I Took The Iphone 17 On A Trip To Hawaii, And It Surpassed My Expectations (until It Didn't)

1 month ago

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The iPhone 17 starts astatine $799 pinch 256GB of guidelines storage
The biggest upgrades are a caller 120Hz ProMotion show and 18MP beforehand camera.
You'll still person to settee for not having a telephoto lens, and artillery life is average.

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Base exemplary iPhones are often overlooked. Apple's motorboat of nan iPhone 17 lineup made that moreover much nan case, pinch nan ultra-thin iPhone Air and nan Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro stealing each nan attention. However, respective weeks spent pinch nan iPhone 17 have made it evident that it's nan biggest triumph of nan merchandise play for astir users.

The champion portion is that contempt nan upgrades, nan latest iPhone exemplary retails for nan aforesaid value arsenic its predecessor, but pinch double nan retention (256GB).

Also: Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max review: I've sewage 1 large logic to urge a year-over-year upgrade

More recently, I took nan iPhone 17 connected a week-long activity trip to Hawaii, which included extended usage of nan instrumentality connected a 12-hour formation and taking pictures each day. Here are its biggest standouts (and notable caveats) to thief you make a buying decision.

A creation that's amended successful each way

Aesthetically, nan iPhone 17 appears mostly unchanged, retaining its solid exterior, stacked dual camera array, and aluminum frame. The astir noticeable alteration is nan preamble of caller pastel colorways, which see Lavender, Sage, and Mist Blue, successful summation to nan accepted White and Black. However, location are tons of meaningful creation changes that make it a large upgrade. Starting pinch possibly nan biggest creation upgrade: nan inclusion of nan ProMotion display.

With nan iPhone 17, Apple yet made nan 120Hz ProMotion display, which was typically constricted to Pro users, azygous crossed nan full lineup, moreover nan guidelines model. If you are coming from a erstwhile iPhone guidelines exemplary and are not accustomed to higher refresh complaint displays, you are successful for a treat. Trust me, while subtle, you will announcement nan difference.

As personification who has ever purchased nan Pro lineup, I had forgotten really spoiled I was by nan 120Hz refresh complaint until I tested nan iPhone 16e and had to readjust to a 60Hz refresh rate, which was noticeably much stuttery and laggy.

In summation to nan refresh rate, nan telephone now features thinner borders and a somewhat larger 6.3-inch show -- which boasts a highest outdoor brightness of 3,000 nits, nan highest ever connected nan guidelines model. Although nan show size isn't importantly larger, regaining immoderate other surface existent property is ever a perk. During my testing, which included sitting by nan excavation nether nan Hawaiian sun, I didn't person to strain while looking astatine my telephone successful nonstop sunlight.

Another perk that was antecedently exclusive to Pro users is nan Always-on display. This characteristic comes successful useful for viewing at-a-glance information, specified arsenic time, date, and notifications, without having to unlock your phone. Lastly, a show upgrade that is harder to spot aliases trial is Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says gives it 3 times amended scratch resistance.

The champion caller camera characteristic is...

The iPhone 17 features an 18MP Center Stage front camera, an upgrade from nan 12MP camera of nan anterior year. While this straight translates to better-quality selfies, nan existent magic relates to its wider section of position and larger sensor. Now, you tin move from scenery to image mode without rotating nan phone, arsenic seen successful nan photograph above. I americium holding my telephone vertically while taking a horizontal photo.

Also: Apple's iPhone 17 will everlastingly alteration really we return selfies - including connected Android phones

You tin manually toggle nan orientation, or, utilizing AI, nan camera tin automatically widen nan changeable erstwhile it detects a group of group and rotate from scenery to vertical to get everyone successful nan frame. Using it for nan first clip feels a spot for illustration magic, and while not nan flashiest feature, it is wildly convenient. Bottom line: if you're a selfie fanatic, you will beryllium really happy pinch this camera and won't miss a point from nan Pro line. But nan aforesaid can't beryllium said astir nan rear cameras.

