This is one of the best years in a long time to be looking at the standard iPhone. For the same price as last year, you get twice as much storage, slightly better cameras, and an immensely better screen that makes the phone immediately more useful. Sure, there are still some features reserved for the Pro: a new design, a faster chip, a telephoto lens and larger main camera sensor. But I think there’s an argument to be made that those are features for power users, meant for those who really want more out of their phone.
If you have an iPhone 16 or iPhone 15, you probably don’t need to upgrade to the iPhone 17 unless you want a better rear camera (which only applies to iPhone 15 owners or those with a 16 who swear by the ultra-wide lens) or desperately need a Pro-level display. But if you have an iPhone 14 or older, this is the year to make the jump.
I’ve always been a staunch supporter of the base iPhone model, and this year’s no different as the iPhone 17 offers one of the best bang-for-the-buck deals in recent memory. That’s due to an assortment of things, like how it offers double the storage capacity at 256GB, a smoother 120Hz display refresh rate, faster 30W wired charging speeds and a larger display. You get all of that at the same $799 cost as last year’s model, which I think is a big deal.
The baseline iPhone is never really meant to turn heads when stacked against the rest of an Apple lineup, but some notable upgrades on the iPhone 17 make it a worthy contender if you're in the market for a new device that ticks the basics. Improvements to the display and camera help the iPhone 17 feel like it's really worth that $829 price, and can make it an enticing option if you don't want to spend upwards of $1,000 on a Pro model.
The iPhone 17 is the best iPhone for most people, bar none. The gap between the standard iPhone and the Pro models has never been narrower, which means the iPhone 17 has a compelling value over the others. It has the best screen ever to grace the front of a standard iPhone and combines that with long battery life, excellent cameras, competitive wireless performance, punchy audio, and a design fit for everyone.