I Spent Time With the iPhone 17 Pro — And There’s a Lot to Like

[justseyi]

I didn’t fully grasp just how bold Apple’s redesign of the iPhone 17 Pro (and its bigger sibling, the 17 Pro Max) was until I actually held one.

Aesthetically and architecturally, Apple has struck a balance between softness and strength. Drawing inspiration from its design legacy — think the unibody MacBook — Apple has reimagined its flagship handset with a milled aluminum unibody that makes the iPhone feel new again, not just refreshed.

A Radically Different Build
The first thing you’ll notice is the raised plateau on the back, replacing the old “camera bump.” Spanning nearly the full width of the phone, it gives the device an industrial yet elegant look. Inside, the redesign is just as dramatic: an all-new A19 Pro chip with six GPU cores (each paired with its own neural engine). This chip’s raw power already seems ahead of Apple Intelligence and Siri’s current needs — but certainly not future ones.

Apple also shifted its internal architecture, moving the logic board and A19 Pro processor to the center of the device. Paired with graphite layers and a vapor chamber, this setup is designed to dissipate heat more efficiently than any iPhone before.

I only had limited time with the phone during Apple’s “Awe Dropping” September 9 event at the Steve Jobs Theater, but even in that bustling demo space, the iPhone 17 Pro stood out.

First Impressions
Lifting the iPhone 17 Pro, I immediately felt its seamless unibody design. Surprisingly, it’s slightly heavier than last year’s titanium iPhone 16 Pro — even though aluminum is lighter. But the feel is unique, almost luxurious.

The smooth, milled curves are unlike anything Apple has done before, while the back combines aluminum and glass in a striking new way. A large rectangular glass cutout, protected by Ceramic Shield 2, sits on an aluminum base. It’s a design that some may find divisive — I wasn’t sure at first — but the more I handled it, the more it grew on me.

Ports and buttons remain in familiar spots, and while the Camera Control button was a headline feature last year, it barely drew my attention this time.

The Display: Familiar but Brighter
The iPhone 17 Pro sticks with a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen, but upgrades it with a stronger Ceramic Shield 2 coating and a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. That should make a real difference outdoors.

The bezels are still razor-thin, and the Dynamic Island hasn’t shrunk. Gaming still leaves you with the black pill-shaped cutout. Still, everything looks fantastic:

120Hz ProMotion refresh rate
Always-on capability
Deep blacks, rich colors, dazzling whites

The real visual star may be iOS 26’s new Liquid Glass design, which makes the entire interface shimmer with a futuristic gloss.

Cameras: Three 48MP Lenses + A Selfie Revolution
Apple finally gave the iPhone Pro line three 48MP fusion cameras — wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto. The new telephoto lens is the big upgrade, with a new zoom system:

Ultra-wide
1x wide
2x (digital crop of 48MP sensor)
4x (true 48MP optical zoom)
8x (center crop of 48MP sensor, yielding 12MP shots)

This setup offers a flexible range, though I’ll need more time outside Apple’s demo room to judge image quality properly.

The front-facing “Center Stage Camera” may be the most fun new trick. Its square 18MP sensor dynamically shifts between portrait and landscape without rotating the phone. Group selfies just got a whole lot easier.

There’s also a quirky dual-camera video mode, recording simultaneously from the rear and front cameras, with a picture-in-picture frame you can drag around. It feels more like a novelty, but some creators may love it.

Performance & Heat Control
Powered by the A19 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro handled console-grade games with ease. Graphics were fluid, effects like reflections and smoke rendered in real-time, and stereo speakers kept the sound clear even in the noisy demo area.

Apple’s thermal redesign — centralizing the logic board, adding graphite, and layering a vapor chamber — should help avoid overheating while preserving battery life. Apple claims 33 hours of video playback, which I’ll be eager to test.

Pricing & Availability
Despite all these changes, Apple kept pricing steady:

256GB model: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999
512GB model: $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,399
1TB model: $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,799
📅 Pre-orders open September 12, with shipping and in-store availability starting September 19.

Final Thoughts
With its bold redesign, aluminum unibody, upgraded cameras, and next-gen performance, the iPhone 17 Pro feels like Apple’s most exciting leap in years. The new orange and blue finishes give it extra personality, and iOS 26’s Liquid Glass effect makes everything feel futuristic.

Yes, the ultra-thin iPhone Air is stunning, but personally, I’d rather keep the Pro’s power and camera system than trade it for a lighter frame. For now, I’m already in “deep like” with the iPhone 17 Pro — and I suspect, after more testing, it might turn into love.

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