8 iPhone 17 upgrades that make the switch worth It
The iPhone 17 is actually a pretty big upgrade this time around. Apple, it seems, did not take it easy this year. Here are 8 upgrades that make the iPhone 17 worth checking out.
There we go, the iPhone 17 phones are finally here, and this time, Apple has actually done it: it's not just an iteration of previous generations of iPhones, it's something brand new and exciting. The prices are reasonable, no price hike on the base model, but the upgrades are real, especially for said base iPhone 17.
If you're thinking of upgrading, here's why it would be worth it to do so with the iPhone 17 or the iPhone 17 Pro.
ProMotion display on the base iPhone 17
Until now, if you wanted a fluid 120Hz display refresh rate on an iPhone, you had to go for a Pro model and thus pay at least $999. But now, finally, that's no longer the case, and you can enjoy the fluidity and smooth feel of 120Hz on the entry-level iPhone 17. But that's not all about the display.
The display is now bigger at 6.3 inches and brighter as well – it can go all the way up to 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness and 2x better outdoor contrast. You also get to enjoy Always-on with all the benefits coming from the adaptive 120Hz display refresh rate.
Center Stage selfie camera upgrade
Another super-awesome upgrade this year is the selfie camera. Now, you no longer have to rotate the iPhone to change orientations for your selfies. Thanks to a square sensor for the iPhone 17's selfie camera, you can take both landscape and portrait-oriented selfies from the iPhone in portrait orientation.
This is a big deal. Holding the iPhone in portrait orientation is more comfortable and safer, as you're less likely to drop it. It's just convenient. And let's not forget that this enables you to more easily look straight at the camera when taking a photo, which would save you from countless strange-looking gazes on selfies from you and your friends.
The selfie camera itself is also improved now with a wider field of view and higher resolution of up to 18 MP.
All 48 MP cameras on the back
Apple has also improved the cameras on the back of the iPhone 17, and now even the ultra-wide one is sporting the higher 48MP resolution. This elevates the photos and videos you're able to take with the iPhone 17 to a new level, where the details would be abundant and the quality would generally be better than before.
Recommended Stories
Improved durability
The iPhone 17 comes with Ceramic Shield 2 and a new Apple-made coating that should ensure 3x better scratch resistance. Also, there's improved anti-reflection to reduce glare, so the display would be easily visible in different conditions.
The Pro models, on the other hand, take this up a notch by introducing an aluminum unibody and Ceramic Shield on the back as well, which ensures 4x better resistance to cracks than the back glass on previous iPhones.
Powerful Apple silicon
The A19 is the chip powering the base iPhone 17, while the Pro-branded models and the Air sport the A19 Pro.
The A19 chip comes with an updated display engine, ISP, and Apple Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence tasks and Photographic Styles.
The A19 Pro chip, coupled with an upgraded cooling system on the Pro models, takes things up even further and ensures 40% better sustained performance than the iPhone 16 Pro models. And that's some serious business. Sustained performance means not only that the iPhone 17 Pro is super fast for a brief period of time, but it can be fast and smooth for longer, and it can get overheated way less during intensive tasks such as gaming or video editing.
Improvements in battery life
The new design of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max allow for an even bigger battery to be placed inside. We're talking about 39 hours of video playback and 35 of video streaming on the Pro Max, and 33 hours of video playback and 30 hours of video streaming on the Pro. To put these numbers in perspective, the iPhone 16 Pro Max was able to achieve 33 hours of video playback. The upgrade here is huge, especially if you value battery life, which is one of the most important things to me when it comes to smartphones.
The base iPhone 17 model is also getting a battery boost. It can last 30 hours of video playback and 27 hours of video streaming. For reference, the iPhone 16 was able to go up to 22 hours of video playback and 18 of streaming. So yep, things are looking great for the base iPhone 17 as well.
Double the storage, same price for the base iPhone 17
At $799, the iPhone 17 now comes with 256GB of storage, which is actually a great deal in comparison to the iPhone 16, which came with 128GB for the same price. In this day and age, the amount of storage shouldn't be underestimated, especially with the level of quality that cameras on smartphones can achieve. You can quickly fill up 128GB of storage with high-quality vids and photos, trust me.
Orange iPhone 17 Pro
This alone is obviously not a reason to upgrade, as you know, cases do exist. However, orange flagship phones are definitely a rarity these days, and the way Apple's made the Cosmic Orange color on the iPhone 17 Pro is just not to be ignored. I mean, come on, this color is super cool!
I'd count the orange color option as a reason to upgrade or switch to the iPhone 17 Pro, especially if color is important for you. Yep, it's not exactly a feature, but it's there and it's quite unique in the somewhat boring smartphone market in 2025.
"Iconic Phones" is coming this Fall!
Rediscover some of the most unique and memorable phones of the last two decades! "Iconic Phones" is a beautifully illustrated book that we've been working on for over a year - and it's coming out in just a couple short month!
"Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips" is a must-have coffee table book for every phone lover out there. Covering the stories of more than 20 fan-favorite phones, it takes you on a memorable journey through the technological revolution that shaped our lives. Sign up now to secure an early discount price!
Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: