Apple iPhone 17 review: It’s the one that you want | Tech News

This must be one of the best opinions I’ve ever needed to write. The iPhone 17 is right here, and it is nearly unattainable to not advocate it. Last yr’s iPhone 16 was already a strong option, however its successor now fixes each gripe I had with it. The largest criticism about earlier fashions like the iPhone 14, 15, and 16 has been the screen. I’ve been moaning that £799 iPhones shouldn’t function a sluggish 60Hz panel—even funds Android telephones that price much less than half the price get sooner 120Hz technology.

Now Apple has lastly listened and popped a beautiful ProMovement screen on its iPhone 17 – that’s the identical show as its Pro fashions function.

To add more bang for its buck, it measures 6.3 inches (the iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch show), so it is also barely greater.

The much-improved panel – which can be much less reflective – means you get silky clean scrolling when shopping web sites, whizzing by way of music playlists and studying content material online.

It additionally affords a far more eye-pleasing expertise when gaming on the go. This is now a fabulous screen that’s been a very long time coming. Another enhance that this ProMovement show affords is always-on technology, one thing Apple’s Pro telephones have had for a whereas.

This means you can see the clock, info reminiscent of climate and full notifications with out having to unlock the system. I’ve long cherished this improve on Apple’s more premium telephones, and it is a great addition to the cheaper vary.

One remaining bonus is that it is coated in Apple’s hardy Ceramic Shield 2 glass, which suggests it is much less prone to crack or get scratched.

Apple has made enormous enhancements to the energy of its units and this replace ought to make it even much less possible you’ll need to move to the restore store ought to it slip by way of your fingers.

Spin the iPhone 17 round, and issues haven’t modified a lot since final yr. There are some new colors, reminiscent of Sage and Mist Blue, however the smooth matt end appears to be like equivalent.

What you do get is an improved dual-lens rear digicam with a 48MP Dual Fusion system as an alternative of the 48MP and 12MP setup from the iPhone 16. As each lenses get 48MP technology, you get a higher all-around expertise.

You’ll get the option to snap pixel-packed ultra-wide pictures, up-close macro photographs, and there is a 2x telephoto option as nicely, although that is digital zoom and never optical in lieu of a telephoto lens.

The iPhone 17 cannot match the would possibly of the triple-lens digicam on the iPhone 17 Pro, however it’s excellent for these on a regular basis household pictures and Instagram uploads.

As nicely as taking respectable pictures, it can shoot videos in 4K and affords extras reminiscent of Action Mode which improves the image stabilisation and Audio Mix which lets you adapt the sound after the film has been shot.

SEE OUR IMAGE SAMPLES BELOW

The rear digicam improve is sweet, however I feel the best change is the new front-facing Centre Stage Camera. It’s a game-changer.

It adapts the lens robotically relying on the quantity of people in your shot and widens the body with out you having to spin the telephone round.

So, you can go from a portrait selfie to a full wide-angle panorama image with out touching the settings or turning the telephone sideways. I feel this will probably be one of the most used new options on all the new iPhones, particularly as a result of it really works so seamlessly.

Another bonus is Dual Capture, which data utilizing each the entrance and rear cameras concurrently. This permits you to movie your response whereas you video what is going on on on the different facet of the digicam. Just like final yr’s iPhones, the 17 will get the Camera Control button on the facet, which launches the digicam app and acts as a shutter button.

Under the aluminium shell is a boosted A19 processor.

I’ve had no points taking part in video games, utilizing the Photoshop app on the transfer or modifying mini movies in iMovie, however this is not the quickest iPhone. That prize goes to the even more highly effective iPhone 17 Air and Pro, which each get the A19 Pro chip.

If you actually assume you’re going to push issues to the restrict, you may be higher off going Pro, particularly as these units now get a vapour chamber as nicely, which helps keep issues cooler beneath stress. The iPhone 17’s A19 chip not solely makes it sooner than earlier than but additionally improves its all-important battery life.

I’ve simply been getting by way of a day and night time with energy nonetheless left in the tank. When watching films, you get round 8 hours of further life in comparison with the iPhone 16.

Should the battery indicator begin glowing purple, the iPhone 17 will get up to 50 p.c back in the tank in simply 20 minutes.

Of course, you’ll need a fast charging plug (£39), which Apple doesn’t provide in the box.

It’s nonetheless suitable with the sensible MagSafe connection, which affords an straightforward solution to refill issues wirelessly.

MagSafe is one thing I exploit all the time and it is a function we are able to all count on to see more of. Google simply introduced one thing comparable on its Pixel 10 telephones – Samsung could observe quickly because it affords a sooner and more dependable solution to wirelessly refill and join different equipment reminiscent of wallets and stands.

Other options that make a welcome return to the iPhone 17 embrace Crash Detection, SOS messaging by way of satellites, and an Ultra-Wideband chip inside that allows precision discovering for AirTags.

You nonetheless get the Dynamic Island notch, fast Face ID unlocking and the Action Button for fast entry to favourites reminiscent of the Torch.

The iPhone 17 has positively been overshadowed this yr by the extremely slim iPhone Air and attention-grabbing new iPhone 17 Pro, which is available in dazzling Cosmic Orange.

But this isn’t a telephone to disregard. In reality, it is probably the best iPhone for many people in 2025.

It’s £799 (there’s no price rise this yr), and that even consists of double the storage as customary. That means you get 256GB as an alternative of the 128GB that got here in the iPhone 16 for the identical price.

The higher screen, more energy from the A19 chip, longer battery and improved cameras are all upgrades normal shoppers want, love and need, and that’s why I feel that is such a fabulous telephone.

My solely negatives are that it now solely is available in one dimension—you’ll need to buy the iPhone Air or Pro Max if you want a greater screen—and it appears to be like equivalent to the iPhone 16.

But if you’ve been pondering an improve, that is doubtless the yr to splash out.