Why this casual iPhone user upgraded to the iPhone 17 after one year – and don’t regret it

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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The iPhone 17 delivers significant generational upgrades to display, camera, and battery capacity.
• Despite its base model configuration, it has several advancements over last year’s Pro model.
• It’s a solid option for iOS fans who don’t want to overpay for upgraded features.

There are plenty of people who live to peer over the edge of mobile innovation. They live for phones as thin as possible, that fold into threes, or have cameras with impeccable super zoom technology without missing a beat. I am not one of those people.

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Although I live within the realm of base model iPhones, I’ve always been intrigued by Apple’s latest mobile features. But Apple tucks its best innovations behind its four-figure price tag Pro lineup, and the idea of paying as much for a phone as I did for my M2 MacBook Air just a few years ago feels sacrilegious. 

As I’m not a power user, I’m not one to upgrade my phone every year, and certainly not to a Pro model. However, I made an exception for the iPhone 17 in my personal upgrade cycle. These features explain exactly why.

1. Small display wins that add up

For the first time, Apple granted a base model iPhone with an always-on, 6.3-inch display and ProMotion technology. Thus, the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro have the exact same display specifications. When the iPhone 17 specs were announced in Sept., as excited as I was for an equal playing field in the display category, I severely underestimated the difference a 120Hz refresh rate would make, and it’s arguably the best upgrade Apple could have made to its base model phones.

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ProMotion adapts your device’s refresh rate, offering higher rates up to 120Hz for dynamic content and lower rates down to 10Hz for static content. The most obvious difference I noticed immediately between my iPhone 16 and the iPhone 17 was in the Liquid Glass animations and scrolling through my daily news feed. Overall, the iPhone 17 provided me with a smoother and more enjoyable interface compared to my iPhone 16.

The always-on display makes it easy to glance at notifications, widgets, and live activities without needing to unlock my phone, another benefit I didn’t realize I was missing until now. Although an increase in screen size from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches sounds inconsequential on paper, it’s noticeable in practice. Without the size increase making the phone feel too big in my hand, pocket, or purse, its larger size makes a difference to my eyes, especially when reading on my phone.

Aside from the flashier display features, the iPhone 17 shares a 2,622 x 1,206 pixel resolution and 3,000 nits peak brightness with the iPhone 17 Pro. These aren’t features I was ever willing to pay extra money for, but they’re great benefits for casual users like myself.

2. Not the camera upgrade I was expecting

I don’t feel my lifestyle calls for the pro-level camera systems found in Apple’s higher-end iPhone lineup, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the finer details. The iPhone 17 offers some rear camera upgrades over its predecessor, most notably the introduction of a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera for improved photo quality. Still, I was more interested in the Center Stage front camera.

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With the announcement of the iPhone 17 lineup, I was surprised to see Apple incorporate a novel camera feature into the base model phones, the first major front camera upgrade since the iPhone 11. 

The Center Stage camera uses AI and a new square camera sensor to expand the front camera’s field of view, allowing you to take selfies in landscape mode without needing to rotate your phone horizontally. It also intelligently zooms and rotates the photo orientation to include every person in the photo frame.

This feature was particularly useful when my sister, my mom, and I attended a local Christmas market and wanted to take a selfie with the giant Christmas tree. The line was long, and I didn’t have much time to get the camera settings or positioning right to include the three of us and the tree. 

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You’ll also see the Center Stage camera in action on FaceTime and video calls, using its technology to always keep your face in frame. The iPhone 17’s camera improvements are also on display when taking videos, offering ultra-stabilized video capture, Center Stage for front-facing camera videos, and Dual Capture, which records video from the front and rear camera simultaneously. 

Although Apple’s Pro lineup includes a more advanced triple-camera system, the iPhone 17 has a leg up over previous Pro generations for its integration of Center Stage camera technology and new video-recording capabilities. Although I don’t see myself using all of these new camera features often — in true casual user fashion — I am ecstatic that I didn’t pay extra for them.

3. Battery and charging

Although I’m an ultra-casual iPhone user, I spend a considerable amount of time on my phone and could benefit from a battery capacity upgrade. The iPhone 17 sports an estimated 3,629mAh battery capacity, which Apple says translates to up to 30 hours of video playback. Compared to the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16’s estimated 3,561mAh battery capacity translates to up to 22 hours of video playback.

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The increase in battery capacity from the iPhone 16 to the iPhone 17 is the largest increase Apple has granted a base model phone; larger generational increases are typically reserved for Pro models. Still, the iPhone 17’s battery capacity is slightly greater than the iPhone 16 Pro’s.

ZDNET’s buying advice

Some people often purchase Apple’s Pro-level phones, earbuds, and computers for their luxurious hardware experiences — without realizing that they’re paying for features they may never use. Although the iPhone 17 lacks the immediately recognizable triple-camera configuration and the eye-catching Cosmic Orange color, it’s the most budget-friendly iPhone for people who want advanced features without spending a fortune.

Even if you don’t partake in mobile gaming and maximize the ProMotion display, or never use the Dual Capture feature, and don’t care for improved on-device AI processing, you can rest assured that you didn’t overpay for those unused features. Apple gave the iPhone 17 a noticeable facelift, uncharacteristic for its base model phones, so if there’s a generation that’s worthy of an early upgrade, it’s this one.