The iPhone 17 Pro launches next week, offering 25 changes and improvements over its predecessor from last year. Here’s everything that’s different between the two generations.
The iPhone 17 Pro has an aluminum unibody design, the A19 Pro chip, a new front camera with Center Stage, and a 48-megapixel telephoto lens. But beyond these main features, how much has the iPhone 17 Pro actually improved?
This guide compares the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro to show you what’s different and help you decide if the upgrades are worth switching to the newer model.
| iPhone 16 Pro | iPhone 17 Pro |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Weighs 7.03 ounces (199 grams) iPhone 16 Pro Max: Weighs 7.99 ounces (227 grams) | iPhone 17 Pro: Weighs 7.27 ounces (206 grams) iPhone 17 Pro Max: Weighs 8.22 ounces (233 grams) |
| 8.25 mm thickness | 8.75 mm thickness |
| Titanium frame | Aluminum unibody |
| Glass rounded square camera bump | Full-width rounded rectangle aluminum camera plateau |
| Glass back | Ceramic Shield back |
| Ceramic Shield front | Ceramic Shield 2 front with 3x better scratch resistance |
| 2,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor) | 3,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor) |
| A18 Pro chip (N3E) | A19 Pro chip (N3P) |
| 6-core GPU | 6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators |
| Apple N1 chip for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi | |
| Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity | Bluetooth 6 connectivity |
| 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera | 18-megapixel TrueDepth 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 Telephoto camera | 48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto camera |
| 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x optical zoom options | 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x optical zoom options |
| ProRes RAW capture support | |
| Genlock support | |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 27-hour battery life iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to 33-hour battery life | iPhone 17 Pro: Up to 33-hour battery life iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to 39-hour battery life |
| iPhone 16 Pro: MagSafe wireless charging up to 22W with 30W adapter or higher iPhone 16 Pro Max: MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher | MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or highe |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter or higher | iPhone 17 Pro: Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter or higher iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter or higher |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage iPhone 16 Pro Max: Available with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage | iPhone 17 Pro: Available with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage iPhone 17 Pro Max: Available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage |
| Available in Desert, Natural, White, and Black | Available in Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange |
The change from a titanium frame and glass back to a thicker aluminum body with Ceramic Shield 2 is one of the biggest changes in a long time. This new design is not only stronger but also three times more scratch-resistant, and it helps the phone last longer on a single charge. The battery life has improved a lot, going from 27 hours on the iPhone 16 Pro to 33 hours, and from 33 to 39 hours on the Pro Max. Charging is also much quicker, now reaching 50% in just 20 minutes with a 40W charger.
The display is better too, with peak brightness now reaching 3,000 nits instead of 2,000 nits—a 50% improvement. This will be especially noticeable for people who use their phones a lot in bright sunlight. The A19 Pro chip is more efficient thanks to its new design using TSMC’s N3P process and includes Neural Accelerators in the GPU, which helps with AI tasks and high-performance gaming.
The biggest improvement is in the camera system. The front camera now has an 18-megapixel sensor, Center Stage for better framing, and ultra-stabilized video, making it great for video calls, selfies, and creating content. On the back, the new 48-megapixel telephoto lens with up to 8x optical zoom gives much more versatility. Features like ProRes RAW, Genlock, and Dual Capture make this phone a top choice for creators.
Although the iPhone 17 Pro is aimed more at professionals and power users, even regular users will enjoy the longer battery life, brighter screen, and better cameras. Overall, the iPhone 17 Pro is a meaningful upgrade from the previous model.