Apple has unveiled the iPhone 17 on it “Awe” incidentbesides the redesigned camera crash on the back, there are a lot of upgrades on the hood and display. For those who had last year’s iPhone 16, that might not be enough to move the needle, but for those who have never upgraded in years, there are a lot of small upgrades.
The standard iPhone 17 remains an entry-level model for Apple’s flagship devices, all new iOS 26 Features, but not all siblings get the specification upgrade. However, now, plus the model has been replaced with a thinner and more expensive model, it is more stable iPhone Airwhich is more of a design marvel than just a larger non-Pro option.
Watch the following: Everything announced at Apple’s iPhone 17 event in 7 minutes
The major upgrade to the iPhone 17 is a new chip, brighter, clearer screen, better camera and improved selfie camera. Here is everything in Apple’s new entry-level flagship phone.
iPhone 17 price and availability
The iPhone 17 will be pre-ordered on Friday, September 12 and will be available in a week from September 19.
The 256GB storage starts at $799, and it’s retained from last year at $999 for 512GB, which is the same price as the iPhone 16 with that storage capacity.
This still makes the iPhone 17 the most affordable device in the new lineup, with the new iPhone air starting at $999, iPhone 17 Pro Starting at $1,099 (£1,099, AUD $1,999), the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 (£1,199, AUD $2,199).
iPhone 17 design upgrades and colors
Overall, the iPhone 17 hasn’t changed much from last year’s iPhone 16, which introduced camera control buttons to the right side of the phone. This year’s big shift is a rearrangement of camera bumps on the back, moving from the lens placed diagonally in the square to the simple vertical oval in the upper left corner.
The iPhone 17’s display dripped from last year’s Pro model features, with a larger 6.3-inch screen (starting from 6.1 in the iPhone 16). It can also be promoted to be able to transfer the refresh rate from 120Hz to 1Hz to save battery – the previous standard iPhone was stuck at 60Hz. The iPhone 17 also has a new ceramic shielding 2 layers on the top of the screen to better resist scratches and cracks.
Watch the following: iPhone 17 is here! Watch announcements at Apple iPhone 17 events
The iPhone 17’s screen is also noticeably brighter, with a maximum of 3,000 columns, up from the 2,000 columns (including Pro Models) of the last iPhone 16th generation.
The iPhone 17 comes in five colors: lavender, light blue, dark gray, silver white and green.
iPhone 17 Camera
The iPhone 17 has two rear cameras, just like its predecessor, although Ultrawide has received an upgrade: a 48-megapixel main camera and a 48-megapixel Ultrawide shooter (up from 12-megapixel on the iPhone 16 to 12-megapixel on the 16). Apple calls its 48-megapixel main camera “double fusion” because it can take sharp photos with full resolution or take 2x crop zoom images at 24-megapixel.
The iPhone 17 packs a new 18-megapixel front-facing camera, and its technology has some upgrades – including center stage features that automatically center the camera for video chats with you. It also improves image stability, helping to keep your phone stable while walking around while chatting with FaceTime.
iPhone 17 specifications and software
Apple divides specifications between its standard model and PRO model, making the latter the latest A-series chip while leaving non-Pro models with less advanced silicon.
The iPhone 17 gets a new A19 chip, which, while not quite as advanced as the A19 Pro packed in the iPhone 17 Pro models and iPhone Air, is 20% faster than the iPhone 16. The A19’s six-core CPU is made on a 3-nanometer process, its improved Neural Engine has increased bandwidth to help make AI services faster, and its updated Display Engine helps power ProMotion and Always-On features of the display.
Apple said the A19 CHIP’s five-core GPU will also improve gaming, specifically calling for the recent rise in mobile gaming fate, thus benefiting from promotional dynamic refresh rates.
The iPhone 17 also brings the storage rack to the starting point of 128GB in the iPhone 16 at 256GB, and the 512GB option. If you need more apps and photo space, you have to stick with cloud storage or upgrade to the iPhone Air or iPhone 17 Pro up to 1TB – if that’s not enough, you can use the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which now has a 2TB option.
iPhone 17 starts iOS 26the rename of the follow-up measures for iOS 18 last year to be consistent with the year it was released. New features in iOS 26 include a polarized liquid glass redesign, message updates and a more transparent lock screen. The camera app can also simplify to bundle all its modes from a chaotic horizontal dial into a simple video or camera selection on the screen, while other modes such as Pano or Cinematic can be swiped left or right. These are just some overhauls for safaris, photos and music apps, etc.
