Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup once again puts its users in a familiar position – choosing between two very similar yet distinctly positioned models. The gap between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro is as small as ever, but as they say, the devil is in the details – and those details might justify the Pro’s higher asking price for some, while others may find the standard model more than enough.
The iPhone 17 finally feels like a true flagship in its own right, matching the Pro’s 120 Hz refresh rate, OLED quality, and overall polish. This year, the basic model is lighter, slimmer, and still boasts the Apple A19 chipset with impressive performance and efficiency.
The iPhone 17 Pro, however, remains the ultimate iPhone experience – armed with the more capable A19 Pro SoC, 12GB RAM (up from 8GB), a triple-camera system with a new periscope telephoto, and faster USB 3.2 connectivity. There’s also the added novelty of the new design (if you are into it) and some exclusive pro-grade video features that content creators might appreciate.
So, are these features enough to justify the Pro’s price premium? Or is the regular iPhone 17 good enough to satisfy even power users? Let’s find out.
Table of Contents:
For starters, you can compare the complete specs sheets or directly continue with our editor’s assessment in the following text.
Size comparison
Despite sharing the same 6.3-inch display, the two iPhones differ slightly in their proportions and overall heft. The iPhone 17 is the slimmer and lighter of the two at 177 grams and 8 mm thickness, while the iPhone 17 Pro measures 8.8 mm and tips the scales at 206 grams. In hand, that 30-gram difference is noticeable, giving the vanilla model a touch more comfort and balance during prolonged use.
The regular 17 features the familiar glass-aluminum sandwich. In contrast, the Pro comes with Apple’s new design language, which has a standout camera island and combines an aluminum-alloy body with a patch of glass on the back. The two iPhone models are also offered in a set of distinctly different colors.
Display comparison
There’s no real winner in the display department – the two iPhones use the same 6.3-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10, and Dolby Vision support. Resolution, pixel density, and even max brightness are identical, with both models reaching around 1,000 nits typical and up to 3,000 nits peak in HDR mode. In short, the viewing experience is equally stunning whichever model you choose.
Color accuracy, contrast, and motion handling are virtually indistinguishable as well. Both feature an Always On Display and have an antireflective surface.
Apple continues to deliver one of the finest mobile displays on the market, now shared by the vanilla and Pro iPhones.
Battery life
Both iPhones have excellent battery life. The iPhone 17 packs a 3,692 mAh cell, and in our tests, it achieved an Active Use Score of 14:59 hours. The iPhone 17 Pro houses a marginally larger battery of 3,998 mAh but got a very similar 15:23h Active Use Score.
Charging speed
The two iPhone models are rated at the same max Watts of charging power; however, they don’t quite charge at the same rate, as we discovered.
The regular iPhone 17 tops out at about 29W and charges a bit slower – 31% in 15 minutes, 52% in 30 minutes, and a full charge in 1 hour and 42 minutes.
The iPhone 17 Pro, on the other hand, charges faster despite having a larger battery. In our charging test, it peaked at around 35W, and reached 40% of charge in 15 minutes, 70% in half an hour, and completed a full charge in 1 hour and 18 minutes. The difference to the iPhone 17 is not dramatic, but the Pro does enjoy a measurable advantage here.
Besides the cable charging, both phones also support wireless MagSafe and Qi2 charging up to 25W, and it’s equally fast, achieving roughly 50% in 30 minutes, as well as 4.5W reverse wired charging for accessories. Neither supports reverse wireless charging.
Speaker test
Both iPhones employ Apple’s familiar hybrid stereo speaker setup, with the earpiece doubling as the second channel. The overall configuration and tuning are very similar between the two, but they don’t sound the same.
The iPhone 17 achieved a Good loudness rating at -27.5 LUFS, while the iPhone 17 Pro scored a notch lower with an Average rating at -28.9 LUFS. In practice, both handsets sound clean and full-bodied, offering rich mids and crisp treble. The vanilla model is slightly louder, whereas the Pro feels a touch more refined, with a better-controlled high end and slightly tighter bass.
