iPhone 17: Pro-Features für 799 Dollar

3 months ago 5

Apple iPhone 7

MSRP $799.00

Released September 2025

“The iPhone 17 is the most complete non-Pro iPhone ever made. If you want the same iPhone 17 Pro experience at a more affordable price and in a lighter body, albeit without a telephoto or the absolute best performance, this is the phone to get.”

Pros

Superfast dynamic 40W charging
Fast 25W magnetic wireless charging
Outstanding 120Hz display
Strong main and ultrawide cameras
Square selfie camera is great for selfies
All-day battery life and then some
Solid performance from the A19

Cons

No telephoto lens
A19 chipset isn’t as capable as the A19 Pro

Instant Insight

I don’t think I’ve come across an iPhone as compelling as the Apple iPhone 17. Yes, that’s a bold statement, given the lack of a telephoto lens, but aside from that, the iPhone 17 is the best iPhone that Apple has ever made for the average consumer.

There’s definitely a subset of customers for whom a telephoto lens is an absolute necessity, but the iPhone 17 isn’t for those. Instead, it is the most bang-for-your-buck iPhone ever made, correcting all the main criticisms rightly levied towards last year’s iPhone 16. There’s also at least 256GB of storage, a surprise bonus as Apple has now waved goodbye to anything less.

The result is the most Pro non-Pro iPhone ever made, and the best iPhone for most people. Outstanding battery life, fantastic performance, and a gorgeous ProMotion display, complete with 120Hz refresh rate, make for an experience that’s often indistinguishable from the iPhone 17 Pro. In fact, the display is identical on both phones, further emphasizing that this is a Pro phone without the ‘Pro’ name.

The iPhone 17 also excels in the hand. At 177 grams, it’s 29 grams lighter than the iPhone 17 Pro, and the lack of a telephoto lens means it also isn’t top-heavy. It’s the most ergonomically-friendly iPhone in years, and one that you’ll likely fall in love with once you pick it up.

Specs

Specification	Apple iPhone 17
Measurements	149.6 x 71.5 x 8 mm
Display	177 grams
Processor	Apple A19
RAM	8GB
Storage	256GB / 512GB
Cameras	Main: 48MP, f/1.6, 26mm, 1.0µm Dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS Ultrawide: 48MP, f/2,2, 120° PDAF
Battery	3,692 mAh Lithium Ion
Charging	40W 0-50% in 20 minutes 25W Qi2.2 magnetic wireless charging 50% in 30 min
Colors	Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender
Price	From $799

The iPhone 17 offers fantastic value for money

The most compelling aspect of the iPhone 17 is its price; simply put, it offers the best value for money among iPhones in recent years. It’s also the most compelling iPhone made at this price point, and it’s one of the best phones you can buy.

Although it lacks a telephoto lens like its chief rivals at this price point, it compensates with flagship specifications in display, other cameras, battery life, and even performance. The rest of the cameras also deserve special mention, as they are the same cameras you’ll find in Apple’s Pro lineup. Comparatively, the Google Pixel 10 and Galaxy S25 both feature reduced specifications in more parts to accommodate the telephoto lens.

When I first used the iPhone 17, I noticed that I really liked it, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. A week later, this feeling has only intensified, but I now know why: it’s the most remarkable unremarkable iPhone ever. Or to put it another way, this is the iPhone for those who want a pro phone at a more affordable price.

There’s little reason to buy the iPhone 16e when a $200 upgrade results in a significantly better phone. Unless you really want the telephoto lens or peak performance, the $300 premium for the iPhone 17 Pro may also be a dealbreaker.

The iPhone 16 was rightly criticized for lacking a 120Hz refresh rate, and Apple’s response is to use the same ProMotion display as the iPhone 17 Pro. It’s a wonderful screen, and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits means it’s excellent in all lighting conditions.

The same applies to the charging and battery. The iPhone 17 has the same 40W dynamic charging as its namesake siblings. It also has 25W MagSafe Qi2 magnetic wireless charging, a feature that’s otherwise reserved only for Google’s flagship Pixel 10 Pro XL, or requires an additional case with many of the best Samsung phones.

