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Apple’s long-awaited iPhone 17 lineup has arrived, and as speculated, it replaces the Plus mannequin with an iPhone 17 Air. Nonetheless, the main target stays on the dearer Professional collection.
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max now provide higher thermals to maintain the gadget cool, an aluminum construct for extra funky colours, and some different important quality-of-life enhancements.
Additionally: Everything Apple announced during its September event
In case you’re eyeing the iPhone 16 Pro at decrease costs out there or personal one already, this is how the latest-gen iPhone compares to its predecessor.
Specs
| iPhone 17 Professional | iPhone 16 Professional | |
| Show | 6.3-inch OLED 120Hz, 3,000 nits | 6.3-inch OLED 120Hz, 2,000 nits |
| Weight | 206g | 199g |
| Processor | Apple A19 Professional | Apple A18 Professional |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Battery | 33 hours of video playback | 27 hours of video playback |
| Digicam | 48MP huge, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto; 18MP entrance | 48MP Fusion digicam, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto; 12MP entrance |
| Colours | Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, Silver | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Pure Titanium, Desert Titanium |
| Worth | Beginning at $999 | Starting at $999 |
Purchase the Apple iPhone 17 Professional if…
1. You desire a extra sturdy iPhone
Apple says the iPhone 17 Professional is essentially the most sturdy iPhone ever. It options Ceramic Defend 2 on the entrance, which is claimed to be 3 times scratch-resistant than earlier than. Moreover, there’s Ceramic Defend on the again, which is 4 instances stronger than earlier than. In case your present iPhone is vulnerable to scratches and bothersome to you, the iPhone 17 Professional can be the right new cellphone.
2. You want a greater show
I’m an iPhone 16 Professional person, and my largest drawback with it’s display screen legibility in direct daylight. I have to wipe the show each time I need to use it open air. It will get smudgy and would not get brilliant sufficient for a snug viewing expertise. Apple appears to have fastened this problem with the iPhone 17 Professional.
Additionally: How to preorder Apple’s new devices: iPhone 17, Watch 11, AirPods Pro 3, and more
As talked about, the brand new Professional iPhone sports activities Ceramic Defend 2 on the entrance. It is not simply extra immune to scratches but additionally provides a 7-layer anti-reflective coating on high of your display screen. That is paired with a show that’s rated to go as much as 3,000 nits in peak brightness open air (vs. 2,000 nits on the 16 Professional). Theoretically, it’s a quality-of-life enchancment, which ought to provide a extra legible expertise.
3. You need improved efficiency and battery life
Apple additionally improved the efficiency and battery life on its new iPhone 17 Professional. In keeping with the corporate, it will probably last as long as eight hours longer (in video playback) than earlier than.
The brand new Apple A19 Professional chipset is mixed with a vapor cooling chamber to supply higher thermal administration. It gives 40% higher sustained efficiency than earlier than. The Cupertino big mentioned that is “MacBook Professional ranges of compute in an iPhone.” We’ll take a look at to seek out out in our assessment, however the claims do look promising.
4. You shoot numerous entrance digicam movies
The iPhone 17 Professional homes a brand new 18MP selfie digicam with help for Middle Stage and “ultrastabilized” video recording. In case you usually report your self, these two options will probably be immensely helpful in your creations. Now, whereas operating, you may report clear movies with out all of the shaky actions, and Middle Stage will maintain you within the body, too.
You should purchase the Apple iPhone 16 Professional if…
1. You just like the previous design higher
The Apple iPhone 17 sports activities its most experimental rear design change in years. Till final yr, Apple caught to a design it pioneered years in the past with the introduction of a three-camera structure on the iPhone 11 collection.
The digicam module has solely gotten greater within the final 5 generations, however with the iPhone 17, it now extends to the opposite aspect of the cellphone. This won’t be a design that die-hard Apple customers wished. And in case you are one in all them, the iPhone 16 Professional is the higher cellphone for you.
2. You may get a brand new iPhone 16 Professional for beneath $800
The Professional iPhones are solely getting dearer. But when you will get one close to the worth of an iPhone 17, even when it’s a last-gen product, it is smart to avoid wasting a number of hundred {dollars} and get the iPhone 16 Pro over the iPhone 17 Professional.
Additionally: We tested the iPhone 16 Pro camera system, and it’s highly underrated – with one tragic flaw
It will nonetheless provide you with versatile cameras, ProMotion screens, the goodness of iOS 26, and a good battery life. With the iPhone 17 lineup occurring sale within the coming weeks, the iPhone 16 Professional needs to be out there for decrease costs, and if you will get a great deal, go for it!
3. You desire a lighter Professional iPhone
The Professional iPhone collection has been getting heavier yearly since Apple introduced the lightest iPhone 15 Professional (187 grams). It shot as much as 199 grams with the iPhone 16 Professional, and the iPhone 17 Professional now sits at 206 grams (again to iPhone 14 Professional weight) on the size. A 200g+ cellphone won’t be for everybody. So, if you would like the lightest doable gadget out of those two, the iPhone 16 Professional is the cellphone to go for.
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