Performance
Both iPhones are powered by Apple’s latest 3nm A19 architecture, but they’re not running the same chip. The iPhone 17 features the standard A19 paired with 8GB of RAM, while the iPhone 17 Pro gets the more capable A19 Pro and 12GB of RAM. The CPU layout is identical – a 6-core design with two performance and four efficiency cores – yet the Pro model enjoys a 6-core GPU, compared to the 5-core GPU in the regular version.
That extra GPU core, combined with higher sustained power limits, gives the Pro a clear edge in heavy workloads such as gaming, high-resolution video editing, and 3D rendering. The added RAM also helps the 17 Pro handle more demanding multitasking scenarios and should prove particularly beneficial for future on-device AI features and small language model processing, which Apple has hinted will play a bigger role in upcoming iOS updates.
In everyday use, both phones feel equally swift, fluid, and thermally efficient – with iOS 26 making excellent use of the new silicon. For most users, the iPhone 17 delivers true flagship performance, while the iPhone 17 Pro offers a little more muscle in the graphics and video processing department.
Benchmark performance
Synthetic benchmarks confirm a clear, predictable gap between the two A19 chips. The iPhone 17 Pro consistently outperforms the iPhone 17 in AnTuTu, Geekbench, and 3DMark, thanks to its A19 Pro chipset, 6-core GPU (versus 5-core), and 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB. The advantage is most pronounced in graphics-intensive tests, where the Pro maintains higher and more stable frame rates under load.
The difference, however, isn’t just raw power – it’s also about cooling. The iPhone 17 Pro benefits from Apple’s new custom vapor-chamber cooling system, allowing it to sustain performance for longer periods. The iPhone 17, on the other hand, relies on conventional passive cooling.
In short, both devices deliver class-leading everyday speed, but the iPhone 17 Pro maintains it more reliably over time. The Pro’s better thermal design and extra memory not only give it an edge in gaming and demanding workloads but should also pay dividends as on-device AI features continue to expand in future iOS versions.
Another difference between the two devices pertains to the available storage tiers. While both start at 256GB, only the iPhone 17 Pro can be had in a 1TB trim.
Camera comparison
The iPhone 17 combines a familiar 48MP 1/1.56″ main (f/1.6, dual-pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS) with the 48MP 1/2.55″ ultrawide (f/2.2, PDAF), which has so far been reserved for the Pro models. This camera can also take close-ups. You also get the new 18MP multi-aspect selfie camera with PDAF and OIS. There’s no dedicated telephoto camera here.
The iPhone 17 Pro is using the same 48MP ultrawide and the same multi-aspect 18MP selfie camera, but all other cameras are different. The main camera uses a larger 48MP 1/1.28″ sensor, and it has a different lens too – a wider 24mm focal length and a smaller f/1.78 aperture, and also with Apple’s 2nd gen sensor-shift OIS. Only the Pro model has a LiDAR scanner, and only the Pro model can capture photos in ProRAW.
The iPhone 17 Pro’s main camera may not be new this year, but the camera that’s new is the 48MP 100mm periscope telephoto (f/2.8, 4x optical, sensor-shift OIS), which is also marketed to provide optical-level 8x zoom.
For video, both phones offer 4K60 on all cameras with Dolby Vision, but only the Pro model can capture video in ProRes/ProRes RAW and Apple Log 2. It also adds 4K120 capture from its main camera and has a four-mic array for sound recording.
Image quality
Both phones capture photos in 24MP by default and deliver very good detail, pleasing colors and contrast. The iPhone 17 Pro, however, delivers better contained highlights in most scenes. Both phones share the same deficiency, where textures with random detail, such as grass and foliage, can come out a bit overprocessed, and photos can show warmer tones than in real life.
Main camera 1x: iPhone 17 • iPhone 17 Pro
The same observations apply to the 2x mode of the main cameras (shot at 12MP resolution), however, for some reason, the iPhone 17 has a sharper output.
Main camera 2x: iPhone 17 • iPhone 17 Pro
As for the ultrawide camera, the two phones have identical image quality.