If you’ve wanted a lighter iPhone 17 Pro, or you rarely use the telephoto lens on your phone, this is the iPhone to get. A base storage of 256GB means you probably won’t need to spend more than the $799 list price. It’s really the best bang for your buck iPhone.

Apple ran out of paint for the iPhone 17 colors

One area that’s frustrated me with recent base iPhone models is Apple’s choice of colors. Aside from the nascent Project (Red) versions, all have featured lighter body colors with darker accents around the camera.

A clear example? The photos in this post are of the lavender variant, which is indistinguishable from white under certain lighting conditions. Yes, there’s a small accent around the camera, but I wish Apple had taken the iPhone 5c approach and given us a splash of color.

This is made more frustrating by the new iPhone 17 Pro colors, namely the incredibly vibrant Cosmic Orange. This is designed to stand out, but the improvements in the iPhone 17 are so compelling that it deserves a standout statement color.

That said, if you have to choose a color, green and blue look much better and are more vibrant than lavender. Black and white are also choices — neither is available on the iPhone 17 Pro — but the best is Sage (green), closely followed by Mist Blue.

The cameras are excellent, but you might miss the telephoto

How often do you use a telephoto lens or zoom beyond 2x? That’s the main question you need to answer when deciding whether to buy the Apple iPhone 17, and if the answer is infrequently, you will be pleasantly surprised by the iPhone 17 cameras.

The lack of a telephoto lens aside, these are the same cameras you’ll find in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. This means you get the same 48MP wide lens that can capture high-resolution 24MP images, and comes equipped with a wider f/1.6 aperture, which enables the lens to capture more light. This also features Apple’s sensor-shift OIS, which is particularly effective at handling motion in photos and videos.

Then there’s the 48MP ultrawide lens that comes complete with an f/2.2 aperture. This is a strong ultrawide lens that’s consistently proven to be better than the 13MP sensor on the Google Pixel 10 and the 12MP sensor on the Samsung Galaxy S25.

Lastly, there’s the new 18MP multi-aspect Center Stage Selfie camera, which utilizes a square sensor to enable capturing high-resolution photos and videos in horizontal, portrait, or square aspect ratios, all without requiring you to rotate your phone.

I absolutely love the Center Stage Selfie camera on all four new iPhones, and it’s a feature that I hope every phone maker copies. If you frequently use your selfie camera, you’ll love the new one. You’ll probably also appreciate the Dual Capture feature, which enables you to capture videos and photos simultaneously using both the front and rear cameras. This allows you to capture your reactions live, but it only works in video and not with images.

Strong battery life and superfast charging

A common trait among phones in this price point is great battery life, and the iPhone 17 delivers here. Apple doesn’t reveal the capacity, although online sources suggest it is 3,692 mAh. However, it does claim up to 30 hours of video playback or up to 27 hours when streaming video.

Over the past two weeks, the iPhone 17 has averaged 6.5 hours of active screen time, although it’s always worth noting that your usage will likely vary considerably. I used the iPhone 16, and that battery sometimes fell short, but the iPhone 17 battery always lasts a full day.

The addition of the same 40W charging as the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup — not the iPhone Air, which is limited to 20W — means it’s rapid to charge. Apple claims it can reach 50% in just 20 minutes, but in my testing, it’s closer to 42 percent.

Screen on the Apple iPhone 17 in lavender purple

As we found in our iPhone 17 charging test, it takes 15 minutes to charge from 0% to 37% and 30 minutes to charge from 0% to 64%. A full charge takes 1 hour and 27 minutes, which equates to 42.44 mAh per minute. This is 31% faster than the iPhone 16, but slower than its chief rivals, the Google Pixel 10 (50.20 mAh per minute) and the Samsung Galaxy S25 (51.95 mAh per minute).

Lastly, there’s 25W magnetic wireless charging. Despite being just 8 mm thick, the iPhone 17 has full Qi2.2 and MagSafe support; the only non-iPhone that supports this natively is the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, which costs $400 more. This is my favorite way to charge a phone, and with a 25W MagSafe charger, it takes around 35 minutes to get to 50%. This is five minutes slower than Apple’s claims, but it’s impressive nonetheless.