The rear cameras received a flimsy boost, too, pinch a 48MP Fusion main and a 48MP Fusion ultra-wide replacing nan 12MP ultra-wide recovered connected nan iPhone 16. Overall, successful astir lighting conditions, nan rear cameras execute well, capturing well-balanced shots that diffuse ray evenly connected nan subject, show vivid colors that aren't overly saturated, adhd a balanced magnitude of contrast, and moreover accurately correspond tegument color.

What's still missing present is simply a dedicated telephoto lens for higher-quality zoom shots, thing I missed having erstwhile capturing distant subjects.

Compared to my iPhone 16 Pro, which was my regular driver for nan past year, aliases nan iPhone 17 Pro, which I person been capable to tinker pinch since nan release, nan iPhone 17 photos are still of lesser quality. To exemplify my point, I americium including an image below, taken simultaneously connected nan iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17, and nan quality successful balancing ray and handling shadows is noticeable.

The quality successful results is expected, arsenic nan Pro lineup features a three-camera array, including a telephoto lens, which is yet nan superior trading constituent of nan Pro exemplary complete nan guidelines model.

For many, nan quality will beryllium truthful subtle that it whitethorn not beryllium a woody breaker. Since nan camera is nan biggest tradeoff from nan Pro model, if you don't request a professional-level camera successful your pocket, past nan iPhone 17 will beryllium conscionable fine.

Where nan iPhone 17 fell short for me

The iPhone 17 features Apple's A19 chip, a measurement up from nan A18 spot successful nan iPhone 16. The astir important upgrade successful nan silicon is nan neural accelerators successful nan 5-core GPU, designed to heighten nan handling and processing of AI tasks much efficiently. While I can't needfully opportunity I noticed a large capacity boost from its predecessor, that's not a bad thing, arsenic some phones guarantee a smooth, optimal acquisition pinch speed, connectivity, multitasking, handling inheritance tasks, and more.

Also: I compared nan iPhone 17, iPhone Air, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max: Here's who should upgrade

It's worthy mentioning that Apple Intelligence features connected iOS 26 tally smoothly connected nan telephone and are besides very helpful. I usage features for illustration AutoMix, which acts for illustration a DJ for your songs successful Apple Music, connected a regular basis. Other features, specified arsenic Hold Assist, which alerts you erstwhile an usability comes to nan telephone aft being put connected hold, person been handy.

Another facet that tin make a important quality is nan added storage. Typically, Apple has offered a guidelines retention of 128GB, but this twelvemonth it is starting each of its phones astatine 256GB. So, while astatine look worth it whitethorn look for illustration nan iPhone 17 is $100 much costly than nan iPhone 16, retailing astatine $799, it is really nan aforesaid value arsenic nan iPhone 16 pinch 256GB.

For personification for illustration maine who loves to return photos of perfectly everything, having a minimum of 256GB has ever been a requirement. Whenever I trial a telephone pinch only 128GB, it quickly becomes sluggish and hardly usable owed to nan magnitude of integer clutter I collect. Therefore, successful nan property of integer hoarding, I judge astir users will besides beryllium capable to reap nan benefits of expanded storage.

Also: I've tested each iPhone 17 model, and I'm recommending thing different this time

In position of artillery life, I person not been capable to make it done a full time without needing to recharge my telephone astatine immoderate point. During highest usage, I would get a battery-low notification by precocious afternoon. (I partially fishy that it besides has thing to do pinch transferring each my files and information from my iPhone 16 Pro. I'll beryllium moving a artillery trial again pinch a freshly set-up telephone soon.) On an mean day, nan iPhone 17 will person astir 20% near by meal time, which is conscionable bully enough.

ZDNET's buying advice

Even aft testing it for arsenic agelong arsenic I have, my first proposal stands: nan iPhone 17 is nan champion telephone for astir people, particularly now that nan spread betwixt nan guidelines and Pro models has closed moreover further.

Shelling retired nan other $300 for nan iPhone 17 Pro is only worthy it if you're invested successful mobile photography aliases are an absolute powerfulness personification who needs nan capacity boost from a bigger battery, vapor chamber, and A19 Pro chip.