iPhone 17 Pro 15 base to 17 pro model - worthy upgrade?

[sharpshooter6]

I’ve always had base model phones but interested in a 17 pro for photography and better battery life (if it is better in the real world). I’ve had the 15 base since launch, just curious what others think or have done. Many posts I’ve seen are from base phone to base phone or pro to pro etc. Thanks.

 

[AnInanimateCarbonRod]

Whether or not it's a worthy upgrade is highly subjective. But I would make the jump for ProMotion alone.

 

[LionTeeth]

I mean yes it will be overall better everything. But iPhones all work pretty well, you won't be blown away by any performance gains. But it will be a much slicker experience for sure. Is it worth it? Only your pocketbook can decide lol

 

[iSuzan]

Yes, for the camera alone. And if that what it is interesting for you and you have some $ to spare... go for it.

 

[Andeddu]

The 15 is good at doing everything whereas the 17 Pro is better at doing everything.

I upgraded from a 13 to a 17 Pro as I wanted to play AAA games which isn’t possible on older phones. For normal use, the 17 Pro feels snappier due to the faster SoC and Pro Motion.

 

[ab2c4]

Spec wise I think its a decent upgrade. The only question I would have is are you willing to go up that much in phone weight? The 17 Pro is a chunker fat heavy phone while the regular 15 was nice and light. I would check it out in a store that lets you hold one before making a decision.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Very personal decision as to “worth” - what something is worth to me, isn’t the same as what it’s worth to you (or anyone else).

 

[Tsepz]

I’ve always had base model phones but interested in a 17 pro for photography and better battery life (if it is better in the real world). I’ve had the 15 base since launch, just curious what others think or have done. Many posts I’ve seen are from base phone to base phone or pro to pro etc. Thanks.

I went from 15 Pro Max to 17 Pro Max and I am very happy, I personally like using phones with larger screens so the increase in screen size, battery life and improvements on heat management as well as battery life have been truly evident and welcomed.

Coming from 15 base to 17 Pro, IMO, would be a worthy upgrade:

1. Display 60hz to 120hz and from 6.1inch to 6.3inch
2. Significant battery life upgrade + faster charging
3. Better heat dissipation
4. Significant upgrade in camera and additional camera with the zoom lens which comes in handy if you want more range in terms of taking photos and videos. The main lens on 17 Pro also has two zoom levels (cropping) which work very well as well as far better night photography with the larger sensor.
5. Overall performance improvements given the 6GB RAM to 12GB RAM jump with more apps and web browser tabs staying in memory etc…

Should be a worthwhile upgrade while still keeping that iPhone overall look and feel.

 

[Harddrive]

To add to what was already mentioned in the upgrades better Bluetooth and WI-FI.

 

[Theozz]

If you're not in a hurry, I would wait for 18pro, releasing in 5 months.

 

[snipr125]

Or consider the cheaper, lighter regular 17 which can do everything the 17 pro can do (exact same 6.3” Promotion screen), but with slightly inferior but still very good cameras.

 

[RashyIsBack2]

I agree and also recommend you the regular 17. Proably the biggest jump a regular iPhone ever made, hence you also don't have to listen to some people telling you to wait for the 18 generation, as that one certainly will see much smaller upgrades. We got 120Hz, AOD, 6.3", 48MP UW, X80 modem, N1, 18MP selfie cam, great battery life, and 256GB storage for the same price - it's impossible to top that large jump in the next time.

Prices for the regular 17 went down quite a bit, for example here in Germany, the MSRP and official Apple price sits at 949€ but I could grap mine brand-new with 0 battery zykles, just lacking the original package, from a large ebay shop for 700€ which is almost a no-brainer.

Btw I upgraded from the 14 to the 17. The jump felt quite massive and I am very happy with my blue new iPhone!

Oh, and a neat side-advantage, it is still much lighter than the Pro variant. Feels nicer in your hand and in your pocket.

 

[boswald]

I haven't had the chance to try ProMotion, but I heard that's a good reason to upgrade. Also, the camera features, battery life, new chip and, arguably, iOS 26 with Apple Intelligence.