The iPhone 17 finally matches the screen on its Pro sibling thanks to a 120Hz refresh rate, and it comes in at a lower price while also having capable cameras and plenty of power.
Pros
- A 120Hz refresh rate
- Lower price than the Pro
- Slimmer and lighter
Cons
- Less powerful than the Pro
- Fewer cameras
- Worse battery life
The iPhone 17 Pro is more powerful than the standard iPhone 17, it has an extra camera, and it has better battery life. But that all comes at a high price, and won’t be necessary for everyone.
Pros
- Extremely powerful
- Great for zoom shots
- Long-lasting battery
Cons
- Expensive
- Thick and heavy
- No major screen upgrades
Choosing between the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro is a big decision, but these are sufficiently different handsets that it hopefully won’t be too tough to make up your mind.
They both achieved 4.5 stars in our reviews, so they’re both superb phones. But they’re in many ways aimed at different people, thanks to the gulf in their pricing, camera capabilities, and more.
So below, you’ll find a full comparison of the key specs and features of these phones, along with a look at their prices, to hopefully help you come to a decision.
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: specs comparison
Before we look closely at the specs of these phones, here’s just a brief overview of them, so you can see at a glance the main differences and similarities.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
iPhone 17 |
iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions and weight: |
149.6 x 71.5 x 8mm and 177g |
150 x 71.9 x 8.8mm and 206g |
|
Display: |
6.3-inch 120Hz |
6.3-inch 120Hz |
|
Peak brightness: |
3,000 nits |
3,000 nits |
|
Chipset: |
A19 |
A19 Pro |
|
RAM: |
8GB |
12GB |
|
Rear cameras: |
48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide |
48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto |
|
Front camera: |
18MP |
18MP |
|
Battery: |
3,692mAh |
3,998mAh or 4252mAh |
|
Storage: |
256GB, 512GB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: price and availability
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The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro were both announced on September 9, 2025, and both shipped on September 19. They’re also both similarly widely available around the world, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding either of them.
One of them is significantly more affordable than the other though, with the iPhone 17 being the cheapest of course, at a starting price of $799 / £799 / AU$1,399.
That gets you a model with 256GB of storage, or you can pay $999 / £999 / AU$1,799 for 512GB.
The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999, again with 256GB of storage. So that makes its starting price $300 / £300 / AU$400 higher than the iPhone 17’s.
You can also get a 512GB model for $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,399 or if you’re feeling really flush there’s a 1TB version for $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,799.
Winner: iPhone 17
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: design
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Usually two iPhones with the same number in the name will have quite a similar design, but not so with the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro, because while the iPhone 17 looks quite a lot like the iPhone 16, the iPhone 17 Pro has a new design.
Specifically, the Pro has a much larger camera block, running across the width of the phone. That camera block and the frame are aluminum, but it also has a glass section on the back.
The iPhone 17 meanwhile has a completely glass rear, along with an aluminum frame and a much smaller camera block, which this time runs vertically.
From the front, there’s less that’s different, with both phones having a flat screen and a Dynamic Island cut-out, and both also have curvy corners, the same selection of buttons (including a Camera Control and an Action button), and an IP68 rating (meaning they’re water-resistant to depths of six meters for up to 30 minutes, and dust-proof).
Their screens are also both protected by Ceramic Shield 2, keeping them safer from scratches than many phones, but their weights and dimensions differ, with the iPhone 17 being 149.6 x 71.5 x 8mm and 177g, while the iPhone 17 Pro is 150 x 71.9 x 8.8mm and 206g. So the Pro is slightly taller, wider, thicker, and heavier.
Finally, the colors differ too, with the iPhone 17 being sold in Black, White, Mist Blue, Sage, and Lavender shades, while the iPhone 17 Pro is available in Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro for its new design
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: display
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Both the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro have a 6.3-inch 1206 x 2622 Super Retina XDR OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 460 pixels per inch, and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. They can also both lower their refresh rates when 120Hz isn’t needed, which in turn allows them to support Apple’s always-on display feature.
Plus, they both have an anti-reflective coating, a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a Dynamic Island, and – as mentioned above – Ceramic Shield 2 protection.
