iPhone 17 has been unveiled during a packed presentation from the Steve Jobs Theatre, which also saw the announcement of AirPods Pro 3, an ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and Apple Watch Series 11, to name just a few.
Apple also used its latest launch event, teased beforehand with the tagline Awe-Dropping, to confirm the iOS 26 release date and iPadOS 26 release date, bringing a top-to-bottom redesign and new features to your existing handset.
What's new with the iPhone 17? From the outside, not much.
Aside from the new colours — Lavender, Mist Blue, Sage, White, and Black — little appears to have changed with this new iPhone, but do not be fooled by appearances. Apple's follow-up to the iPhone 16 boasts a bigger always-on screen with support for ProMotion — a first for any iPhone model under £999.
Not only that, but there's also a one-of-a-kind selfie camera, fast new A19 system-on-a-chip, improved dual-camera system, and more built-in storage at the same starting price.
First up, the arrival of a ProMotion display on the most affordable iPhone 17 is a pretty seismic shake-up. Until now, Apple has always reserved its ProMotion technology for its Pro-grade devices. That isn't limited to the iPhone either, with only the iPad Pro and MacBook Pro boasting this upgraded panel too.
iPhone 17 boasts a slightly larger, always-on screen with ProMotion — a feature that's never been available on an iPhone that costs under £999 until this year
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For those who don't know, ProMotion doubles the maximum refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz. This makes system animations, like swiping and scrolling around the operating system, look much smoother. Since the panel is refreshing more frequently, taps on the touchscreen feel more responsive.
Not only does iPhone 17 benefit from ProMotion, but it also sports a larger 6.3-inch screen — an increase from the 6.1-inch panel found on the iPhone 16. Apple squeezed in the extra screen real estate by putting the borders around the display on a strict diet, so the overall size of the smartphone hasn't increased much compared to last year. The Californian company pulled the same trick with the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max last year, so this is another feature pilfered from the pricier models for the more affordable iPhone 17.
Not only is the iPhone 17 equipped with a larger, always-on Super Retina XDR display, but it's also more resistant to scratches than ever before. This new handset is one of the first to feature Ceramic Shield 2, a new batch of toughened glass that promises 3x better scratch resistance. The new glass also offers an anti-reflection coating to reduce glare when using your iPhone in direct sunlight.
Between that and the 3,000-nits peak brightness — the highest ever on an iPhone — you should have no trouble seeing what's on-screen, even on the brightest summer day.
Discussing the new devices, Apple Vice President of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, Kaiann Drance said: "iPhone 17 is a big upgrade with powerful features that make iPhone even more useful in your day-to-day life, from the bigger and brighter ProMotion display with 3x better scratch resistance, to all-day battery life with faster charging, the A19 chip for powerful performance, a fantastic 48MP Dual Fusion camera system, and the innovative Centre Stage front camera — our best front camera yet.
"iPhone 17 is a fantastic choice for customers looking for the latest features and the confidence in knowing their iPhone is built to last."
iPhone 17 boasts a dual 48MP "Fusion" cameras capable of 2x lossless zoom and macro photography. Although you can shoot in the full 48MP, by default, photos will be reduced to 24MP to avoid using too much storage on your handset (and iCloud backup!)
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Like its predecessor, iPhone 17 has a dual-camera system. But new for this year is the fact that both cameras have 48MP sensors. They're known as "Fusion" cameras, which means photographs from both cameras are fused together behind-the-scenes to optimise for light capture.
Despite sporting a 48MP main camera, by default, iPhone 17 will shoot in 24MP, which Apple believes is the best balance between a manageable file size, smaller iCloud backups, and crisp resolution.
Since the default output is 24MP, iPhone 17 can shoot in lossless 2x zoom to get a little closer to the subject — so the main camera alone is like having two cameras in one.
The second camera is a new 48MP Ultra-Wide camera for big group shots or artsy ultra-wide shots. That new sensor offers 4x more resolution than ultra-wide shots from the iPhone 16. And like the main camera, it's also got the capabilities of two cameras packed into a single lens, since it supports macro photography too.
Next-generation Photographic Styles, an adjustable aesthetic that customises highlights, shadows, vibrancy, and contrast in your shot in real-time all while intelligently preserving skintone, including a new Bright style, will arrive preinstalled on the iPhone 17.
But the biggest shake-up to the iPhone 17 camera comes to the front of the device.
Apple says 500 billion selfies were shot on iPhone last year, more than any other smartphone. As such, it's announced a colossal upgrade for the selfie sensor, dubbed Centre Stage front camera.
