iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro: A new age dawns for the iPhone Pro

The iPhone 17 series has been officially unveiled with some big changes both in the hardware and software departments. Apple introduced a new model, the super-thin iPhone 17 Air, and also redesigned the Pro line in terms of looks.

iPhone 17 Pro: pre-order for as low as $0.00/mo.

$0 /mo

$30 ⁵⁵

$31 off (100%)

The powerful iPhone 17 Pro is finally here! You can already pre-order 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.

Pre-order at Verizon

iPhone 17 Pro Max: pre-order for $2.77/mo.

$2 ⁷⁷ /mo

$33 ³³

$31 off (92%)

The impressive iPhone 17 Pro Max is available for pre-order 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.

Pre-order at Verizon

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

6.3-inch

Triple camera

3582 mAh

8GB

$679 at Amazon

Today we're going to focus on the iPhone 17 Pro. What new features does it bring to the table compared to its direct predecessor, the iPhone 16 Pro? Do you need to upgrade if you already have the previous generation? We will try to answer these and other pressing questions in this iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 16 Pro comparison.

Design-wise, we've got some big changes, actually the biggest ones since the iPhone X. The iPhone 17 Pro now features a different aluminum unibody and different camera bump on its back. It's a big rectangle, spreading almost side-to-side, similar to what the Pixel 9 Pro has but even more prominent. Apple calls it "extended plateau."

The iPhone 16 Pro uses the old, tried-and-tested square camera housing that we've seen in the past couple of generations. It's fair to say that the positions of the lenses themselves on the new model aren't that different; it's just the whole bump stretching from side to side.

There are differences when it comes to size and weight as well. The new iPhone 17 Pro is ever so slightly larger, thicker and heavier. We're talking about fractions of the millimeter here, and a couple of grams, so don't be to scared of the change.

In terms of building materials, there's another change. Apple has reverted to aluminum for the iPhone 17 Pro frame, which is kind of a downgrade, as the iPhone 16 Pro comes with Grade 5 titanium.

Let's quickly list the color variants for the iPhone 17 Pro versus what we have available on the iPhone 16 Pro. 

Fans of bright and catchy colors will be happy with the new Cosmic Orange hue (reminds us of the iPhone XR), but the other interesting thing is that there's no black version of the iPhone 17 Pro.

Display Differences

There are no huge changes to the iPhone 17 Pro when it comes to the display. We have the same 6.3-inch ProMotion screen as the one on the iPhone 16 Pro, with a dynamic refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz, and the same 1206 x 2622 pixels resolution, resulting in around 460 PPI.

There's information pointing toward a new technology called LDTEE (Low-dielectric TEE) which improves efficiency and durability. The peak brightness figures cited by Apple suggest that the iPhone 17 Pro might be using the new M14 display panels from Samsung.

We have to measure the iPhone 17 Pro when it lands in our lab so stay tuned for detailed display tests soon.

The iPhone 17 Pro features the next-gen A19 Pro chip. It's the best silicon you'll find in a smartphone and according to Apple, it is 40% faster than the A18 Pro inside the iPhone 16 Pro. We have to run our benchmarks to prove or disprove this statement so stay tuned. One thing is certain, these two phones are plenty fast and in real life scenarios you probably won't feel any difference.

The RAM situation has changed as well; the iPhone 17 Pro features 12GB of RAM, as opposed to the 8GB available on the iPhone 16 Pro. It's still unclear what necessitated this change, but one potential candidate might be Apple Intelligence and more hardware resources needed for on-device AI calculations.

In terms of storage, Apple has dropped the 128GB base variant of the iPhone 17 Pro and the phone now starts at 256GB and goes to 1TB of storage. 

Update:iOS 26 is now official, but what are the new features? Well, the headline feature is a major visual redesign dubbed "Liquid Glass." For those who enjoy such things, an optional "Clear Look" will render the interface transparent, a stylistic nod to Windows Vista that is, if nothing else, a conversation starter. One imagines it will have its fans (but don't include me in that list).

