Apple has announced its new smartphones, and many would say that the iPhone 17 is the phone to get. The improvements to the vanilla model are considerable, without the price bump. Well, in this article, we’ll compare the Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro. We haven’t reviewed either of them at this point, so keep in mind this is more of a spec comparison rather than anything else.
We’ll basically compare what each phone has to offer to help you make a purchasing decision. To many of you, the ‘Pro’ model is probably not worth the extra cash. We will first list the specs of both phones, and we’ll then compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio output.
Specs
Apple iPhone 17
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
| Apple iPhone 17 | Apple iPhone 17 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 149.6 x 71.5 x 8 mm | 150 x 71.9 x 8.8 mm |
| Weight | 177 grams | 206 grams |
| Display | 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED | 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED |
| Refresh rate | 1-120Hz | 1-120Hz |
| Resolution | 2622 x 1206 | 2622 x 1206 |
| Chipset | Apple A19 | Apple A19 Pro |
| RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB | 256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Main camera | 48MP (f/1.6 aperture, 1/1.56-inch sensor size, sensor-shift-OIS) | 48MP (1/1.28 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, dual pixel PDAF) |
| Ultra-wide camera | 48MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV) | 48MP (f/2.2 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV, 0.7um pixel size, PDAF) |
| Telephoto camera | N/A | N/A |
| Periscope telephoto camera | N/A | 48MP (f/2.8 aperture, 1/2.55-inch sensor size, PDAF, 3D sensor-shift OIS, 4x optical zoom) |
| Selfie camera | 18MP (f/1.9 aperture, OIS) | 18MP (f/1.9 aperture, OIS) |
| Battery size | 3,692mAh | 3,988mAh (nano SIM) / 4,252mAh (eSIM only) |
| Charging | Wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included) | Wired, 25W MagSafe wireless, 4.5W reverse wired (charger not included) |
| Colors | Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender | Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue |
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro: Design
Both of these phones combine an aluminum and glass build, though the Apple iPhone 17 Pro’s backplate is a bit different. It has more aluminum on the back you’d think, as Apple decided to do things a bit differently. It also has a separate, large camera section at the top, unlike the iPhone 17. That section does protrude, and it spans from the left to the right side of the phone. Both the camera island itself and the cameras protrude on the back. There are three cameras here, by the way. The iPhone 17, on the other hand, has two vertically aligned cameras in the top-left corner. They also protrude on the back, as does the pill-shaped camera island as well.
Both smartphones include a flat frame all around, which does come with slightly rounded edges. The power/lock button sits on the right-hand side of both phones, along with the Camera control key. On the left, you’ll find the volume up and down buttons, along with the Action key. Both devices have a flat display on the front, with a Dynamic Island at the top. The bezels around both displays are very thin, and uniform as well.
The display sizes are identical, and yet the iPhone 17 is slightly shorter, narrower, and thinner. It is also notably lighter at 177 grams, compared to 206 grams of the iPhone 17 Pro. Both smartphones do come with an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, while both phones are also quite slippery in the hand. They are not too big, though, not at all. These are both rather compact devices.
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro: Display
Apple has decided to use the same displays across these two phones, basically. You’ll find a 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display on both devices. That display does offer ProMotion aka 120Hz high refresh rate. The refresh rate is adaptive and goes from 1 to 120Hz on both smartphones. The peak brightness this display offers is 3,000 nits, and that’s the case on both devices.
The display is flat, and it offers a resolution of 2622 x 1206 pixels. The display aspect ratio is 19.5:9, while the screen-to-body ratio is at around 90%. This panel is protected by the Ceramic Shield 2 on both devices. That version of display protection is more resistant to scratches, Apple has confirmed. It’s a lot more resistant, actually. It is also worth noting that the display supports HDR.
Based on the specs alone, the experience with this display should be identical across two devices. Apple finally brought ProMotion to its base model, and it’s nice to see that it went all the way. We’re glad to see this is a proper LTPO panel, and not something else that the company could have used. Both displays also seem to be quite vivid, and they are more than bright enough.
