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We're pretty excited about the recently unveiled iPhone 17 Pro, as it's shaping up to be one of the biggest upgrades in years. From the new unibody aluminum design to the faster charging speeds and the new telephoto and front cameras, Apple brought out the big guns.
Of course, if you already own an iPhone 14 Pro, you're probably wondering whether these upgrades are a good enough reason to upgrade. After all, the iPhone 14 Pro still features a quite fast processor, a capable camera system and the lack of Apple Intelligence has turned out to be less of a nuisance than expected.
To find out whether you should upgrade, we run both phones through our own lab tests for battery life, display quality, performance benchmarks, and camera. And beyond the data, we have also used both of them in daily life.
iPhone 17 Pro: $0.00/mo. at Verizon
$0
/mo
$30
55
$31 off (100%)
The powerful iPhone 17 Pro is finally here! You can now get the new Pro with an upgraded design and a brilliant display for as low as $0.00/mo. at Verizon. You must set up a new line on an Unlimited Ultimate plan and trade in a device to take advantage.
The impressive iPhone 17 Pro Max is available at Verizon. Right now, you can save up to $1,100 on the premium device when you activate a new line and trade in an eligible device. The promo is only available with an Unlimited Ultimate plan.
The latest iPhone design overhaul dates all the way back to the 12-series when Apple flattened the sides and made the square camera bump a bit more prominent. This year, after long generations of the same, we have the next big change.
The iPhone 17 Pro now features a different camera housing on the back, one that stretches from side to side. It's a radically different look that might prove polarizing and Apple calls it "extended plateau."
The iPhone 14 Pro, on the other hand, uses the same, tried and tested, flat sides and square camera design from the past couple of generations.
iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro
Thickness 8.8 mm
Thickness 7.9 mm
Weight 206 grams
Weight 206 grams
The Pro version of the iPhone has grown in size since the 14 Pro, mainly due to the larger screen and also some battery upgrades in the past generations. That said, the iPhone 14 Pro is one of the thinnest Pro models in the portfolio at 7.9 mm.
The iPhone 17 Pro has reverted to aluminum after two years of titanium, and this results in a bigger and heavier phone, compared to the predecessor. Interestingly enough, the weight is exactly the same when we compare it to the stainless steel iPhone 14 Pro.
In terms of colors, here's how these two compare:
iPhone 17 Pro colors
iPhone 14 Pro colors
Deep Blue
Space Black
Silver
Silver
Cosmic Orange
Gold
-
Deep Purple
There's some overlap here, both phones feature a silver version, but the orange iPhone 17 Pro really catches the eye. Oh, and there's no black version, so that's interesting too.
Display Differences
Brightness is king
After giving up the resolution arms race, manufacturers now engage in something of a brightness war. The iPhone 17 Pro gets the same 6.3-inch screen as its predecessor, but much brighter. Apple says it can go up to 3,000 nits, thanks to a new M14 material, used.
iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro
Size 6.3"
Size 6.1"
Brightness 1600 nits (typ) 3000 nits (peak)
Brightness 1000 nits (typ) 2000 nits (peak)
There's a brand-new seven-layer anti-reflective coating on all devices from the iPhone 17 series. It works in a similar way to the anti-reflective screen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but not as effective. Nevertheless, you can clearly see that it makes a difference in a direct comparison in the image above.
The iPhone 14 Pro, on the other hand, features a smaller 6.1-inch OLED panel with the same 120Hz ProMotion tech on board, but the brightness figures are different. The phone is rated at 1000 nits in HBM (High brightness mode) and up to 2000 nits peak brightness.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
There is a difference in minimum brightness, as the iPhone 17 Pro is able to go below 1 nit, while the 14 Pro is twice as bright there. In terms of brightness the iPhone 14 Pro was tested at 100% APL, and boasts around 1000 nits. The iPhone 17 Pro outputs more or less the same at 100% APL (probably limited), but it is much brighter at 20% APL. The other metrics are very similar between these two.
Performance and Software
A bigger gap
There's a bigger gap when it comes to hardware and software between the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro. For starters, the latter uses Apple's A16 Bionic, built on a 4nm node. It's getting a bit old now, and it doesn't support Apple Intelligence.
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The new iPhone 17 Pro features the latest Apple A19 Pro chip which Apple says is the best silicon in a smartphone to date. It's 40% faster than the chip inside the iPhone 16 Pro and much, much faster than the iPhone 14 Pro. How much faster? Let's see.
Unsurprisingly, there's a huge performance gap between the new A19 Pro silicon and the old A16 Bionic inside the iPhone 14 Pro. It's also worth mentioning that the iPhone 14 Pro doesn't support Apple Intelligence.
Memory is another area where the difference is stark—12 GB of RAM on the iPhone 17 Pro vs just 6 GB on the 14 Pro.
Update: The all new iOS 26
Both the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro are now running iOS 26, and this year’s software update is more than just a tweak — it’s a full-blown visual refresh.
