Apple iPhone 17 Review: Close to Perfect

The display screen is barely larger now, 6.3 inches, however extra spectacular is the show brightness, which might hit a peak of three,000 nits. Even on the sunniest days right here in New York City, I had no bother seeing the contents of the display screen. That’s maybe additionally due to the brand new anti-reflective coating to assist lower glare. And Apple’s new Ceramic Shield 2, supposedly 3 times extra scratch-resistant than earlier than, protects the display screen. Glass remains to be glass—I have already got a tiny scratch on my show. Use a case and display screen protector!

I’ve been very impressed with battery life. After every week of use, I’m persistently hitting greater than six hours of screen-on time, and a few of these days concerned utilizing GPS navigation, music streaming, and hours of doomscrolling on Instagram Reels. I’ve but to seek out myself frightened that my cellphone goes to die. It simply bests the iPhone Air’s battery life and comes near the iPhone 17 Pro, however in order for you the best possible run time, look to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

If you are coming from a cellphone older than the iPhone 15 (I hope you might be!), keep in mind that the iPhone now has a USB-C port. That means any Lightning equipment you may have would require an adapter, nevertheless it’s a great time to change all the things over to USB-C. The solely annoying bit is that Apple limits information switch speeds to the identical 480 Mbps, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro enjoys USB 3 speeds as much as 10 Gbps. You in all probability switch most of your information between gadgets wirelessly, so this is not one thing that impacts most people. But different telephones on this value bracket help sooner speeds, so it is a foolish limitation.

The A19 chip powering the entire cellphone is a superb performer. Seriously, for the overwhelming majority of apps and video games, this processor kills. Folks who routinely obtain probably the most demanding cell video games, like Assassin’s Creed Mirage, will discover it a little bit limiting. I cranked the graphics to the max, and the sport regularly stuttered and even froze a number of instances. Not to say the iPhone 17 bought actually sizzling and practically uncomfortable to carry. That’s as a result of it would not have the vapor chamber cooling system of the Pro fashions. Most video games shall be high-quality—Monster Survivor ran with no hitch—however heavy cell avid gamers might want the A19 Pro chip that is within the iPhone 17 Pro.