In this iPhone 17 series, I noticed that the iPhone Air model got a lot of attention and was followed by the Pro model. The iPhone 17, which is the basic model, seems to be imitated by most people. I feel that this basic model has received quite good improvements compared to the previous model. As an Android user after several years, I had the opportunity to try the iPhone 17 and will the iOS device be able to make me change my mind?
Apple iPhone 17
Screen 6.3 inches LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, 120Hz, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 1000 nits, 1600 nits (HBM) 3000 nits (peak)
Apple A19 processor (3 nm)
2 x 4.26 GHz chips
4 x X.X GHz
Apple GPU Graphics Chip
(6 core graphics)
RAM 12GB RAM,
256GB/512GB Internal Storage
Primary Camera 48 MP, f/1.8 (wide) OIS
48 MP, f/2.2 (ultrawide)
Selfie Camera 18 MP (ultrawide) PDAF
SL 3D (depth/biometric sensor)
3,998 mAh battery
25W Wireless MagSafe/Qi2
4.5W Reverse wired
SIM/Nano Telephony/5G
NFC Yes
No Audio Jack
Waterproof IP68
System Face ID facial scanner scan
Sale price (256 GB) – RM3999
(512 GB) – RM4999
Design
On the Pro model, it uses a fairly new design but for this basic model there is no new design and I can say that the design is similar to the iPhone 16 before. I myself expected that Apple would use the same design on this model but even using the same design it is not a bad thing.
The design of this iPhone 17 still looks minimal and neat. On the back and front screen it already uses the new and more durable Ceramic Shield 2 glass. The glass on this back panel uses a matte texture that traps less fingerprints. This iPhone 17 is also quite nice to hold in the hand, it provides the same experience as the Pixel 10 because it uses the same size. In terms of durability, it still has IP68 certification.
The frame uses an aluminum type material that houses the volume buttons, Action Button and SIM slot on the left side while the power button and Camera Control button are located on the right side. The USB-C charging port and speaker are located on the bottom. Overall, the design on this iPhone 17 still looks good to me and there were no cosmetic issues during this review period.
Screen
The screen on this iPhone 17 has received a very, very good improvement for me. It uses a 6.3” Super Retina XDR screen that is larger than the iPhone 16 with an OLED panel that supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The brightness level has also increased to 3000nits. What makes me a little excited is that this time Apple has given 120Hz ProMotion to the base model after a long time of users asking for it.
The screen quality on the iPhone 17 is also good without any issues even though it only uses FHD+ resolution. The bezels on the screen are getting thinner and provide a more immersive viewing experience coupled with good color reproduction and because of this thinner bezel it feels more expensive than the screen on the Pixel 10 that I reviewed previously.
Performance
The iPhone 17 also uses the latest chip from Apple, the A19. This chip is also combined with the use of 8GB of RAM with a choice of 256GB or 512GB of NVMe internal storage. Before I used this device, I did have expectations about how it would perform. Even though it does not use the Pro name, it can still provide very good performance.
In comparison, the iPhone 17 compared to the device below.
Dimensity 9500 – Oppo Find X9 Pro
Apple A19 Pro – Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Snapdragon 8 Elite (7 Core) – Oppp Find N5
Snapdragon 8 Elite – Xiaomi 15 Ultra
Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy – Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Apple A18 Pro – Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Tensor G5 – Google Pixel 10 Pro XL
AnTuTu 3D
Chip Score
Apple iPhone 17 2,163,048
Oppo Find X9 Pro 3,472,342
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 2,634,345
Oppo Find N5 2,157,718
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 2,341,598
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 1,946,864
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 1,720,751
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 1,214,735
Geekbench 6
Single Core Multi Core Chip
Apple iPhone 17 3544 8987
Oppo Find X9 Pro 3158 9298
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 3560 8835
Oppo Find N5 2866 7987
Xiaomi 15 Ultra 2918 8917
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 2957 9435
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 3359 8129
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 2303 6134
3DMark Wildlife Extreme
Chip Score
Apple iPhone 17 4856
Oppo Find X9 Pro 6127
Apple iPhone 17 Pro 5873
Oppo Find N5 5507
Xiaomi 15 Ultra N/A
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 6135
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 4560
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 3266
The device's performance can also be clearly seen through my daily usage experience which is very smooth and fast. The screen works well, applications open quickly, the download process runs and there are no system problems that are interrupted so far. In addition, the animation movement also seems smooth and stable without any noticeable lag.
