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Iphone 17

“The first base iPhone in years with nothing to apologize for.”

check_circle BUY RECOMMENDATION

Check $739.93 on Amazon open_in_new

8.4

Inside Scoop Score

Buy · 8.4 / 10

auto_awesome INSIDE SCOOP

The Inside Scoop

THE VERDICT

Apple finally stopped sandbagging the standard iPhone: the 17 gets the 120Hz ProMotion display, a massive 24MP selfie camera upgrade, better battery, and 256GB base storage — all for $799. Reviewers across the board agree this is the best value iPhone Apple has ever made, and the gap between it and the Pro has never felt smaller. Minor gripes exist, but for most people this is simply the right phone to buy.

Anchored by Marques Brownlee's review

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120Hz display, finally

The iPhone 17 gets a variable 1-120Hz ProMotion display up to 3,000 nits of brightness — ending the embarrassing era of Apple selling an $800 phone with a 60Hz screen.

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Selfie camera is genuinely brilliant

The new 24MP square sensor auto-switches between portrait and landscape selfies without rotating the phone, and MKBHD called the output noticeably better than even last year's 16 Pro selfie camera.

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256GB base storage is now standard

Doubling the base storage from 128GB to 256GB at the same $799 price effectively makes every model feel $100 cheaper than last year's equivalent configuration.

Owner Reception

Verified owner data

shopping_cart Amazon 132 ratings

79% loved 18% critical

Critical reviews ≈ 24

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Before You Buy — What Nobody Tells You

Most owners are happy — only 18% of 132 Amazon ratings are 1–2★. These are the specific gripes worth weighing before you buy:

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iOS 26 animations are a battery killer

Real owners running iOS 26 on iPhone 17-series hardware are discovering that the new glass UI effects are surprisingly GPU-intensive — pulling down Control Center spikes power draw higher than recording 4K HDR video, and low power mode is becoming a permanent fixture for some users.

— from r/apple thread with 1,343 upvotes on top comment

lightbulb Enable Low Power Mode or turn off Reduce Transparency in Accessibility settings until Apple ships optimization patches.
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Third-party resellers selling fake units

Multiple buyers who purchased from secondhand or grey-market retailers (like CEX) received convincing counterfeit iPhone 17 Pro Max units that passed a quick in-store glance — only discovered to be fake after purchase, leading to difficult refund battles.

— from r/LegalAdviceUK thread with 320 upvotes

lightbulb Buy only from Apple directly, authorized carriers, or Amazon Renewed if going used — always verify IMEI on Apple's own checker before leaving the store.
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Square selfie sensor can't shoot full square

Apple built a huge 24MP square selfie sensor but locks you to either a horizontal or vertical 18MP crop — you cannot capture the full square frame in the stock camera app, which feels like a deliberate limitation rather than a technical one.

— from MKBHD review transcript

lightbulb Some third-party camera apps may unlock square capture in the future, but there is no workaround today.

groups VERDICT

Who it's for

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Best For

Anyone upgrading from an iPhone 13 or older, Android switchers, or iPhone 16e owners who want a true flagship-quality screen and camera without paying Pro prices.

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Skip If

Serious mobile photographers who need a telephoto lens, heavy video creators who want ProRes or fast wired transfer, or power users who will be frustrated by the current iOS 26 battery behavior.

forum REDDIT

Voices of Reddit

phone iphone imei store battery case apple cctv fake better android samsung power screen number bought test phones review same glass other people footage tester didn refund well first does franchise system control real nanopop device cameras down check clear mobicode issue handset receipt thin proof sold small center liquid

Praised Criticized Mentioned · Drawn from 8 threads · 40 comments · Biggest gripe: "refund" (10×)

warning should have
"If it was tested as it should have been, then there will 100% be a record of this phone's IMEI on the MobiCode system and it will be dated the same date as the test and buy in record on Cex's system."

r/LegalAdviceUK

warning you have to
"But most importantly, you have to let Apple seeing this."

r/apple

smart_display VIDEO REVIEWS

Video reviews

11:20

person

iPhone 17 Review: No Asterisks!

Marques Brownlee • 6107244

"This is the best iPhone in years. Which can have an interesting effect on the rest of the lineup... MKBHD Merch: http://shop."

10:25

person

iPhone 17 Review: Apple’s Real Winner This Year!

MacRumors • 463701

"This video is sponsored by Casekoo. Visit the links below to receive up to 33% off a case for your new iPhone 17! #CASEKOO ..."

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