Which iPhone 17 model should you buy? It’s a no-brainer

Apple announced its iPhone 17 series of phones at its “awe-dropping” event on 9 September.

The event was tonally different from Apple’s “Glowtime” iPhone 16 launch a year before, in that the focus was firmly on what its new lineup of phones can do right now. There were no vague claims of agentic AI or software features that would arrive at some undisclosed point in the future.

With the exception of one or two very well-defined, AI-enabled features (such as Live Translation), it was all about the phones’ hardware.

But the big surprise was which phone had the most extensive upgrades: the base iPhone 17 model.

Just about the only thing that remains the same year-on-year is its starting price: £799/$799. But there have been so many genuine improvements.

Don’t underestimate the upgrades

The display size has increased from 6.1 inches (on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16) to 6.3 inches, and it finally offers an Always-On display.

Perhaps more importantly, and in spite of what rumours had led us to believe, the base model has ProMotion for the first time. That means it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz (up from 60Hz), making various on-screen elements feel more fluid and responsive.

Just about the only thing that remains the same year-on-year is its price

It should be faster and more capable too, as it’s powered by Apple’s A19 chip, a step up from last year’s A18, and the iPhone 15’s A16 Bionic chip. And despite no price change, the phone also starts at 256GB of storage: double last year’s offering.

There are notable battery life gains, too. Its video playback duration has leapt from up to 22 hours to up to 30 hours. It now supports MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W (from 22W), and so-called fast wired charging can get you 50% in only 20 minutes (paired with a 40W adaptor).

Plus, it doesn’t miss out on Apple’s fun innovation of the year. It has the 18Mp Center Stage front camera, which keeps you in the centre of the frame when taking selfies. It can even centre a bunch of people for group selfies, changing the aspect ratio from portrait to landscape for a better fit, without you needing to change the angle you’re holding your phone.

Altogether, these are specs that even my Android-loving colleagues would begrudgingly admit are decent for the price point – although I’m not expecting them to switch.

But why not go for the shiny new iPhone Air? Yes, it’s beautiful. Yes, it’s extravagantly thin at only 5.6mm – minus, of course, the “Plateau”. That’s what Apple is calling the bar across the back that’s needed to house some components in order to achieve said thinness.

But I have to agree with our sibling publication Macworld’s editor when he says that what the Air does really well is to solve the problems of its own making.

If you have to carry a battery pack around, having an incredibly slender phone is much less of a flex

Buy it if you love the design, sure, but bear in mind that its battery life won’t live up to that of the base model, charging will be slower, you’ll miss out on macro photography, spatial video recording and macro video recording.

Once the novelty wears off, you’ll be left with a phone that’s not as good as the base model, and you’ll be spending £999/$999– that’s £200/$200 more.

In fact, the Apple online store actually includes video playback figures with the compatible MagSafe battery pack attached. But let’s face it, if you have to carry a battery pack around, having an incredibly slender phone is much less of a flex.

But what about the Pro and Pro Max models? There’s no denying that these phones offer a lot, but it’s not all good news as far as I’m concerned.

Get the best of the iPhone 17 upgrades, avoid the ugly plateau, and save yourself a wad of cash by opting for the iPhone 17

First off is the visual appeal. I’m not in love with the “plateau” camera bump that stretches across the back. It has a different design on the Pro and Pro Max models than the more elegant shape on the Air.

However, the phones’ textured aluminium unibody, which comes in three metallic colour options (including an eye-catching “cosmic” orange), is fresh and distinct.

They’re powered by the A19 Pro chip, so they’ll be faster than the iPhone 17. They have a LiDAR scanner (for AR experiences, among other things), their camera arrays have an extra lens and more features, and their video options are much more advanced. This makes them the preferred option for content creators, without a doubt.

But as the base model has had such a bump in specs this time around, the differences are far less pronounced than in previous years.

However, what is pronounced is the price variance. Starting at £1,099/$1,099 for the Pro and £1,199/$1,199 for the Pro Max, there’s a £400/$400 difference between the base model and the Pro Max, which is a huge amount.

If you’re unlikely to use your iPhone for serious filming, you can get the best of the iPhone 17 upgrades, avoid the ugly plateau, and save yourself a wad of cash by opting for the iPhone 17.