iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 17 Buyer's Guide: 20 Upgrades Compared

The iPhone 17 launches this week with Apple's biggest display upgrade to a non-Pro model in years, some major camera improvements, faster performance, and big battery life gains.

Beyond these headline features, how much of an improvement does the ‌‌iPhone 17‌‌ really offer? This guide breaks down the differences between the iPhone 16 and ‌‌iPhone 17‌ to help you understand all of the changes and determine whether these enhancements are enough to justify making the switch‌.

This guide focuses on the ‌‌iPhone 17‌ versus the ‌iPhone 16‌‌, but to learn about how it compares to the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro, see our other comparison guide.



‌iPhone 16‌ (2024)

‌iPhone 17‌ (2025)





6.1-inch display

6.3-inch display







Slimmer bezels





60Hz display

ProMotion for refresh rates up to 120Hz







Always-On display





2,000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)

3,000 nits peak brightness (outdoor)





Ceramic Shield front

Ceramic Shield 2 front (3x better scratch resistance)





A18 chip (N3E)

A19 chip (N3P)





5-core GPU

5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators





Up to 22-hour battery life

Up to 30-hour battery life





12-megapixel front-facing camera

18-megapixel front-facing camera





Tap to zoom on front-facing camera

Tap to zoom and rotate on front-facing camera







Center Stage front-facing camera







Ultra-stabilized video on front-facing camera







Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)





12-megapixel Ultra Wide

48-megapixel Ultra Wide





MagSafe wireless charging up to 22W with 30W adapter or higher

‌MagSafe‌ wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher





Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher

Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter or higher







Apple N1 chip for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi





Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity

Bluetooth 6 connectivity





Available in Ultramarine, Teal, Pink, White, and Black

Available in Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, and Black



The ‌iPhone 17‌ is a fairly substantial year-over-year update. The jump to a larger 6.3-inch display with ProMotion, 48-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, longer battery life, and new A19 chip makes it the most significant base-model iPhone upgrade in recent years. It offers great value for money at $799, with many of the new features that come to the other more expensive models this year.

Most ‌iPhone 16‌ owners will notice meaningful differences, but naturally those with an ‌iPhone‌ 14 or older will see a more dramatic dramatic leap. Buyers who want a modern ‌iPhone‌ with a Pro-level display and excellent cameras at a lower price should strongly consider the upgrade, but ‌iPhone 16‌ owners satisfied with their device may find less urgency to switch. Nevertheless, the upgrade is relatively substantial.Related Roundups: iPhone 16, iPhone 17Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17 (Buy Now)Related Forum: iPhoneThis article, "iPhone 16 vs. iPhone 17 Buyer's Guide: 20 Upgrades Compared" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums