here is how Apple’s two flagships evaluate

• Model

  Apple

  SoC

  A19 Professional

  Show

  6.3-inch 1206 x 2622 pixel decision Tremendous Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 1000 nits / 1600 nits peak brightness

  RAM

  N/A

  Storage

  256GB

  Battery

  N/A

  The iPhone 17 Professional is Apple’s next-generation flagship smartphone, with a brand new aluminum unibody design, a full-width digicam plateau, the A19 Professional chipset, and a 6.3-inch show.

  
  

• 

  Model

  Apple

  SoC

  A18 Professional

  Show

  6.3-inch 1206 x 2622 pixel decision 120Hz LTPO Tremendous Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 1000 nits / 2000 nits peak brightness

  Storage

  128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

  Ports

  USB-C

  Entrance digicam

  f/1.9 12-megapixel large

  Apple’s iPhone 16 Professional line options a number of notable upgrades over final yr’s iPhone 15 Professional, together with a devoted digicam button, a brand new A18 Professional chip, a much bigger display screen, and a number of other AI-powered Apple Intelligence options.

  
  

At its “Awe dropping” occasion, Apple unveiled the iPhone 17 sequence, together with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the iPhone Air.

After six years of the Professional iPhone fashions wanting pretty comparable, this yr Apple has lastly modified the design. One of many first belongings you’ll discover once you see the iPhone 17 Pro is its new “plateau” digicam bar, which is far bigger than something we have seen on an iPhone earlier than, in addition to its two-tone colour again.

Let’s take an in depth take a look at the important thing variations between the iPhone 17 Professional and iPhone 16 Pro, protecting specs, pricing, availability, design, and extra.

Value, specs, and availability

• Model

  Apple

  SoC

  A19 Professional

  Show

  6.3-inch 1206 x 2622 pixel decision Tremendous Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 1000 nits / 1600 nits peak brightness

  Storage

  256GB

  Ports

  USB-C 3.2 Gen 2

  Entrance digicam

  f/1.9 18-megapixel

  Rear digicam

  f/1.6 48-megapixel large, f/2.8 48-megapixel telephoto), f/2.2 48-megapixel ultrawide

  Dimensions

  5.9 x 2.8 x 0.3-inches (150 x 71 x 8mm)

  Colours

  Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue

  Weight

  7.27oz (206g)

  IP Score

  IP68

  
  

• Model

  Apple

  SoC

  A18 Professional

  Show

  6.3-inch 1206 x 2622 pixel decision 120Hz LTPO Tremendous Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, 1000 nits / 2000 nits peak brightness

  Storage

  128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

  Ports

  USB-C

  Entrance digicam

  f/1.9 12-megapixel large

  Rear digicam

  f/1.8 48-megapixel large, f/2.8 12-megapixel, f/2.2 48-megapixel ultrawide

  Dimensions

  5.89 x 2.81 x 0.33-inches ( 149.6 x 71.5 x 8.3mm)

  Colours

  Black Titanium, White Titanium, Pure Titanium, Desert Titanium

  Weight

  7.02oz (199g)

  IP Score

  IP68

  
  

The iPhone 16 Professional was launched in September 2024, beginning at $1,000 for the 128GB mannequin. It incorporates a 6.3-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show and is obtainable in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage choices. The telephone is available in 4 colours: black titanium, white titanium, pure titanium, and desert titanium. Apple additionally launched an iPhone 16 Professional Max final yr, which begins at $1,200. It has a bigger 6.9-inch show and is obtainable in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage choices.

Apple’s new iPhone 17 Professional can be out there for pre-order beginning September 12 and can launch on September 19. The 256GB mannequin begins at $1,100, with no 128GB possibility out there. This yr’s mannequin incorporates a 6.3-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show, beginning with 256GB of storage, and in addition provides 512GB and 1TB storage choices. The colour selections are fully totally different, with cosmic orange, deep blue, and silver to select from.

The iPhone 17 Professional Max may also be out there for pre-order on September 12, with a September 19 launch date, beginning at $1,200. It has a bigger 6.9-inch show and is available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and a brand new 2TB storage possibility, with the identical colour selections.

Design and construct

The iPhone 17 Professional is outlined by its new plateau digicam design

Apple

As you’ll be able to see simply by wanting on the iPhone 17 Professional, the standout function is its new rear digicam design that extends alongside the again of the system, which Apple calls its digicam plateau — a extra fashionable method of claiming digicam bar. That is considerably totally different from the iPhone 16 Professional, which simply has a easy rear triple digicam structure within the top-left nook, a design function that has been a trademark of the iPhone Professional lineup since 2019, when the iPhone 11 Professional was launched.

One other main design change this yr is that Apple has changed the titanium body with an aluminum unibody design for the iPhone 17 Professional. It additionally incorporates a Ceramic Protect 2 on the entrance, which Apple claims has 3 times higher scratch resistance. Just like the iPhone 16 Professional, the iPhone 17 Professional contains lots of the key options you’d count on, such because the Digital camera Management Button, the Motion Button, and MagSafe. It additionally has an IP68 water and mud resistance score.

Personally, I like what I’ve seen to date, and the brand new colours — cosmic orange, deep blue, and silver — all look nice. Nevertheless, the design change might take a while to get used to for many individuals.