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro: Performance
The Apple iPhone 17 is fueled by the Apple A19 processor. That is the company’s new hexa-core processor, it’s a 3nm chip. That SoC is combined with 8GB of RAM and NVMe flash storage. The iPhone 17 Pro, on the other hand, is fueled by the Apple A19 Pro processor. That’s a 3nm chip, and it’s also a hexa-core processor. It is more powerful than the Apple A19, of course. That processor is combined with 12GB of RAM inside the iPhone 17 Pro, while the device uses NVMe flash storage. Storage expansion is not available on either phone.
Yes, the iPhone 17 Pro is more powerful, technically. It does have a more powerful chip and more RAM. Knowing Apple, however, both of these smartphones will offer great performance. You likely won’t be able to tell the difference in day-to-day scenarios, and quite frankly, there likely won’t be much difference on the gaming side of things either. Yes, the iPhone 17 Pro will be able to push a bit harder with the most advanced titles on the App Store, but the iPhone 17 will be able to run them all just fine as well.
For most people, the iPhone 17 is likely the better choice here. The SoC and RAM advantages are likely not worth the extra cash. If you , however, need to have the best of the best, that’s the iPhone 17 Pro, of course.
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro: Battery
The Apple iPhone 17 includes a 3,692mAh battery on the inside, while the iPhone 17 Pro comes with either a 3988mAh battery (nano SIM model) or a 4,252mAh battery (eSIM only model). It all depends on where you buy the device. The iPhone 17 Pro is eSIM only in over a dozen countries, and that includes the US, by the way. In Europe, you’ll be able to get the nano SIM model.
We haven’t tested the battery life on either phone, but based on these capacities and the savings Apple is promising due to new chips, we do have high expectations. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro offered great battery life, and chances are the same will be the case with these two models as well. The iPhone 17 Pro is expected to do much better in that regard, especially the eSIM only model, but there’s a good chance the iPhone 17 will offer outstanding battery life, too. We’ll see.
Both of these smartphones offer both wired and wireless charging. We still don’t know the exact speed of wired charging, but Apple says that both of them can reach a 50% charge in only 20 minutes. A full charge will take a lot more than that, but there you go. 25W MagSafe wireless charging is supported by both smartphones, however. They both also support 4.5W reverse wired charging. Neither device includes a charger in the retail box.
Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro: Cameras
The Apple iPhone 17 includes two cameras on the back. It has a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor size), and a 48-megapixel ultrawide snapper (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV). It got an ultrawide camera boost compared to its predecessor. It’s a shame there is no zoom camera here, but… this is a base model after all. At least macro photography got a boost here.
The iPhone 17 Pro, on the other hand, includes three cameras on the back. You’ll find a 48-megapixel main camera (1/1.28-inch sensor size), a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 120-degree FoV), and a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto snapper (1/2.55-inch sensor size, 4x optical zoom).
They have the same ultrawide cameras, but the other two are different. The iPhone 17 Pro has the advantage in both the main camera section and the zoom camera. It ships with a periscope telephoto camera, which is far from the best on the market, but still, it’s a major advantage over the iPhone 17, which has no zoom camera at all. We don’t expect to see much difference with the main camera, even though the iPhone 17 Pro will probably do a better job, especially in low light. However, zoom shots will be notably better on the ‘Pro’ model. It all depends on what you need.
Audio
Both of these smartphones ship with stereo speakers. We did not get to test them yet, but chances are we’ll get similar offerings to what the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro offered. That’s not a bad thing, as those speakers were quite good. They were loud enough and offered good output.
There is no audio jack on either smartphone. You can, however, use their Type-C ports to connect your wired headphones, if you want. Alternatively, both smartphones do include Bluetooth 6.0 support for wireless audio.
#Apple #iPhone #Apple #iPhone #Pro
