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Apple’s long-awaited iPhone 17 lineup is right here, and as speculated, it replaces the Plus mannequin with an iPhone 17 Air. Nonetheless, the main target stays on the costlier Professional sequence. The iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max now provide higher thermals to maintain the gadget cool, an aluminum construct for extra funky colours, and some different important quality-of-life enhancements.
If you happen to’re eyeing the iPhone 16 Professional at decrease costs available in the market or personal one already, here is how the latest-gen iPhone compares to its predecessor.
Additionally: Apple Occasion stay updates 2025
Specs
| iPhone 17 Professional | iPhone 16 Professional | |
| Show | 6.3-inch OLED 120Hz, 3,000 nits | 6.3-inch OLED 120Hz, 2,000 nits |
| Weight | 206g | 199g |
| Processor | Apple A19 Professional | Apple A18 Professional |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Battery | 33 hours of video playback | 27 hours of video playback |
| Digicam | 48MP huge, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto; 18MP entrance | 48MP Fusion digital camera, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto; 12MP entrance |
| Colours | Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue, Silver | Black Titanium, White Titanium, Pure Titanium, Desert Titanium |
| Worth | Beginning at $999 | Beginning at $999 |
Purchase the Apple iPhone 17 Professional if…
1. You need a extra sturdy iPhone
Apple says the iPhone 17 Professional is probably the most sturdy iPhone ever. It options Ceramic Protect 2 on the entrance, which is alleged to be 3x scratch-resistant than earlier than. Moreover, there’s Ceramic Protect on the again, mentioned to be 4 occasions stronger than earlier than. In case your present iPhone is liable to scratches and it’s bothersome to you, the iPhone 17 Professional could be the right new telephone.
2. You want a greater show
I’m an iPhone 16 Professional person, and my largest drawback with it’s display legibility in direct daylight. I have to wipe the show each time I need to use it outdoor. It will get smudgy and would not get brilliant sufficient for a snug viewing expertise. Apple appears to have fastened this subject with the iPhone 17 Professional.
Additionally: Find out how to preorder Apple’s new gadgets: iPhone 17, Watch 11, AirPods Professional 3, and extra
As talked about, the brand new Professional iPhone sports activities Ceramic Protect 2 on the entrance. It is not simply extra immune to scratches but additionally provides a 7-layer anti-reflective coating on high of your display. That is paired with a show that’s rated to go as much as 3,000 nits in peak brightness outdoor (vs. 2,000 nits on the 16 Professional). Theoretically, it’s a quality-of-life enchancment, which ought to provide a extra legible expertise.
3. You need improved efficiency and battery life
Apple additionally improved the efficiency and battery life on its new iPhone 17 Professional. In response to the corporate, it could last as long as eight hours longer (in video playback) than earlier than.
The brand new Apple A19 Professional chipset is mixed with a vapor cooling chamber to supply higher thermal administration. It affords 40% higher sustained efficiency than earlier than. The Cupertino large mentioned that is “MacBook Professional ranges of compute in an iPhone.” We’ll check to seek out out in our overview, however the claims do look promising.
4. You shoot numerous entrance digital camera movies
The iPhone 17 Professional homes a brand new 18MP selfie digital camera with assist for Heart Stage and “ultrastabilized” video recording. If you happen to commonly document your self, these two options will likely be immensely helpful in your creations. Now, whereas operating, you’ll be able to document clear movies with out all of the shaky actions, and Heart Stage will preserve you within the body, too.
You should purchase the Apple iPhone 16 Professional if…
1. You just like the outdated design higher
The Apple iPhone 17 sports activities its most experimental rear design change in years. Till final 12 months, Apple caught to a design it pioneered years in the past with the introduction of a three-camera structure on the iPhone 11 sequence.
The digital camera module has solely gotten larger within the final 5 generations, however with the iPhone 17, it now extends to the opposite facet of the telephone. This may not be a design that die-hard Apple customers needed. And if you’re considered one of them, the iPhone 16 Professional is the higher telephone for you.
2. You may get a brand new iPhone 16 Professional for below $800
The Professional iPhones are solely getting costlier. But when you may get one close to the worth of an iPhone 17, even when it’s a last-gen product, it is smart to save lots of a number of hundred {dollars} and get the iPhone 16 Professional over the iPhone 17 Professional.
Additionally: We examined the iPhone 16 Professional digital camera system, and it is extremely underrated – with one tragic flaw
It will nonetheless provide you with versatile cameras, ProMotion screens, the goodness of iOS 26, and a good battery life. With the iPhone 17 lineup occurring sale within the coming weeks, the iPhone 16 Professional needs to be obtainable for decrease costs, and if you may get a great deal, go for it!
3. You need a lighter Professional iPhone
The Professional iPhone sequence has been getting heavier yearly since Apple introduced the lightest iPhone 15 Professional (187 grams). It shot as much as 199 grams with the iPhone 16 Professional, and the iPhone 17 Professional now sits at 206 grams (again to iPhone 14 Professional weight) on the dimensions. A 200g+ telephone may not be for everybody. So, if you’d like the lightest doable gadget out of those two, the iPhone 16 Professional is the telephone to go for.
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