Apple iPhone 17

Better value than last year thanks to a heap of upgrades to the screen, storage offering and performance

- JOHN VELASCO

While the iPhone Air on the previous pages is the eye-catching new arrival, the entry-level iPhone hasn't been neglected – in fact, it's quietly received its biggest upgrade in years.

For a start, the base model now comes with 256GB of storage, twice as much as the iPhone 16 (see issue 363, p68), for the same price. The display is larger, too, while the front and back benefit from a sturdier Ceramic Shield coating that's supposedly three times as scratch-resistant as the old one. It still feels the same in the hand, neither noticeably larger nor heavier, although I'm not a fan of this year's subdued colour options, which look rather apologetic next to the richer, bolder tones of the iPhone 16.

Apple achieves the larger screen by making the bezels skinnier, resulting in something close to a true edge-to-edge display. It looks fantastic, with rich colours and, finally, a 120Hz refresh rate.

Brightness has improved, too: I measured a peak of 1,505cd/m², up from 1,348cd/m². Coupled with improved anti-reflective coating, this makes the iPhone 17 a joy to use even in bright sunlight.