So when it comes to the screen at least these two phones are more or less identical. That’s a big deal, because in previous years the base models have been stuck with 60Hz screens, giving the Pro phones a clear advantage.
This change also means they both have superb screens, with our iPhone 17 review stating that it offers “excellent visuals”, while our iPhone 17 Pro review similarly called the screen “excellent”.
Winner: tie
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: cameras
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While the screens might be similar, these two phones have some notable differences in their cameras.
If you buy an iPhone 17 you’ll be getting a device with a 48MP f/1.6 main camera, a 48MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (with a 120-degree field of view), and an 18MP f/1.9 front-facing camera.
Choose an iPhone 17 Pro and you’ll get the same front-facing camera, along with a similar 48MP f/1.8 main camera and 48MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (again with a 120-degree field of view), but you’ll also be getting a 48MP f/2.8 periscope telephoto camera, offering 4x optical zoom.
Apple advertises this as also being capable of taking 8x optical-quality images, which is sort of true, except you’re getting them at the quality of a smaller, lower megapixel sensor, as it achieves this through cropping into the sensor. Still, it’s a feature that isn’t available on the iPhone 17 – though both phones can do a similar thing with their main sensors to achieve 2x zoom.
Both phones are also capable of taking macro photos, but the iPhone 17 Pro has an advantage for video, as it can shoot in 4K quality at up to 120fps, while the iPhone 17 tops out at 60fps in 4K quality.
So if you care much about telephoto images or 120fps videos, the iPhone 17 Pro is the obvious choice. Still, we were impressed with both phones in our reviews, noting that the iPhone 17 has “two excellent cameras”, while the iPhone 17 Pro has “the best camera array Apple has ever produced.”
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro camera samples
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iPhone 17 camera samples
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iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: performance and software
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While these are both powerful phones, the iPhone 17 Pro has an edge here, as it has an A19 Pro chipset and 12GB of RAM, while the standard iPhone 17 has an A19 chipset (not the Pro version) and 8GB of RAM.
In practice, you may not notice much difference – at least for now – with our iPhone 17 review describing it as “plenty, plenty fast”. But the iPhone 17 Pro is “ready for any task” according to our review, so power users may benefit from the pricier phone.
And looking ahead, the iPhone 17 Pro should be more futureproofed, which is worth bearing in mind if you don’t tend to upgrade your phone often.
The iPhone 17 Pro can also be had with more storage, topping out at 1TB rather than the 512GB of the iPhone 17. But their software is the same, with both phones running iOS 26, and both models likely to keep getting updates for just as long – though it’s possible that the lower amount of RAM in the iPhone 17 will mean it won’t get all the future features we’ll see on the iPhone 17 Pro.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: battery
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Apple doesn’t reveal the capacity of its phones’ batteries, but thanks to teardowns we know that the iPhone 17 has a 3,692mAh one, and in most regions the iPhone 17 Pro has a 3,998mAh one. However, in the US where it’s eSIM-only you instead get a 4,252mAh one.
That leads to differences in battery life for the Pro depending on where you’re located. But wherever you are, the iPhone 17 should be able to last for up to 30 hours of video playback according to Apple. With the iPhone 17 Pro, you’re either getting up to 31 hours (if you’re outside the US), or 33 hours (with a US model).
In both cases then the Pro has the edge, though it doesn’t charge any faster, with both phones able to reach a 50% charge in around 20 minutes with a 40W or higher charger. The same level of charge can be reached in around 30 minutes with a 30W or higher MagSafe charger.
Winner: iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro: verdict
In all then, the main upgrades you’ll get if you pick the iPhone 17 Pro are an extra camera for telephoto shots, 120fps 4K video recording, a longer-lasting battery, more RAM, a faster chipset, and the option of more storage.
That’s quite a lot, but with the screens and charging speeds being the same, the remaining cameras being similar, and both phones running the same software, there are a lot of similarities too.
And while the iPhone 17 Pro has a new and arguably more stylish design, it’s also slightly bigger and heavier than the iPhone 17 as a result. Plus, it costs more.
So it’s worth thinking hard about whether its advantages are really worth it to you. If you’re a power user or big on mobile photography then they undoubtedly will be, but the average smartphone user would probably be perfectly happy with an iPhone 17. And one thing’s for sure: these are both excellent phones.
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