The iPhone 17 Pro was officially unveiled as part of Apple’s “awesome” September event, alongside the entry-level iPhone 17 and the new super-thin iPhone Air. While the new Cosmic Orange color is definitely the eye-catching update to the Pro line, Apple’s new flagships have upgrades across the board, including a new supercharged A19 Pro processor and a longer 8x zoom camera.
The iPhone 17 Pro will go on sale with 256GB of storage and a starting price of $1,099 (£1,099, AU$1,999), while the larger iPhone 17 Pro Max will start at $1,199. Pre-orders for iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max They are open now.
The iPhone 17 Pro saw a slight price increase from the iPhone 16 Pro’s $999 starting price last year. It now has twice the storage and actually costs the same as the equivalent 256GB iPhone 16 Pro, putting to rest fears of significant price increases due to Trump’s tariffs for now.
iPhone 17 Pro: design and display
The biggest physical change is on the back of the phone. The camera unit now extends across the entire top of the phone instead of just occupying a small square in the corner. The cameras themselves are still grouped in the same location as before, although Apple says the expanded space offers more room for the batteries and the updated telephoto zoom camera, which I’ll talk about later.
The Pro models are now made of aluminum, rather than the titanium frames that debuted on the iPhone 15 Pro. It’s a unibody construction, which should make it especially durable, as should the new “Ceramic Shield” tempered glass on the front and back, which Apple says is 3x more scratch-resistant. From the front, the phones remain almost indistinguishable from previous models, with only the Dynamic Island breaking up the screen in the small cutout towards the top. Apple has yet to confirm the phones’ water resistance rating, but it’s pretty safe to assume they will still be rated IP68, as has been the case with almost all iPhones since 2018.
The new range brings some new colors; however, the vibrant looking orange model is my personal favorite. I’ve found that the iPhone Pro range often takes itself too seriously and relies on darker or muted tones. That new life-affirming orange color looks great on my street.
iPhone 17 Pro: cameras
The Pro’s cameras have had a number of important improvements. The optical zoom now goes up to 8x, doubling the zoom range on the latest model. It offers a 200mm equivalent focal length, which will be ideal for photographers who want to really immerse themselves in the action from a distance. The telephoto camera sensor is 56% larger than before and offers 48 megapixels of resolution.
However, the hardware of the other cameras is largely unchanged, with no physical changes to the sensors on the main or ultra-wide cameras, and all three cameras offer 48 megapixels. However, the front camera has been updated with a new 18-megapixel square format sensor that allows for cropping in horizontal or landscape orientation and better digital stabilization in video.
Video creators have not been forgotten either; Pro phones can now record with Apple’s ProRes Raw codec, an upgrade to the existing ProRes codec that captures much more data at the point of capture, allowing for deeper and more precise post-processing. ProRes Raw, as Apple explains, is an industry standard in professional film productions and seeing it on a phone is crazy. As a photographer, video producer, and YouTuber, I’m excited.
iPhone 17 Pro: A19 Pro processor
The A19 Pro processor features an upgraded CPU and GPU, which Apple believes can achieve 40% better performance than the iPhone 16 Pro. Keeping things cool is a new thermal management system that includes a vapor chamber that uses deionized water to actively cool the phone when it heats up. The aluminum alloy also apparently dissipates heat 20 times better than the titanium design of previous models.
iPhone 17 Pro: iOS 26
The iPhone 17 range will launch with the latest iOS 26 software on board. We’ve played with iOS 26 in its initial beta and the biggest changes are in the look and feel of the software. Apple’s new “liquid glass” design relies on glass-like transparency in its menus and notification panels for a brighter, more modern look.
From the images I’ve seen so far, I’m quite interested in the style. CNET’s Blake Stimac tested the beta and says, “At its core, Liquid Glass isn’t reinventing the wheel, and that’s a good thing.” I find that encouraging. I can’t be bothered to learn a completely new operating system, but I’m happy to see any tweaks that keep things fresh.
iPhone 17 Pro: battery
Apple says the iPhone 17 Pro includes the largest battery ever in an iPhone and, as a result, offers the best battery life ever in any iPhone. The company hasn’t been specific about the exact size of this battery, but as always, we’ll be eager to see how it performs.
The iPhone Pro was launched alongside other new Apple products, including the slim iPhone Air, the latest AirPods Pro 3 with live translation, and the Apple Watch Series 11, SE 3 and Watch Ultra 3. Don’t fancy the iPhone Pro? Apple also removed the wrappers from the base. iPhone 17.