Apple iPhone 17 review: Premium features without expensive 'Pro' price-tag

Last month, Apple unveiled the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and the all-new iPhone Air.

While the iPhone Air grabbed everyone’s attention, the iPhone 17 deserves recognition for its significant upgrades in display, processor, battery life, and camera.

Design, build quality and display

For the first time, a regular iPhone has been blessed with not one, but several top-end features, which the previous iterations used to miss. It was purely a business move to make them less appealing compared to the 'Pro' model.

This time, Apple seems to have had a change of mind with the iPhone 17. It sports a 6.3-inch screen, 0.2-inch bigger than the 2024 series model.

Apple iPhone 17.

Also, it comes with a Ceramic Shield 2 series guard on the display. It is the same used for the 17 Pro variants, and is touted to be the sturdiest glass shield on a mobile phone in the industry. Also, it is said to be 3X sturdier than the predecessor.

On the back, iPhone 17 features a vertically aligned dual-camera module. The rest of the panel sports a frosted glass cover with matte finish, which, by the way, does a fine job repelling the fingerprint smudges.

Though, it doesn't have a ceramic shield like protection, but it is sturdier enough to resist getting scratched.

Apple iPhone 16 (left) with iPhone 17 (right).

And, it comes with an IP68 rating, meaning it can survive a drop in a swimming pool up to a depth of six metres (around 19 feet) for close to 30 minutes.

Apple has used aerospace aluminium material for the iPhone 17's frame around the display. The flat flush design offers a good grip for the fingers to hold on to the device.

Though the device is well protected against daily wear and tear, I still recommend getting a cover case. Apple offers pretty cool accessories such as Clear and Silicone cases with a cross-body strap option, so even if it slips from the hand, it won't fall on the ground.

Apple iPhone 17.

Our review unit is a sage colour variant. It looks really nice in the sunlight. The frosted glass on the back with matte finish does a fine job with repelling the fingerprint smudges. Also, the aluminium rails too come with matte finish and blend beautifully with the back panel.

Besides the sage colour, Apple offers iPhone 17 in four other options-- black, white, mist blue, and lavender (violet).

Apple iPhone 17.

Another first we see in a regular iPhone 17 is the ProMotion technology, which enables the display to support adaptive 120Hz screen refresh. With this, the 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR (2662 x 1206 p) display feels fluid and smooth, to scroll on social media apps, consume multimedia content and read e-books with less strain than before. There is noticeable improvement in the gaming experience as well.

Apple iPhone 17.

Like the Pro model, it has a pixel density of 460 ppi (pixels per inch), supports 3,000 nits peak brightness and also comes with an anti-reflective coating. This comes in handy while viewing messages or watching videos under direct sunlight.

Apple iPhone 16 (top) and iPhone 17 (below).

Besides the signature dynamic island camera at the top, the device supports Always-on-display, another first for a regular iPhone. It also comes with a dedicated camera control key, below the power button on the right side. On the opposite side, you will find the volume rockers and the action button. Users can programme it to launch their favourite apps, trigger the Shazam app or assign it to switch between ring and vibration modes.

Apple iPhone 17.

The FaceID biometric security on the iPhone 17 series continues to be the gold standard for facial-based unlocking mechanisms on smartphones in the industry. Even in pitch darkness, the FaceID manages to recognise the owner's face to unlock the home screen with a lower rejection rate.

Apple iPhone 17.

Eco-friendly iPhone

iPhone 17 is said to be made with 30 per cent recycled materials.

The aluminium material used for the enclosure is said to 85 percent recycled. The antenna lines are made from repurposed textiles.

The device is manufactured with 35 per cent renewable electricity such as wind and solar, across the supply chain. And, thanks to more space-efficient packaging, 35 per cent more iPhone 17 devices can be shipped on a single trip.

Performance

The iPhone 17 is powered by Apple A19 processor with a six-core CPU, a five-core GPU (with dedicated Neural Accelerators) and 16-core Neural Engine.

With normal day-to-day activities, the device waltzes through the day without any pressing issues to complain about. While playing graphics-rich gaming titles or using generative Artificial Intelligence applications, the device remains stable. Though it gets warmed a bit during extended sessions, but never overheats when used inside the home.

Apple iPhone 17 comes with iOS 26 featuring Liquid Glass UI.

It runs iOS 26 out-of-the-box. The new Liquid Glass UI is really refreshing, but there are bugs, which come in to fore while using third-party apps such as WhatsApp. The on-screen keyboard sometimes misaligns in the chatbox. This can be fixed with future software updates.

So, overall user experience with iOS 26 has been good at least for me.

Apple iPhone 17.

The iPhone 17 also comes with N1, a new Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. In addition to the latest generation of wireless technologies, N1 improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

The device also comes with Ultrawide band. This feature comes in handy for precise tracking of a misplaced iPhone through Apple Watches or secondary iPhone.

Also, like all the new iPhones, it supports Crash Detection. When the iPhone senses there is a sudden loss of speed while travelling in a vehicle, it will trigger the crash detection notification system. Immediately, it will push an alert on the iPhone screen to confirm with the user if the vehicle has suffered an accident, or if this was a false alarm. If there is no response for 30 seconds, it will automatically call the pre-listed contacts to get help at the earliest.

Apple iPhone 17 comes with Emergency SOS connectivity features.

In select countries, Apple offers satellite connectivity for emergencies to get aid to the owner at the earliest.

With a full charge, the iPhone 17 can deliver a full day of battery life under normal usage. It supports 40W wired charging speed and can fully charge from zero to 50 in 20 minutes. It also supports MagSafe 30W wireless charging.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

Photography

iPhone 17 houses a Dual Fusion camera system -- 48MP Fusion Main sensor and a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide sensor with LED flash.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

With natural sunlight, it takes excellent photos with vibrant colour and all the details are very nicely captured.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

It supports portrait, night modes and more. The device takes brilliant photos in almost all light conditions.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

At night with little light, it handles pretty good with sharp focus on the subject and less noise in the background.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

The iPhone 17 can capture optical quality 2x Telephoto for photos and videos at a 52 mm focal length.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

It supports 10X digital zoom.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample with 10X Zoom.

The 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide sensor has a ƒ/2.2 aperture and 1.4 µm pixels.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

It also offers an ultra-wide-angle mode. The device can capture the vast area of the landscape, such as beaches or hill ranges, in the frame, without any software tricks.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

The ultra-wide sensor also allows the camera to capture really good macro photos with minute details of the subject in close range.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

Like the Pro model, the iPhone 17 supports several portrait light effects-- natural light, studio light, contour light, stage light, stage light mono and high-key light mono.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

As you can see samples, the portrait pictures come off really good with nutural bokeh effect in the background.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

The phone can also record high-quality Dolby Vision 4K videos at 60 frames per second.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

On the front, the iPhone 17 sports an 18MP centre-stage FaceTime camera. It supports a wider field of view and higher resolution — up to 18MP for photos — to capture more detail. Users can also capture photos and videos in portrait or landscape while holding their iPhone vertically.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

For group selfies, Centre Stage for photos uses AI to automatically expand the field of view and can rotate from portrait to landscape to include everyone in the frame.

Apple iPhone 17's camera sample.

The Centre Stage front camera also enables ultra-stabilised video in 4K HDR, and users can now record on the front and rear cameras simultaneously with Dual Capture mode.

Final thoughts

With premium features packed into the iPhone 17, it offers exceptional value, making the upgrade to the Pro model feel unnecessary.

Apple iPhone 17.

The iPhone 17 is available in lavender, mist blue, sage, white, and black. And, it comes in two storage options--256GB and 512GB -- for Rs 82,900 and Rs 1,02,900, respectively.

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