Apple’s 2025 iPhones are right here, and issues are fairly totally different for the primary time shortly. The bottom iPhone 17 will nonetheless really feel acquainted, however the iPhone 17 Professional fashions have a very new look, and there is a brand-new mannequin known as the iPhone Air. The “Air” branding has been considerably diluted of late—the current-gen iPad Professional fashions are lighter than the iPad Air—however the iPhone Air brings that means again to the unique concept: a super-thin and ultra-lightweight machine.
Preorders kick off September 12 and official gross sales begin September 19. For those who’re contemplating an improve, what mannequin must you get? I am going to break down the important thing variations between the iPhone 17 lineup, together with their similarities, so you’ll be able to hopefully make a extra knowledgeable alternative in your subsequent iPhone.
Desk of Contents
You Do not Must Improve
When you have an iPhone from only a few years in the past, you most likely need not improve to Apple’s newest, except your machine has points. Even then, there are issues you are able to do to repair your iPhone, like getting a battery substitute, or you’ll be able to strive a few of these troubleshooting steps. The purpose is, you should not really feel the necessity to improve simply because Apple has a brand new mannequin.
For those who’re set on shopping for an iPhone 17 mannequin, we now have a information on find out how to promote your iPhone in order that it would not simply acquire mud in a drawer. When your new machine arrives, again up your previous iPhone earlier than switching to the brand new one, then observe our information on manufacturing facility resetting your machine earlier than promoting or giving it away. We even have tips about find out how to arrange your new iPhone and what settings to alter to get essentially the most out of it.
Which iPhone 17 Is Proper for You?
Let’s rapidly speak in regards to the similarities throughout all of the iPhone 17 fashions this yr, and sure, that features the iPhone Air, even when it would not have “17” within the identify.
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{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
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{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
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{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
Apple
iPhone 17, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17 Professional
The Show
Though iPhones differ in display measurement, all of them function an OLED display (Apple refers to it as a Tremendous Retina XDR show) and make use of ProMotion know-how. That is the primary time the non-Professional fashions have ProMotion, which is basically a 120-Hz refresh charge.
This has been a standard function on Android telephones for some time, however it means your show refreshes 120 occasions per second somewhat than 60, like on the iPhone 16, so every part you do will really feel smoother. (Now we have a broader explainer right here.) These are adaptive refresh charges that may drop as little as 1 Hz when there’s little exercise on the display, which is why the brand new iPhone 17 and iPhone Air now help the always-on show.
Apple additionally says there is a new Ceramic Defend 2 entrance glass that is 3x extra scratch-resistant than earlier than, and a brand new anti-reflective coating to scale back glare. All of those screens may hit as much as 3,000 nits of peak brightness, that means it’s going to be simpler to learn your iPhone display on sunny days.
The Digital camera
The front-facing selfie digicam is an identical on all of the iPhone 17 fashions. It is a new square-shaped 18-megapixel sensor, and meaning you’ll be able to anticipate extra element out of your selfies. Nevertheless, the sq. sensor additionally introduces a better option to seize group selfies. You possibly can hold holding your cellphone in portrait orientation for the very best grip, and it’ll mechanically zoom out to ensure everybody suits within the body, whereas additionally switching to a panorama orientation for the widest view. All of those fashions additionally help Twin Seize, which helps you to shoot with each the entrance and rear cameras on the identical time. You possibly can learn extra about these options right here.
The Typical Specs
The entire iPhones are IP68 water- and dust-resistant, have Face ID, the Digital camera Management button, Motion Button, USB-C, and Qi2 magnetic wi-fi charging (MagSafe). All units begin at 256 GB of storage. There’s Apple Intelligence on these units, the identical Emergency SOS through Satellite tv for pc and Crash Detection capabilities, they usually make the most of Apple’s new N1 wi-fi networking chip for Bluetooth 6, Wi-Fi 7, and Thread help.
The Variations
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
Now, here is the place they diverge, which is able to make it easier to higher perceive what mannequin to purchase.
