After a year with the iPhone 17, I've found plenty to appreciate about it, but that still doesn't make me love it.
The iPhone 17 was Apple's 2025 baseline release. For whatever reason, the general public really took to it. Apple's own Tim Cook pointed out repeatedly that the phone was one of Apple's best sellers of all time.
As fate would have it, it was also the iPhone I was, more or less, forced into buying. My beloved iPhone 13 mini was on death's doorstep, and because I live in 2026 and not 2006, I can't really be sans iPhone.
So, I gave Apple a big stack of cash and the corpse of my previous iPhone. In exchange, they handed me a new glass-and-metal rectangle.
How I feel about it after that year of use is complicated.
iPhone 17 review: A brief recap
I actively hate interfacing with my phone, any iPhone, casually. It feels like an anchor around my neck.
But they do have some utility in my life, like they do in everybody's. I don't own a car, so I do rely on rideshare a few times a year when I can't bike or walk to a location due to weather or distance.
I enjoy the fact that I have access to up-to-date maps, especially when I travel. I don't have to worry about getting completely lost when I travel.
I like having a capable camera on my person to snap pictures when I need to. And really, that's about it.
So my upgrade from my iPhone 13 mini, a phone I would have kept forever given the chance, was not because I was so moved by the iPhone 17 that I needed to have it.
It was because my iPhone 13 mini was actively dying. It struggled under the weight of iOS 26. Its battery life was not great towards the end, either.
And I knew that I was going to eventually have to upgrade, so I rationalized it to myself. I knew Apple wasn't bringing back the iPhone mini form factor, so there was no real reason to hold out.
And I thought, "Well, the iPhone 17 doesn't seem so bad."
So here's what that experience has been like one year later.
iPhone 17 review: As a daily driver
The iPhone 17 is still too big for my tiny, little baby hands. It does not fit comfortably in the pockets of my jeans.
iPhone 17 review, one year later: I had concerns that its cumbersome size would cause me to drop and break it. And I was right.
It's sporting an attractive crack in the screen protector from a recent tumble down my stairs. I suspected that this would happen. And it did.
But barring that, it's a decent daily driver. It still feels zippy as all get out, which I appreciated more right after I upgraded, but I still appreciate it now.
The camera works great, though I think I've used the Center Stage front camera exactly twice, and once was for my first review of the iPhone 17.
iPhone 17 review, one year later: This thing is still gigantic in my tiny, little baby hands.
It still handily performs the four roles I need an iPhone to perform, which are as follows:
- Phone, as in for making phone calls
- Kitchen timer
- Alarm clock
- Camera
Beyond that, I don't really interface with my phone a lot. I've never been a big fan of mobile gaming, so I'm not spending tens of hours with whatever AAA port made it to iOS.
I don't really use social media, either. I keep TikTok on my phone purely for those days when Mike wants me to investigate some sort of bogus claim relating to Apple devices.
Generally, I don't text much; most of my close friends and family use Discord. If I do actually text, I almost always text from either of my two Macs.
So I'm probably not the best person to speak on that kind of stuff. But the one thing that this job has taught me is that there are actually a surprising number of people who interface with their devices in the same way I do.
So maybe I am.
iPhone 17 review: Bells, whistles, etc
I think one of the funniest parts about upgrading every three or four years is the fact that features that used to be relegated to the Pro line are now just standard.
For instance, I jumped from a 60Hz display to a 120Hz ProMotion display. That was extremely notable. It was also very much appreciated.
The larger storage size is neat. I always pick the absolute bottom-tier baseline phone, so jumping from 128GB of storage up to 256GB was nice.
Of course, I don't really fill up my phone that much, either. But sometimes apps can get pretty big, I suppose.
While I mentioned that the camera was nicer in the daily driver section, there are some Pro-line features that I didn't have access to before, too.
I am actually surprised at how often I use the macro lens, for example. And sometimes not even for photographs I'm planning on keeping; sometimes, I'll use it to take a picture of something small so I can see it better.
You see, in addition to not having upgraded since 2021, I also managed to get three years older in the process.
And as silly as it is, I actually really like the Dynamic Island. I know a lot of people would rather just have a punch-hole spot for the camera, but I find that it's a nice little place for extra information.
iPhone 17 review, one year later: A good metric for how attached to a device I am is how decorated it is. You'll notice this thing still lives in the same $6 case I put it in the day I got it.
Of course, there are features that I didn't wind up caring about, either. Both the Action Button and Camera Control buttons go entirely unused.
The first isn't surprising; that seems to be pretty common among iPhone users in general. The second, however, was actually a feature I was excited about when it first launched on the iPhone 16.
I haven't disabled the Always On display, either, but I wouldn't say that this is a feature I particularly enjoy. Truthfully, I find it more of a distraction than a boon.
And, if you're aware of me at all, you'll know I'm staunchly AI, which means I don't have Apple Intelligence turned on. I didn't ask for that feature to be foisted upon me, and I'm going to continue to avoid it for as long as possible.
iPhone 17 review: Should you pick one up now?
When Mike asked me to do this, he made a pretty good point. Unlike its Pro-geared counterparts, the iPhone 17 is going to have a 17 month to 18 month lifespan as the current lower-end flagship, instead of the standard 12.
That means that if you're still clutching an older base-level iPhone, like an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, you might be in the position where you need to upgrade. And you might be wondering if it's worth it to cut your losses now or try to push through until early 2027.
And, truthfully, it really depends on your situation. Everybody's workflow and preferred devices is different, and pretending that there is any one true ideal is foolish.
If you don't care about bells and whistles and are purely trying to get an iPhone that's going to last you through the next four or five years, I'd go ahead and upgrade. The iPhone 18 certainly isn't going to be any cheaper than the iPhone 17.
iPhone 17 review, one year later: Just me, my iPhone 17, and Willem Dafoe against the world.
In fact, the entire reason I decided to purchase my iPhone 17 was that we had already heard that Apple's supply chain was so strained. I figured, "Well, I may as well get a new one before even the base model is over a grand."
Again, it's worth remembering that I buy my iPhone fully unlocked and not with any sort of carrier deal. So I took the hit straight to the wallet — my trade-in didn't secure me a major discount.
Since then, Apple has raised the price another $100, bringing the base model to $799. This is before taxes, of course.
I'm sure that I'm probably in the minority of people who do this. But as I said before, maybe there are more people like me than I think there are.
But you're the kind of person who is trying to maximize time between upgrades, and your current iPhone isn't actively falling apart, maybe you can wait. Especially if you're not too worried about how much it costs.
And if you don't wait, an iPhone 17 bought now will likely carry you through until the iPhone 22 or whatever Apple calls the device it's launching in 2031.
iPhone 17 review: Pros
- Great camera
- Great battery life
- 120Hz ProMotion display
- Center Stage camera
iPhone 17 review: cons
- Larger size may not be ideal for those upgrading from the mini form factor
- Retail price has jumped to $799 since release, and won't get cheaper unless you find a carrier deal
iPhone 17 review: 4 out of 5
Where to buy Apple's iPhone 17 at a discount
Wireless carriers are incentivizing iPhone 17 purchases, with the best iPhone deals providing up to $929.99 in bill credits at press time. Here's a roundup of the top promotions: