s clever and feels like a genuine innovation from Apple, which hasn’t really happened for a while when it comes to the iPhone.
Best yet? AirPods Pro 3 review
Photos from the main lens are crisp, detailed, and vivid in good lighting. Low light? Not quite Pro level, but very usable. For 99% of people, the iPhone 17’s camera will do everything you need and more.
Performance: Benchmark This
Apple’s A19 chip is inside the iPhone 17, not the Pro version, just the regular A19. Which is, of course, still an absolute beast.
You get 8GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 7, and a base storage of 256GB. That’s right, Apple has finally ditched the miserly 128GB option. About time.
Latest: All you need to know about the M5 iPad Pro
As for actual performance, it’s an iPhone. It flies. I’m not running Geekbench scores because, frankly, they’re boring and irrelevant. What matters is that this thing chews through everything I throw at it, from editing 4K video to jumping between half a dozen apps at the same time.
It’ll also support Apple Intelligence when that finally launches properly, if that is at all a meaningful thing to you.
Battery, Build and Bits That Matter
Battery life is predictably great. All day without going into Low Power Mode. Apple quotes something in the realm of 30 hours and this feels about right. I don’t measure these things to the minute because I just…use the phone. And I haven’t had to worry about the battery with the iPhone 17. That’s all you need to know.
The iPhone 17 also gets “Ceramic Shield 2”, m allegedly more scratch-resistant than last year’s glass. Will I test that? Absolutely not. Because I like my things to stay in one piece.
Is it the best iPhone in the lineup?
In short, yes. For most people, this is the perfect iPhone.
It has all the power, display quality, camera performance, and future-proofing that 99% of users need, without the Pro-level price tag or the niche appeal of the Air.
I think Apple has unintentionally created a bit of a monster here. The iPhone 17 isn’t flashy. It’s not a statement. But it’s the most well-rounded, uncompromised, value-packed iPhone in the lineup.
If you’re the kind of person who gets swayed by shiny things in the Apple Store, be careful. The Air is stunning in person, and the Pro Max is tempting in that “do I need 5x optical zoom? Probably not, but…” kind of way.
But if you want the iPhone that will just work, look great, last ages, and not drain your wallet quite as quickly, the iPhone 17 is it.
Win This iPhone 17!
So it’s quite convenient that yes, we’re giving this phone away. The very one you’ve been reading about.
To find out how to enter, all you need to do is sign up to my newsletter! All the giveaway details will be shared via the newsletter, and yes, I will look after this phone before sending it out.
Final Thoughts
There was a time when buying the regular iPhone meant compromising. Slower chip. Weaker display. Meh cameras. Those days are over.
The best value smartphone camera? Xiaomi 15T Pro review
The iPhone 17 is the everyman’s iPhone, and that is not a backhanded compliment. It’s the iPhone for people who just want the best all-round experience without being dragged into Pro-level prices or novelty design.
I’m glad I finally spent time with this phone. It deserves more love. And I think it’s going to surprise a lot of people who pick one up.
Let me know in the comments – are you team Air, Pro Max, or quietly tempted by the iPhone 17?
