After months of rumors and leaks, Apple’s newest flagship iPhones are finally here. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max arrive with major design overhauls and powerful internal upgrades.
“iPhone 17 Pro is by far the most advanced iPhone ever, featuring a striking new design and powerful new capabilities,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook during the Awe Dropping event.
iPhone 17 Pro launch: Revamped design and new colors
Photo: Apple
Apple has stuck to the same rear camera design since the 2020 iPhone 12. With its latest iPhones, the company finally shakes things up, redesigning the internals and introducing a new camera island design, which Apple calls the “forged plateau.”
Besides helping with heat dissipation, it provides space for bigger camera sensors. Plus, Apple has integrated the antenna system directly into the plaetau for better signal strength.
The iPhone 17 Pro marks Apple’s return to aluminium, ditching the titanium chassis. While this might seem like a downgrade, the change introduces certain benefits.
At the front, the iPhone 17 Pro uses Ceramic Shield 2, featuring a seven-layer anti-reflective coating. The rear uses Ceramic Shield for better durability and scratch resistance. The panel can also reach a higher peak brightness of 3,000 nits.
A19 Pro gets a boost with vapor chamber cooling
Image: Apple
The iPhone 17 Pro lineup uses Apple’s latest A19 Pro chip. Like every year, they bring a massive leap in performance and efficiency.
The 6-core CPU “is the fastest CPU in any smartphone,” while the 6-core GPU brings significant performance upgrades of its own. Plus, it now works alongside the 16-core Neural Engine to power AI models and AAA gaming titles for a smoother gameplay experience.
However, the faster A19 Pro SoC is not the only highlight of the iPhone 17 Pro. For the first time, Apple’s Pro iPhones ship with a superior vapor cooling chamber. This system pulls heat away from the chip, dissipating it quickly to maintain performance under sustained loads. Apple claims a 40% performance improvement under extended loads.
Big camera upgrades
Photo: Apple
The front of the iPhone 17 Pro houses an 18MP Center Stage camera. It is a square-shaped sensor, enabling you to take pictures in portrait or landscape orientation without physically rotating the phone. Other improvements include the ability to shoot ultra-stabilized 4K HDR videos and simultaneously record with the front and rear cameras using Dual Capture.
The telephoto rear camera gets a big upgrade, with Apple now using a 56% bigger sensor. The new 48MP f/2.8 camera features a 4x (100mm) focal length, with Apple’s Photonic Engine enabling up to 8x optical zoom. So, while the sensor’s optical zoom level might seem less than the iPhone 16 Pro, its bigger size allows it to capture more details and offer up to 8x optical zoom.
Video recording gets an upgrade, too, with the iPhone 17 Pro supporting ProRes RAW and Genlock support.
Longest battery life ever for an iPhone
Battery life gets a big boost with the iPhone 17 Pro lineup this year. Apple says the iPhone 17 Pro Max provides up to 39 hours of video playback. But there’s a catch. The eSIM-only iPhone 17 Pro models will come with a bigger battery than variants with a physical SIM slot.
Apple will expand the availability of iPhone 17 Pro’s eSIM-only variant to more markets this year, including Canada, Japan, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.
2x base storage, $1,099 starting price
Despite its major upgrades, the iPhone 17 Pro doesn’t come with a major price hike. While Apple eliminated the 128GB storage option, which went for $999 last year, the company doubled the iPhone 17 Pro’s base storage to 256GB with a starting price of $1,099 (the same price as last year for that much storage). The iPhone 17 Pro Max, meanwhile, will sell for $1,199 for 256GB model (same as last year) and adds a new 2TB storage option.
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will launch in three colors: deep blue, cosmic orange, and silver. Preorders begin September 12, with retail availability scheduled for Friday, September 19.
Rajesh has been closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple’s products and ecosystem.
