The iPhone 17 lastly feels just like the cellphone everybody secretly needed from Apple

For years, the principle level of my base iPhone reviews has been that it is a stable, all-around cellphone that is good for the typical smartphone person, with one key lacking function that is troublesome to excuse, any method you take a look at it — 120Hz ProMotion.

Whereas the next refresh price show is the kind of function not everybody notices instantly, as soon as you’ve got used a tool with a silky easy display, it is almost unattainable to return. Add in the truth that most Android gadgets, together with even these on the entry-level aspect, function no less than a 90Hz show, and Apple locking ProMotion to its Professional iPhones has felt like a gatekeeping cash-grab for a very long time now.

Amongst different notable upgrades, with the iPhone 17, that is fortunately now not the case, making it one among 2025’s high smartphones for the worth.

This 12 months, the iPhone 17 will get the largest improve

The enhancements do not stand out, however they matter

Whereas the iPhone 17 Pro provides top-tier digital camera efficiency identical to in years previous, and the iPhone Air provides us a restricted however nonetheless compelling glimpse at Apple’s future iPhone plans, the iPhone 17 is arguably this 12 months’s most upgraded iPhone, regardless of being by far the least flashy. Apple has refused to carry ProMotion to its base flagship since its launch again in 2022, even supposing even entry-level Android telephones have featured greater refresh price shows for a number of generations, together with most lately, Google’s wonderful Pixel 9a and Pixel 10.

So what does ProMotion truly do? It’s kind of troublesome to explain and is the kind of improve you want to see in individual to understand, however on a fundamental degree, the scrolling expertise on the iPhone 17’s 6.3-inch display is way smoother. The uneven motion that ruined the iPhone 16’s show for me simply is not an issue on the iPhone 17. Every little thing from quickly flipping between apps and doom-scrolling social media, to navigating iOS 26’s flashy Liquid Glass UI and its enjoyable animations (which I truly actually like, by the best way), really feel extremely easy. As soon as you’ve got used a cellphone with the next refresh price, you actually cannot return.

Including to that is the addition of an always-on show for the primary time now that the cellphone now contains a variable refresh price show, permitting the display to dip all the way down to 1Hz to save lots of battery and ratchet all of it the best way as much as 120Hz when mandatory. Which means, just like the iPhone 17 Professional, once you set the iPhone 17 down, the display dims and, relying in your settings, a faded-out model of your wallpaper, widgets, and notifications seems. I turned off the wallpaper to save lots of a bit extra battery life, giving the cellphone a cleaner black and white look. Though I am not that huge on always-on smartphone screens, I’ve appreciated having the ability to look on the iPhone 17 to verify the time and to see what number of notifications I’ve, and I believe others will, too.

Sadly, the cellphone nonetheless options sizable bezels in comparison with the iPhone 17 Professional, however that is the type of shortcoming I might count on from a base-level cellphone. On the plus aspect, the display is barely larger at 6.3-inches in comparison with 6.1-inches, although throughout my time with the iPhone 17 up to now, I have never actually seen the dimensions change.

The all-important selfie shooter will get an enormous bump

In a number of methods, digital camera efficiency is similar to the iPhone 17 Professional

Whereas the iPhone 17 Professional/Professional Max are higher fitted to avid photographers due to their triple digital camera setup, the iPhone 17 has stepped its sport up this 12 months. Its predominant f/1.6 48-megapixel shooter nonetheless shines with regards to low-light, particularly within the context of a base cellphone, and the ultra-wide shooter has been upgraded to an f/2.2 48-megapixel sensor from the f/1.9 12-megapixel shooter within the iPhone 16, although the picture high quality enchancment is not substantial.

Extremely-wide photographs are a bit extra vibrant, however you actually need to look carefully to see the distinction. I’d have most popular Apple ditched the ultra-wide for an optical zoom lens, although identical to final 12 months, the 2x sensor crop zoom supplied by the iPhone 17’s predominant shooter remains to be stable.

The Selfie shooter has additionally been up to date to f/1.9 18-megapixels with Heart Stage, identical to the remainder of the iPhone 17 sequence, providing crisp and detailed photographs underneath all kinds of sunshine. Heart Stage makes use of a sq. picture sensor as a substitute of the extra conventional rectangle, permitting you to flip between portrait and panorama photographs on the fly and after you shoot the picture, all with out altering the cellphone’s orientation.

It is a minor addition, however I’ve discovered it to be a very helpful function, particularly as I slowly admit defeat and begin snapping extra photographs in portrait orientation. I do not take selfies usually, however after I do snap them, I’ve grown to understand this versatility.

Every little thing else

The A19 chip, quicker wi-fi charging, and extra beginning storage

There are different minor updates, too, together with Apple’s highly effective A19 chip (the A19 Professional is saved for the iPhone 17 Professional and iPhone Air). Apple’s chips have been overkill for years, so the bottom A19 is greater than highly effective sufficient for most individuals. Wi-fi charging has additionally been kicked as much as 25W, permitting you to get to 50% in simply half-hour, making it straightforward to shortly high up the cellphone’s battery life. And eventually, beginning storage is doubled to 256GB. Much like ProMotion, Apple has caught with 128GB with its base iPhone for years, a brutal quantity of storage by 2025 requirements, particularly in comparison with almost each fashionable Android cellphone on the market. I do know most individuals probably subscribe iCloud storage at this level, however nonetheless, 128GB of bodily storage was laughably unhealthy.

For what you get with the iPhone 17 this 12 months, $800 is a stable value, and for the primary time, upgrading to the $1,100 iPhone 17 Professional would not really feel value it. To justify the price, you actually should be into pictures or want the additional energy the A19 Professional chip provides. For the primary time, the bottom iPhone would not function any notable compromises, making the iPhone 17 probably the most full smartphone packages Apple has ever launched.