iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Buyer's Guide: 25 Changes Compared

[Sammy in SoCal]

I decided to plow my gadget coin into a new 16.2” M4 MBP instead of a phone. After seeing the side by side specs I’m glad I did. The 17PM is fatter, heavier, and not much better than the 16PM.

Rolled my 16PM (which was too old for its own AppleCare) Ultra 1 (which I had month to month AppleCare on all ready) and the new MBP into AppleCare One for $20/mo and never looked back.

I did the math and it made sense to do the AppleCare One as opposed to buying AppleCare just for the laptop even year to year. I was able to add my 16PM to the plan right before the warranty expires and cover my other devices.

And I know AppleCare plus is kinda pricy, but I do get piece of mind from having the coverage. Particularly for the new $2500 laptop I just sprung for. Having the service for the watch and the older phone are bonus and to me it’s worth it. It’s not for everyone and I get that.

The real meat this year is iOS 26 and that’s free. I’m running the Developer RC and I’ve gotta say this is the most pleased I’ve been with an iOS update in years. There’s lots of good changes here IMHO.

I agree with you I like the new look, but do you think there’s any new features that you’ll be using regularly

 

[slippery-pete]

Seriously , dude ? Seriously ?

Question—Have you seen the majority of posts on this board?

Many post take a negative tone and complain about anything and everything Apple does. While my post was made in jest, it doesn’t change that fact.

 

[tridley68]

Can't Wait to pretty order the 17 pro max on Friday this will be a big improvement over my 16 pro max

 

[robfoll]

I am just here for the complaints.

So depressing how many whiners and complainers there are on this forum. Nothing to contribute, of course. Most of them don't even know what they are talking about, but they whine, whine, whine.

 

[Shirasaki]

Smallest. The cameras are over 12mm thick.

In that regard iPhone 6/6 Plus is still one of the thinnest iPhone ever. Granted camera is far more primitive but still.

 

[robfoll]

It's interesting that iPhone 17 Pro has Bluetooth 6, whereas Watch series 11 still has Bluetooth 5 (according to the Watch comparison page on Apple's website).

I think the right response is "So what?" The Bluetooth version on the watch makes no difference to anything at all apart from your ability to complain here.

 

[Corpuscle]

If you have a 16 pro you’re good for quite a while.

Based upon what? Come on...ya' can't drop that without an explanation. Or perhaps....

 

[Corpuscle]

It can be a good lawsuit. Who is with me?

I'll stand by you. Let me know where and when.

 

[Octavius8]

It is definitely an upgrade. Even cropping to 5x you’re still going to have a 26% larger sensor area plus increased resolution you can take advantage of with enough light (or fancy ML algorithms).

I am really disappointed they didn’t accomplish an ACTUAL 4 lens system where the telephoto zooms from 4x to 8x within the periscope build. I was thinking that was their answer to four lens competitors while keeping the 3 lens look. Everything is there, giant “plateau” for the room, folded lens for the necessary length. Thought they might pull something similar on the Air as well with some 18mm equivalent to 32mm magic.

I’m sure they’re looking into it and it might even be they built the style for it in the event they manage to accomplish it during this design’s run, even if they do never actually achieve it, like getting Face ID thin enough for the MacBook notch.

2nm for power efficiency to shrink the battery again and gain the needed space, variable aperture for the lens performance at two focal lengths. Probably need to figure out how to make it so it’s shock resistant enough is the other missing piece.

Apple is not Huawei.
Pura 80 has that kind of impressive tech in the camera with an actual movable lens. Sadly Apple does not feel the heat and will not give actual high tec. Just iterative “updates”.

 

[Octavius8]

When can we see the actual reviews?. This Friday or next?.
I would like to see reviews BEFORE the presale to make a decision, guess Apple is a little afraid of exactly that…

 

[FattiesGoneWild]

Can't Wait to pretty order the 17 pro max on Friday this will be a big improvement over my 16 pro max

It’s not that big of an improvement over the 16 PM though. 🤷‍♂️

 

[IIGS User]

I agree with you I like the new look, but do you think there’s any new features that you’ll be using regularly

Keep in mind I’m what you would call your average to more than average informed user. I’m not a developer (I have a developer account to get beta software for the “fun” of it) but I don’t code, or make any living in this industry. Playing a little is a hobby for me and always was from my IIGS days.

I do like the the new UI, I think it’s a move forward in general. I think Apple did a good job here.

I noticed a few small things that maybe I was able to do before and just didn’t know how to but can now. Like setting my camera app to turn Live Photos off and keep them off using the interface in the camera app.

The unified call log in the phone app is interesting. I’ve had to switch back to the classic view a few times to flush out VM I didn’t want but it’s something I’ll dig into.

I have little need for the live translation in my daily life. I rarely deal with non English speakers and when I have to my employer provides an interpreter as a a civil right.

I’m enjoying the CarPlay enhancements. I like the UI and the overall experience as far as speed and stability seem vastly improved.

Seeing time to charge milestones on the Home Screen when locked is useful.

The new way Safari handles tabs and open windows has taken some getting used to but is an improvement.

 

[CEmajr]

So from what I can tell there have been no upgrades to the main camera from the 16 Pro?

 

[mxrider88]

This is a horrible take. The telephoto is such a good upgrade. A 56% larger 48 megapixel sensor at a much more useable focal length, and the 8x claim is actually true. It is 12 megapixels at 8x, whereas last year it was 12 megapixels at 5x. I would much prefer this years cameras over last years.

Yes but they market it as it the focal length was changing, it’s pure misleading advertising. When th focal length changes you also have a completely different picture, with more bokeh and more background compression. This is a crop.

It’s the same for the Air, they said in the keynote something like don’t be fool by the look of a single camera this is a dual camera, that’s bullcrap. It’s just like taking a 1x shot and cropping in post. It’s not the same as having two different cameras!

 

[stealthytolkien]

If it weren’t for 5G connectivity that got added in iPhone 12 series and if it weren’t for ProMotion that got added to iPhone 13 series, I’d still be using iPhone 11 series phones. Pretty much the only two things that made a usability difference to me leading to an upgrade.

I see absolutely no reason to upgrade if you have a 13 Pro Max today that has ProMotion and 5G.

The 17 PM is a $1300 handheld lifestyle assistant and that’s just crazy numbers to me. Also I see comparisons with 16 series, I feel like it’s just paid marketing. Compare it with 12 Pro Max (5 year old phone)! If you have a 12 Pro Max or older phone, I can see you wanting to experience ProMotion and 5G speeds if you’re on 11 or older series phones. But upgrading from a 13 Pro Max? I see no compelling reason to. Perhaps 18-19 series would be a worthy upgrade. But again to each their own.

Heck, my iPhone 6s Plus (new battery), is a perfectly capable iPod touch even today!