On the more practical side of things, the Camera app is being decluttered to prioritize its main functions, a sensible move for lovers of simple design. There is also a pledge to fix the organizational woes of the Photos app with new buttons and an easier to reach search key.

But it seems the real substance is in making your iPhone a more peaceful device to own. A new Call Screening feature, a welcome (if overdue) addition seen on other platforms, aims to finally silence the endless barrage of telemarketing calls. This alone might be the most compelling part of the entire update. It’s being paired with Live Translate for calls, a feature that feels perched on the fine line between remarkable convenience and the potential for spectacular misunderstanding.

Of course, Messages will get its share of new trinkets, including polls to add a veneer of democracy to group dinner plans and custom backgrounds for a splash of personality, plus typing indicators for those group chats. They’re fine additions. It’s a classic mix, really: a few major quality-of-life improvements bundled with a host of minor tweaks and a bold new look.

Last generation, Apple upgraded the ultrawide camera on the Pro models with a 48MP sensor and also slapped a faster 48MP main camera inside for good measure. So, the iPhone 16 Pro already features quite a potent camera setup. However, there's one camera that could benefit from a better sensor—the telephoto.

Rejoice, Apple has indeed upgraded the iPhone 17 Pro's camera setup with a new telephoto lens with a 48MP sensor underneath. Another change, compared to the 12MP periscope zoom on the 16 Pro, is that the new camera on the 17 Pro has native optical zoom of 3.5x.

The front camera gets an upgrade in pixel count as well. The iPhone 16 Pro has a 12MP selfie camera, while the iPhone 17 Pro features a brand new 18MP center stage selfie camera. It has a square sensor and can take both vertical and horizontal photos without the need to turn your phone horizontally. 

We're waiting for the iPhone 17 Pro in order to take some side-by-side samples, but meanwhile you can take a look at those images by the photographer and YouTuber Tyler Stalman and see the differences compared to the previous generation yourselves.



There's also a new Dual Capture video mode on all iPhone 17 models, offering simultaneous camera feeds from the rear and front snappers. It's not something groundbreaking, as we've seen it on Android phones from years ago (such as the Xperia Z5 and XZ), but it's still a nice addition to the list of features.

We will test the new system and include side-by-side samples once we finish testing the iPhone 17 Pro.

Apple is known for its conservative approach toward battery capacity and charging, but the company hinted at larger batteries for the iPhone 17 family. Unsurprisingly, there were no capacity figures mentioned, just hours of video streaming, so we have to wait for the teardowns to learn the exact capacity of the battery inside the iPhone 17 Pro.

The iPhone 16 Pro comes equipped with a 3582 mAh battery on board, which is quite modest compared to other flagships that are now sporting 5000+ (or even 6000 mAh) batteries, but the way iPhones handle tasks, apps, and day-to-day activity allows for smaller-capacity batteries to perform on par with much larger ones.

In terms of charging, which has been another weak point and source of complaints from Apple users, the iPhone 17 Pro was presented as faster charging but we need more tests to see what the upgrade is and how it will impact charging times. In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro charges from zero to 100% in 1h 34m.

Here's a quick specs comparison between the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro (follow the link for a more detailed comparison on PhoneArena):

It's still early days to give you a conclusive verdict, but some things are starting to take shape and form. The iPhone 17 Pro has different design, for better or for worse, and this might turn into a deciding factor for many people.

The upgrades are quite substantial—we have the new A19 Pro silicon, more RAM, a more efficient and durable display, a new telephoto camera, a new selfie camera, and a larger battery. These all sound quite good on paper, but we have to run all the tests to see whether or not they bring real-life advantages to the table.

The iPhone 16 Pro, on the other hand, remains a pretty potent and powerful device, even with the A18 Pro chip and its 12MP tetraprism telephoto (which comes with more zoom as well). The battery life should be very close between those two, and the big divider might turn out to be the price.

The iPhone 17 Pro now starts at $1,099 (which is fine if you factor in the base 256GB storage), while the iPhone 16 Pro launched at $999.