Show

The iPhone 17 Professional is far brighter

Apple

So far as the show on the iPhone 17 Professional, it is just about the identical because the iPhone 16 Professional’s. The iPhone 17 Professional incorporates a 6.3-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show with a 2622 x 1206 pixel decision, identical to the iPhone 16 Professional. What’s totally different is that the iPhone 17 Professional’s show can attain 3,000 nits of peak brightness, whereas the iPhone 16 Professional tops out at 2,000 nits.

The iPhone 17 Professional Max follows the identical development, with a 6.9-inch Tremendous Retina XDR show with a 2868 x 1320 pixel decision, the identical because the iPhone 16 Professional Max. It additionally boasts a 3,000-nit peak brightness.

Like its predecessors, the iPhone 17 Professional has a 120Hz ProMotion show, helps At all times-On Show, and in addition options Dynamic Island. Moreover, due to the Ceramic Protect 2 I discussed earlier, the iPhone 17 Professional’s show can also be far more anti-reflective than the iPhone 16 Professional, which ought to make it simpler to see open air, a welcome enchancment.

Internals

Quicker and cooler than ever earlier than

Apple

With each new iPhone, the internals all the time get main upgrades, and the iPhone 17 Professional is not any exception. Each the iPhone 17 Professional and 17 Professional Max include Apple’s new A19 Professional chipset, which Apple says delivers “40 p.c higher sustained efficiency” than the iPhone 16 Professional. Supporting the brand new A19 Professional chipset is a brand new Apple-designed vapor chamber for cooling, which is laser-welded into the iPhone 17 Professional’s aluminum chassis. That is one thing the iPhone 16 Professional does not have, which suggests not solely will the iPhone 17 Professional run sooner, nevertheless it also needs to run cooler.

Battery life can also be considerably improved this yr, with Apple claiming the iPhone 17 Professional can last as long as 33 hours of video playback, 5 extra hours than the iPhone 16 Professional, which is estimated at as much as 27 hours of video playback. The iPhone 17 Professional Max tells an much more spectacular story, boasting as much as 39 hours of video playback, in comparison with the iPhone 16 Professional Max’s as much as 33 hours of video playback.

Charging instances on the iPhone 17 Professional have additionally been improved, with Apple stating it may well cost as much as 50 p.c in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter, which is about 10 minutes sooner than the iPhone 16 Professional, which may cost as much as 50 p.c in half-hour on a 30W adapter.

Cameras

Greater and bolder

Apple

The hallmark of the Professional mannequin iPhones is their cameras, and apart from introducing a brand new plateau digicam design, Apple has additionally made slight upgrades to the iPhone 17 Professional’s cameras this yr. The iPhone 17 Professional sports activities three 48-megapixel cameras on the again, together with a f/1.78 48-megapixel fusion principal digicam, a f/2.2 48-megapixel fusion ultra-wide digicam, and a f/2.8 48-megapixel fusion telephoto digicam, able to 8x optical zoom.

The 48-megapixel fusion telephoto digicam is the principle improve this yr, because the iPhone 16 Professional solely has a 12-megapixel telephoto digicam able to as much as 5x optical zoom, however has a 48-megapixel principal digicam and ultra-wide.

The front-facing digicam on the iPhone 17 Professional can also be a lot totally different from the iPhone 16 Professional. The iPhone 17 Professional sports activities an 18-megapixel Middle Stage selfie digicam, in comparison with the iPhone 16 Professional’s 12-megapixel entrance shooter. The iPhone 17 Professional’s Middle Stage digicam is able to switching from portrait to panorama with out having to maneuver your telephone, and its area of view routinely expands relying on how many individuals in your selfie, one thing the iPhone 16 Professional will not be able to.

Verdict: Is the iPhone 17 Professional a worthwhile improve from the iPhone 16 Professional?

When you’ve got an iPhone 15 Professional or older, the iPhone 17 Professional may be a good improve

Apple

There is not any doubt that the iPhone 17 Professional is Apple’s strongest and bold iPhone but. It incorporates a daring new redesign, boasting a unibody aluminum chassis and a digicam plateau, and is powered by the A19 Professional chipset with a vapor chamber cooling system.

Whereas the upgrades the iPhone 17 Professional provides over the iPhone 16 Professional are good, if you have already got an iPhone 16 Professional, there’s not a lot of a degree in upgrading since you continue to have a strong telephone with succesful cameras. You are higher off saving your cash and ready till subsequent yr, when Apple will seemingly launch the iPhone 18 Professional and its long-rumored foldable iPhone.

That stated, if in case you have an iPhone 15 Professional or earlier, the upgrades supplied by the iPhone 17 Professional are very attractive. I actually use an iPhone 14 Professional, and now that I’ve seen what the iPhone 17 Professional provides, I consider that is the yr to improve — not solely due to its upgraded cameras, but additionally resulting from its daring new redesign and the return of a deep blue colour possibility. Moreover, if in case you have a regular iPhone mannequin, just like the iPhone 13 or iPhone 14, and have all the time wished to attempt a Professional mannequin, with all of the adjustments Apple has made to the iPhone 17 Professional, this may be the yr to do it.

Apple / Pocket-lint

The iPhone 17 Professional begins at $1,100, and the iPhone 17 Professional Max begins at $1,200. Should you’re enthusiastic about getting one, pre-orders go stay September 12 at 5AM PST/8AM EST, with shipments starting September 19.