The new Liquid Glass design gives the interface a layered, semi-transparent look that you’ll notice across the entire system. It can be subtle if you stick to the default setup, but flip on the “Clear Look” mode and the glassy aesthetic becomes much more pronounced — very reminiscent of the Windows Vista era.
There are also some fun and practical additions. The lock screen now features an animated time-based dynamic wallpaper that reacts when notifications arrive, while the Music app has picked up a fresh coat of paint with animated album art.
The Camera app has also been redesigned to be cleaner, with only the photo and video modes visible by default, while other settings are tucked away behind swipes.
The Phone and Messages apps introduce Call Screening and Spam Message Filtering, while a new Live Translate feature lets you interpret conversations during a call in real time, finally catching up to Android’s long-standing equivalent.
Messages gets even better with typing indicators (finally), custom chat backgrounds, and the ability to run polls in group chats. On top of that, Apple Maps is now smarter with learned routes and proactive rerouting, and the Photos app has been streamlined for quicker album access.
Of course, while both phones will get iOS 26, only the iPhone 17 Pro supports Apple Intelligence features, thanks to its newer hardware and more RAM. That means a longer runway for new AI capabilities, which is something to keep in mind if you're thinking long-term.
Camera
Big changes
PhoneArena Camera Score:
Photo
Video
Phone
Camera Score
Photo Score
Main (wide)
Ultra Wide
Selfie
Zoom
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
156
162
84
24
28
26
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
148
146
78
22
26
20
Phone
Camera Score
Video Score
Main (wide)
Ultra Wide
Selfie
Zoom
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
156
150
77
23
26
24
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
148
150
79
23
27
21
Find out more details about photo and video scores for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Camera Score page
The iPhone 14 Pro is now almost three years old, and in the past three years Apple has been upgrading the camera system of its Pro models continuously. The 12MP ultrawide camera of the iPhone 14 Pro has been upgraded to a 48MP sensor, and the telephoto saw a couple of iterations, as well.
iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro
Main 48 MP f/1.8 24mm (wide) 1/1.28"
Main 48 MP f/1.8 24mm (wide) 1/1.28"
Ultrawide 48 MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) 1/2.55"
Ultrawide 12 MP f/2.2 13mm (ultrawide) 1/2.55"
Telephoto 48 MP 100mm 4x optical zoom
Telephoto 12 MP f/2.8, 77mm 3x optical zoom
The new iPhone 17 Pro features the same 48MP main camera and the upgraded 48MP ultrawide from the previous generation, but swaps the 12MP telephoto of the iPhone 16 Pro with yet another 48MP sensor under a new 4x lens.
If you check out our Camera Rating above the table you'll see that the new iPhone 17 Pro is better in every way, when it comes to camera performance. Of course, lab tests can only do so much, so let's check out some real-life samples.
Main Camera
< iPhone 17 ProiPhone 14 Pro >
Ultrawide Camera
< iPhone 17 ProiPhone 14 Pro >
Zoom
< iPhone 17 ProiPhone 14 Pro >
Selfie
< iPhone 17 ProiPhone 14 Pro >
Video Quality
You can check out the video comparison above, we used the Pro Max variants of the respected generations as the cameras are the same.
Apple is also adding Dual Capture video, overlaying the camera feed from the rear and front cameras. This is not something new or groundbreaking in the smartphone world, as we've seen it on Android phones from decade ago (such as the Xperia Z5 and XZ), but it's still a nice feature to have.
Battery Life and Charging
USB-C and better charging speeds
Thanks to a couple of teardowns, we now know the exact capacity of the battery inside the iPhone 17 Pro. The phone comes in two versions actually, the US version is eSIM only and features a bigger battery, while in other regions the physical SIM model is sold with a tad smaller battery.
iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro
Battery capacity 3988 mAh (physical SIM) 4252 mAh (eSIM only)
Battery capacity 3200 mAh
Charging speeds 40W wired
25W wireless (MagSafe)
USB-C
Charging speeds
25W wired
15W wireless (MagSafe)
Lightning port
After the EU mandated all phones sold in the Union to have the USB-C port, Apple had to swap the old Lightning port and get on the USB-C train. The iPhone 14 Pro, however, is the latest generation to feature the Lightning port and this comes with some drawbacks.
There's not much of a gap in aggregated battery life between these two, despite the huge difference in battery capacity. The new phone lasts 30 minutes longer overall, and it doubles the gaming score of the iPhone 14 Pro.
The wired charging caps at 25W, and you need lightning cable as well. In contrast, the new iPhone 17 Pro features the USB-C standard on board and charges from 0 to 50% in just 20 minutes.
Well, this one is pretty obvious - the iPhone 17 Pro offers more than enough upgrades to justify a switch from the three-year-old iPhone 14 Pro. From the brighter screen, the new camera hardware, the faster silicon, the bigger battery and the USB-C port supporting faster charging, it's the all-around better device.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is the price tag of the iPhone 17 Pro. It now starts at $1,099 and considering the 256GB base storage, this should be fine, but still, the fact of the matter is that you need to dish $1,100 for a Pro iPhone now.
Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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