The iPhone 17 lastly feels just lik...

For years, the main focus of my base iPhone reviews has been that it is a strong, all-around telephone that is good for the common smartphone consumer, with one key lacking function that is troublesome to excuse any means you take a look at it — 120Hz ProMotion.

Whereas the next refresh fee show is the kind of function not everybody notices instantly, as soon as you’ve got used a tool with a silky clean display screen, it is almost inconceivable to return. Add in the truth that most Android units, together with even these on the entry-level facet, function at the least a 90Hz show, and Apple locking ProMotion to its Professional-tier iPhones has felt like a gatekeeping cash-grab for a number of years.

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

This 12 months, the iPhone 17 will get the most important improve

The enhancements do not stand out, however they matter

Whereas the iPhone 17 Pro gives top-tier digital camera efficiency similar 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 telephone, regardless of being the least flashy. For years, Apple refused to carry ProMotion to its base flagship since its launch again in 2022, although even entry-level Android telephones have featured greater refresh fee shows for a number of years, together with Google’s glorious Pixel 9a and Pixel 10.

So what does ProMotion truly do? It is a bit troublesome to explain and is the type of improve you actually need to see in particular person to understand, however on a fundamental degree, the scrolling expertise on the iPhone 17’s 6.3-inch display screen is way smoother. The uneven motion that ruined the iPhone 16 for me simply is not an issue on the iPhone 17. The whole lot 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 clean. As soon as you’ve got used a telephone with the next refresh fee, you really cannot return.

Including to that is the inclusion of an always-on show for the primary time because the telephone now includes a variable refresh fee show, permitting the display screen to dip right down to 1Hz to save lots of battery and ratchet all of it the best way as much as 120Hz when essential. Which means that just like the iPhone 17 Professional, whenever you set the iPhone 17 down, the display screen dims and, relying in your settings, a faint model of your wallpaper, widgets, and notifications seems. I turned off the wallpaper to save lots of a bit extra battery life, giving the telephone a cleaner black and white look. I am not that huge on always-on screens, however I’ve appreciated with the ability to look on the iPhone 17 to test the time and to see what number of notifications I’ve, and I feel others will, too.

Sadly, the telephone nonetheless options sizable bezels in comparison with the remainder of the iPhone 17 lineup, however that is the type of shortcoming I might count on from a base-level smartphone. Nevertheless, on the plus facet, the display screen 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 change.

The all-important selfie shooter will get an enormous bump

In lots of methods, digital camera efficiency is akin to the iPhone 17 Professional

Whereas the iPhone 17 Professional/Professional Max are higher fitted to avid photographers because of its triple digital camera setup, the iPhone 17 has stepped its sport up this 12 months. Its important f/1.6 48-megapixel shooter nonetheless shines in terms of low-light efficiency, particularly within the context of a base telephone, and the ultrawide shooter has been upgraded to a f/2.2 48-megapixel sensor from a f/1.9 12-megapixel shooter, although the picture high quality enchancment is not enormous. 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 ultrawide for an optical zoom lens, although similar to final 12 months, the 2x sensor crop zoom supplied by the iPhone 17’s important shooter continues to be fairly strong.

The Selfie shooter has additionally been up to date to f/1.9 18-megapixels with Middle Stage, similar to the remainder of the iPhone 17 collection, providing crisp and detailed photographs beneath all kinds of sunshine. Middle Stage makes use of a sq. picture sensor as a substitute the extra conventional rectangle, permitting you to flip between portrait and panorama pictures on the fly and after you shoot the picture. It is a minor change, however I’ve discovered it to be a extremely helpful function, particularly as I slowly admit defeat and begin snapping extra pictures in portrait orientation. I am nonetheless not huge on selfies, however after I do snap them, I’ve grown to understand this function.

The whole lot else

The A19 chip, sooner 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 simple to rapidly prime up the telephone’s battery life. And eventually, beginning storage has been doubled to 256GB. Much like ProMotion, Apple has caught with 128GB with its base iPhone for years, an brutal quantity of storage by 2025 requirements, particularly in comparison with almost each fashionable Android telephone on the market. I do know most individuals seemingly subscribe iCloud storage at this level, however nonetheless, 128GB was laughably unhealthy.

For what you get with the iPhone 17 this 12 months, $700 is a really strong worth, and for the primary time, upgrading to the $1,100 iPhone 17 Professional will not be value it for everybody. In relation to the iPhone 17 Professional, the addition of an actual telephoto lens is welcome, the A19 Professional is much more highly effective than the A19, and the flashy new two-tone design is undeniably eye-catching, however these are additional options not everybody actually wants — plus, I actually just like the iPhone 17’s new sage colour.

For the primary time, the iPhone 17 would not function notable compromises.