Apple presented its flagship iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max earlier today during the ‘Awe dropping’ event alongside new AirPods Pro 3, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and more. Here’s a comparison of the new iPhone 17 Pro with last year’s 16 Pro models.
## Displays and Durability: More Brightness and Scratch Resistance
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max maintain the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch sizes as their predecessors. One advantage of this year’s models is their enhanced outdoor brightness, featuring 2x better outdoor contrast.
– **iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max:** 3000 nits peak brightness outdoors
– **iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max:** 2000 nits peak brightness outdoors
Strength is enhanced with the new Ceramic Shield 2, boasting 3x better scratch resistance. Moreover, there’s now a Ceramic Shield on the back of the iPhone, which was missing in the 16 Pro.
## Performance Enhancements: A19 Pro, Increased RAM
iPhone 17 Pro is equipped with the new A19 Pro chip, upgraded with an Apple-designed vapor chamber for superior heat management and performance. Apple asserts that the A19 Pro provides “up to 40 percent better sustained performance compared to the previous generation,” making it perfect for gaming, video editing, and running extensive local language models.
Both the iPhone 17 Pro and 16 Pro contain:
– 6-core CPU
– 6-core GPU
– 16-core Neural Engine
The A19 Pro’s GPU integrates Neural Accelerators, which were missing in the A18 Pro. The iPhone 17 Pro also features approximately 50% more RAM, reportedly 12GB compared to 8GB in the 16 Pro.
## Cameras: Center Stage Front Camera, 48MP Fusion Trio, 4x and 8x Optical Zoom
Cameras take center stage for this year’s iPhone 17 Pro series. The front camera boasts a new Center Stage 18MP lens, an improvement over the 12MP selfie camera on the 16 Pro. The Center Stage camera can automatically widen its field of view when more individuals enter the shot.
The back comprises a set of three 48MP Fusion cameras: Main, Ultra Wide, and Telephoto. The Telephoto lens has been upgraded from 12MP to 48MP, incorporating a tetraprism design with 4x and 8x optical zoom options, replacing the 5x zoom found in the 16 Pro. Digital zoom can extend to 40x.
New video capabilities feature:
– ProRes RAW support
– Log 2 support
– Genlock for synchronizing video across multiple cameras
Additionally, Dual Capture enables simultaneous video recording with both front and rear cameras.
## Design and Colors: Rear ‘Plateau,’ Aluminum, but No Black
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max boast a new aluminum design, replacing the titanium used in the 16 Pro. The rear camera bump has evolved into a full-width camera ‘plateau.’
Apple describes the design as:
> “The new brushed aluminum unibody design is crafted with a lightweight aerospace-grade 7000-series aluminum alloy to deliver the best-ever thermal performance in an iPhone.”
Available colors for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max include:
– Cosmic Orange
– Deep Blue
– Silver
Notably, there is no Black or Space Gray option available this year, which may disappoint certain users.
## Battery Life: Achieving New Heights
Apple has made notable improvements in battery life. The smaller iPhone 17 Pro provides better battery performance than last year’s larger Pro Max model, while the 17 Pro Max reaches even greater performance.
Battery comparisons:
– **iPhone 17 Pro:** Up to 33 hours video playback, or 30 hours streamed
– **iPhone 16 Pro:** Up to 27 hours video playback, or 22 hours streamed
For the Pro Max:
– **iPhone 17 Pro Max:** Up to 39 hours video playback, or 35 hours streamed
– **iPhone 16 Pro Max:** Up to 33 hours video playback, or 29 hours streamed
## Storage and Pricing: Unexpectedly Good News
All iPhone 17 models now commence with 256GB of storage. Previously, the smaller version started at 128GB, while only the Pro Max began at 256GB. The 17 Pro Max also offers a 2TB storage option.
Pricing specifics:
– **iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099:** This reflects a $100 increase from the iPhone 16 Pro, but due to higher starting storage, it equates to the same cost as a 256GB 16 Pro.
– **iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199:** The same price as the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