The new sensor is almost twice the size of the previous one used in an iPhone front-facing camera. It's also square compared with the 4:3 aspect ratio typically used for these components.
iOS 26 will intelligently expand the viewfinder from portrait to landscape selfies depending on how many people are trying to fit into the shot — and you won't need to adjust your grip
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Why does that matter? The square shape and higher resolution — up to 18MP for photos from the front-facing camera — means the iPhone 17 can intelligently switch between vertical and landscape shots. You don't need to rotate your iPhone to take landscape selfies; the sensor handles it all for you.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can detect when there are too many people in the frame to be captured by a portrait-style selfie, with iOS 26 automatically expanding the frame to a landscape-style shot to fit everyone in. You'll never have to adjust your grip, so you can keep a more comfortable, secure grip on the iPhone.
And that's not all. This new Centre Stage front camera also boasts ultra-stabilised video in 4K HDR — the same GoPro-like feature that's been present in the rear-firing cameras for a few years now. You can also record from the front and rear cameras simultaneously with Dual Capture.
During calls over FaceTime or third-party apps like WhatsApp, Centre Stage automatically keeps you positioned in frame, even as you move around. It's something that we've seen on MacBooks and iPads for a little while, but it's a welcome addition to the iPhone 17 too.
There's only a single size of iPhone 17 available this time around, with a slightly expanded 6.3-inch screen and a choice of Lavender, Mist Blue, Sage, White, or Black colourways
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Powering the iPhone 17 is the A19 processor.
As well as improved efficiency, this newer system-on-a-chip has enough grunt that you'll benefit from software updates for years to come. A19 is optimised for the latest Apple Intelligence features, a slew of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tricks that can be throughout the mobile operating system.
Apple prioritises running its AI features on-device, which ensures speedier performance since you're not reliant on internet speed to get your results back. It also means you'll be able to take advantage of Apple Intelligence when you're abroad or travelling without an internet connection.
Everything is protected by Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple says offers 3x better scratch resistance than its predecessor
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Apple Intelligence can proofread your emails, documents and texts with a tap, rewrite your text and adjust the tone, summarise spools of documents into easy-to-digest bullet points, remove unwanted people and objects from the background of your photos, prioritise incoming notifications, and more.
According to Apple, iPhone 17 owners can expect battery life to last all day. Apple says you'll benefit from an extra 8 hours of video playback compared to the iPhone 16 announced last year.
Charging is handled via USB-C, so you'll be able to pack a single charging cable on your next holiday and top up the battery in your iPhone, iPad, Nintendo Switch 2, MacBook, Kindle, Nothing Headphone (1), or dozens of other devices. If you're short on time, iPhone 17 can refill up to 50% of its battery in around 20 minutes using an optional high-wattage USB-C power adapter.
But the A19 isn't the only custom-designed chipset from Apple inside the iPhone 17. It also includes the N1, a new Apple-built wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. According to Apple, the presence of the N1 inside iPhone 17 will improve the performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot, which lets you create your own Wi-Fi network from your 5G connection, and AirDrop.
Out of the box, iPhone 17 will be running iOS 26 – the latest mobile operating system from Apple. It introduces an entirely-new design to the software, known as Liquid Glass, which Apple called its "broadest design update ever" when it was unveiled during its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this summer.
As the name suggests, Liquid Glass adds translucency throughout iOS, preventing icons and menus from drawing attention away from whatever you're doing on-screen. The design team at Apple has also added light refractions and springy animations throughout, which makes iOS feel more alive.
Liquid Glass adds a frosted-glass appearance to all of Apple's operating system, so you can still see your wallpaper, album artwork, and photos through the menus | APPLE PRESS OFFICE The new-look arrives across all Apple devices at the same time, including iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro, and Apple TV — so iPhone owners should feel familiar with these other platforms.
Apple has been unifying its operating systems for some time, but this is the first time everything has changed at the same time.
Elsewhere, Messages borrows a few features from WhatsApp, including typing indicators for every person in a group chat. You'll also be able to send polls and set a custom backgrounds to your conversations and group chats, picking between a slew of preinstalled options, photos from your library, or generating a never-before-seen image with Image Playground.
Apple's new Liquid Glass design is the first major shake-up to the appearance of iOS in over 12 years | APPLE PRESS OFFICE Apple has redesigned its Camera app with a new simplified layout, while Apple Music adds fullscreen animations to your Lock Screen and real-time translation for lyrics, allowing you to understand (and sing-along) to songs in any language.
As you'd expect, Apple's software engineers have packed iOS 26 with smaller adjustments too, like new ringtones, the ability to adjust the snooze duration, and a new Hold Assist feature that keeps your spot in a queue so you don't have to stay on the phone when you're put on hold.
iPhone 17 starts from £799 in the UK. That model includes 256GB of built-in storage — that's twice as much storage as its predecessor, with no change in price.
Preorders begin on Friday September 12, with the first smartphones shipping to customers — and available to collect in-store — on September 19, 2025.
Some had expected to see an increase in price, but the cost of switching to the latest iPhone remains the same as last September when it introduced the iPhone 16. Speaking of, that handset will be sticking around. Apple will continue selling the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, which now start from £699 and £799, respectively.
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