The iPhone 16 was one of Apple’s least exciting releases, offering little beyond a faster chip, the awkward Camera Control button, and the same old 60Hz screen.

The iPhone 17 finally fixes those shortcomings. It’s the first base model with a 120Hz ProMotion display, has a brighter screen for outdoor use, a sharper and smarter 18 MP selfie camera, longer battery life with faster charging, and an upgraded ultrawide camera.

In short, the standard iPhone has caught up. For many users, these updates make the regular iPhone 17 worth the upgrade — unless you really need the Pro’s telephoto camera.

iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16 differences:

Table of Contents:

The iPhone 16 kept Apple’s familiar aluminum-and-glass design with Ceramic Shield on the front. With the iPhone 17, Apple introduces Ceramic Shield 2, which is three times more scratch-resistant. Unlike the new iPhone Air and the iPhone 17 Pro models, though, the back is not made with Ceramic Shield 2.

• Black
• Lavender
• Mist Blue
• Sage
• White

• Pink
• Teal
• Ultramarine
• Black
• White

One of the biggest changes this year is the move to a 120Hz ProMotion OLED panel on the iPhone 17. The iPhone 16 stayed stuck at 60Hz, making it feel severely outdated compared to virtually every other phone on the market.

Apple also increased outdoor brightness this year: the iPhone 17 now peaks at 3000 nits outdoors, compared to 2000 nits on the iPhone 16. Both hit 1600 nits in HDR content, but the new model should be easier to read under direct sunlight.

The iPhone 17 upgrades to the A19 chip, which is more efficient and optimized for sustained performance compared to the A18 inside the iPhone 16. Both come with 8 GB of RAM, but the new model starts at 256 GB vs the 128 GB on the iPhone 16 — all while keeping the same starting price of $799!

On the software side, both models run iOS 26, which introduces the new Liquid Glass design language, Live Translation, Call Screening, and Apple Intelligence features powered by on-device AI.

The iPhone 17 will launch with iOS 26, which introduces the flashy new “Liquid Glass” design language and long-overdue quality-of-life features like Call Screening, Live Translate, and smarter Messages. The iPhone 16 will also get the update and those features with it on the same day as the iPhone 17‘s launch.

The iPhone 16 introduced the vertical camera layout, but kept the same 48 MP main and 12 MP ultrawide as the iPhone 15. With the iPhone 17, Apple has upgraded the ultrawide to 48 MP, which should bring sharper detail and better macro performance. For now, we assume it is the same 48 MP ultrawide that’s in the Pro models.

We have another major camera-related change at the front: the iPhone 17 gets an 18 MP Center Stage selfie camera with a wider field of view, more stabilized 4K HDR video, and Dual Capture for recording with front and back cameras at the same time.

Apple quotes up to 30 hours of video playback on the iPhone 17, compared to 22 hours on the iPhone 16. That’s thanks to a larger stacked battery and the more efficient A19 chip.

Charging is also faster: with Apple’s new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter, the iPhone 17 hits 50% in about 20 minutes. Wireless charging remains at 25W, but the base iPhone now supports Qi2, so third-party magnetic chargers can match Apple’s MagSafe speeds.

The iPhone 17 is the upgrade the base iPhone direly needed, and it is finally here. Now users don’t have to pay for a Pro model just to get a 120Hz display. Not to mention that the new model gets super bright at 3000-nit outdoor brightness, comes with a sharper 18MP Center Stage selfie camera, and a 48 MP ultrawide with better detail and macro photography. With the longer battery life, faster wired charging, and Qi2 wireless support, and the standard iPhone now sounds like a true flagship in its own right.

The iPhone 16, on the other hand, looks more outdated than ever. Its 60Hz screen, older 12MP ultrawide camera make it hard to recommend in 2025, even though the A18 chip still delivers strong performance.

For most users, the regular iPhone 17 should cover all the essentials — so much so that you probably don’t need to spend extra on a Pro model, unless you specifically want a telephoto camera or USB 3 transfer speeds.

The best part is that, unlike the Pro models, the price has remained the same despite the higher base storage, making the iPhone 17 arguably the best iPhone deal in years.