iPhone 17 first hands-on: This time it’s more valuable than the Pro

As usual, ZOL got the new iPhone 17 series as soon as possible this year. Among them, the standard version has also attracted the attention of many Apple fans because of its upgraded screen and memory. Let’s take a quick look.

There are only two versions of iPhone 17, namely:

The 256GB version is priced at 5999 yuan

The 512GB version is priced at 7999 yuan

Compared with previous generations, the iPhone 17 can be said to have increased quantity without increasing price. The same memory version is 1,000 yuan cheaper than last year, but as a standard version, it is still more expensive than domestic Android flagships.

Appearance design: Continuation of the family design, but with a big improvement in screen

In order to more intuitively compare the differences with the previous generation, we put the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 together and took a few comparison pictures:

The two phones share a similar design, a characteristic of “family-style design” that emphasizes high emotional intelligence. The overall look and feel of this traffic light design is quite neat. The sides of the phone feature an aluminum frame, while the front is equipped with a new-generation Ceramic Shield 2 display, which the company claims offers triple the scratch resistance and enhanced durability.

In terms of color matching, in addition to the classic black and white color matchings, the iPhone 17 has added three new colors: lavender purple, sage green, and mist blue. The lavender purple in our hands is more elegant than the pink of the previous generation, and the color matching of the rear camera module area is purple.

The iPhone 17 uses the same XDR screen as the Pro, supports a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, and the screen-off display function brings more usage options, making sliding the system interface visibly smoother.

Thanks to better bezel control, the screen display area of ​​the iPhone 17 has been expanded from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, and the local peak brightness of 3000 nits also ensures clear outdoor viewing.

Performance configuration: strong performance, fast charging upgrade

Although Apple AI is not yet available in China, the performance upgrade of the iPhone 17 has not fallen behind at all. The new A19 chip uses TSMC’s N3P process. The CPU and GPU performance have been significantly improved compared to the previous generation. Without external cooling, the single-core score is 3590 and the multi-core score is 9058. We will also conduct more detailed running scores, game tests, etc. in the following detailed evaluation.

In terms of battery life, the iPhone 17 supports up to 30 hours of video playback. This time, the theoretical value of wired charging speed has doubled from 20W to 40W, and half of the power can be replenished in 20 minutes. In actual experience, the iPhone 17’s “blood replenishment” speed is indeed much faster, and it should be sufficient for daily charging and use.

Image configuration: Ultra-wide iteration, more front-facing camera features

The imaging upgrade of the iPhone 17 is also one of its main selling points. The ultra-wide angle has been upgraded from 12 million pixels to 48 million pixels. The main camera still supports 2X optical zoom and 4K 60fps video shooting, and there is still a photo button on the side of the body.

The picture below compares photos taken with ultra-wide-angle lenses on iPhone 17 and iPhone 16. The text on the left is obviously clearer than the previous generation.

In addition, the front camera of iPhone 17 has also been upgraded from 12 million pixels to 18 million pixels. It uses a square sensor and can be used for shooting horizontally and vertically, which can accommodate photos of you and your friends at the same time. In addition, this front camera has added new features such as light rotation, centering the subject in the photo, video stabilization, and video synchronization dual shooting, which makes the gameplay more diverse.

Getting Started Summary

Overall, the iPhone 17 is indeed a significant upgrade compared to the previous generation. It is 1,000 yuan cheaper than the previous generation with the same memory, and it can be even cheaper with the national subsidy. The charging speed has doubled, it supports 120Hz ProMotion, the main camera has been iterated, and the ultra-wide angle has been upgraded to 48 million pixels. These are all very significant experience upgrades. It has indeed become a user-friendly mobile phone with no shortcomings.

Compared with the “toothpaste squeezing” operation of previous iPhone standard versions, this time’s iPhone 17 can be said to be “bursting”. For those who want to try the iOS 26 ecosystem, want to buy a product with comprehensive performance and relatively higher cost performance, and do not have more professional imaging needs, I personally think that the iPhone 17 standard version is really better than the 17 Pro.