Ultrawide camera: iPhone 17 • iPhone 17 Pro
We don’t have any 4x digital zoom shots out of the iPhone 17 to compare to the iPhone 17 Pro’s optical zoom camera, but it’s safe to assume the photos out of the Pro will be superior, which certainly adds versatility.
Overall, in good lighting conditions, the two phones are about the same with a small lead by the Pro in wider dynamic range and better definition by the vanilla 17 model in 2x mode specifically.
As for the low-light scenes, both phones capture excellent 24MP photos. The ultrawide and main cameras perform identically, and the iPhone 17 takes a small lead in 2x mode again. It’s surprisingly competitive with its 4x digital zoom as well.
Low-light samples: iPhone 17 • iPhone 17 Pro
Video quality
In daylight, both phones record outstanding 4K60 footage from all cameras with accurate color, wide dynamic range, and impressive detail. The iPhone 17 maintains Apple’s great video quality, while the iPhone 17 Pro takes it further with 4K120 recording (main, 1x/2x) and videographer-grade modes like ProRes, ProRes RAW, and Apple Log 2 for color grading.
In their default Auto mode, the two phones capture equally great-looking 4K video at night with excellent detail, wide dynamic range, and well-controlled light sources. The only focal length at which the 17 Pro takes the lead is 4x zoom.
Video samples: iPhone 17 • iPhone 17 Pro
Low-light video samples: iPhone 17 • iPhone 17 Pro
Overall, the iPhone 17 offers a strong main camera, convincing 2x zoom, an improved ultrawide, and excellent selfies. The iPhone 17 Pro adds reach and versatility with its 4x telephoto, more reliable dynamic range and consistency from its larger main sensor, and a full suite of pro-level video options. For most users, the vanilla iPhone 17 is closer to the Pro series than ever, but the Pro remains the more capable and flexible shooter overall.
Verdict
It’s not often that Apple’s vanilla iPhone feels so close to its Pro sibling feature-wise. The iPhone 17 narrows the gap dramatically, adopting the same 120 Hz LTPO OLED panel, the same high-quality 48 MP ultrawide cameras, the same multi-aspect 18 MP selfie cameras, and similar dimensions while being noticeably lighter. For most users, the experience it delivers is every bit as premium, whether you’re watching HDR video, snapping photos, or breezing through iOS 26.
The iPhone 17 Pro, however, still manages to justify its higher price, albeit with a smaller feature gap than before. It comes with Apple’s latest design; its stronger A19 Pro chipset with a 6-core GPU and 12 GB of RAM takes performance a notch higher and with better sustained performance too. Its 4× periscope telephoto camera adds real photographic flexibility, and for creators, 4K 120 fps recording, ProRes/RAW, and Apple Log 2 make it a professional-grade video recorder.
Yet, from a value perspective, the iPhone 17 may be the smarter choice this year. You get nearly the same display, equally good ultrawide and selfie cameras, outstanding video, and excellent performance – all for several hundred bucks less. Unless you’ve fallen in love with the new design, or you need the extra zoom reach, advanced video codecs, or maximum sustained performance for gaming and on-device AI, the vanilla model is the one that makes the most sense.
So while the Pro still holds its “halo” position for those who want the very best Apple can offer, the regular iPhone 17 is arguably the more balanced and appealing proposition – the iPhone that will make most users perfectly happy, without any serious compromises.
- Largely the same user experience, camera and display quality.
- Lighter body with equally premium build and the iPhone design from previous years (if you prefer that).
- Lower price tag than the Pro model with very few concessions.
Get the Apple iPhone 17 for:
- Comes with the iPhone’s new design (if you prefer that) and new color options.
- More powerful A19 Pro chip with extra GPU core and 12 GB RAM.
- Better sustained performance thanks to vapor-chamber cooling.
- Versatile triple-camera setup with dedicated 4× telephoto.
- Pro-grade video tools: 4K 120 fps, ProRes/RAW, and Apple Log 2.
- 1TB storage tier available.
Get the Apple iPhone 17 Pro for:
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