In benchmark tests, this A19 chip is able to record quite good scores with its competitors except for the Pixel 10. This shows the ability of this chip to handle heavy tasks very well. For daily use, it feels very, very smooth without any problems and I am very impressed with the memory management on this device even though it only uses 8GB of RAM.
For heavy tasks and uses quite high graphics power, this chip will feel warm and may get hotter if using high graphics settings. In the CarX Street game with the highest settings, the back panel feels quite warm but it does not affect the game's performance. Common games like Mobile Legends can be run very smoothly.
In short, the iPhone 17 with this A19 chip is very powerful for normal use and it is also capable of handling heavy tasks. For most users, I feel this chip is already powerful enough for everyday tasks.
Camera
The camera system on the iPhone 17 also received some improvements such as the ultra-wide lens this time using 48MP. The main lens is still the same and nothing has changed. Like its performance, even though it does not use the Pro name, it is still able to provide good image results.
This main lens can produce images with good quality during the day or with sufficient lighting. The colors look natural and not too saturated showing the identity of the iPhone since several generations ago. This main lens also has a 2X optical zoom to take images with a slightly tight composition and it can still provide good detail.
The ultra-wide lens also does not have any major issues. The image results look like the main lens with high detail due to the use of 48MP. The colors still look natural and natural. If you want the image results to look a little different, I recommend using the Camera Styles feature.
The interesting thing about the iPhone 17 series this time is that it uses a new sensor on the selfie lens. With this sensor, the iPhone 17 series now has the Center Stage feature that is on other Apple devices such as Macbooks. To be honest, I am not someone who often uses this selfie camera, but the results of this selfie camera are very interesting, plus this Center Stage feature.
Video capabilities are indeed the most outstanding strength of the iPhone because the video production is very stable and consistent in terms of both visual and audio. Even though this is a basic model with no additional features, I am quite satisfied with the video production.
Perhaps one thing that I don't like about the iPhone 17 camera is the lack of a telephoto lens. This is just a personal opinion because I really like pictures with tight compositions so maybe for others the lack of a telephoto lens is not too important.
Software – iOS26
The iPhone 17 uses the latest operating system from Apple, iOS 26 right out of the box. Now it looks neater, modern and fresher using the Liquid Glass interface. Many things can be changed according to user tastes in iOS 26, but I feel it is still more or less the same as the previous iOS 18.
The concept of 3D interface design is now back after using a flat design in the past few years. At first, it did look fresher because my own eyes were used to the flat icon design, but over time it felt normal even though this was my first time using this operating system from Apple.
In terms of user experience, iOS 26 certainly feels very smooth and there were no major issues throughout use. However, there are some strange settings that I find quite strange, for example when taking a screenshot which now requires an additional step to save in the gallery.
In addition, I was also excited to try Apple Intelligence for the first time but was quite disappointed because even though it has collaborated with ChatGPT, it is not as efficient as I thought and the Clean Up feature is still very weak compared to Android devices. It still has the Genmoji feature which can create emoji based on images and the Writing Tools which have been updated better. Maybe I myself am more comfortable using Gemini on Android devices which are more efficient than this Apple Intelligence.
Battery
Although this is the most basic model in the iPhone 17 family, its battery performance is quite impressive with a battery capacity of 3692 mAh. Yes, Android users may underestimate this battery capacity because I do too, but this iPhone 17 can last up to 8 hours of SoT.
At the beginning of use, the battery life on this iPhone 17 is very unsatisfactory where it only lasts half a day with moderate use. However, after this device has reached its most optimal level with iOS26, it provides impressive battery life.
In terms of charging, Apple has finally also increased its charging speed, which is 40W. Again, Android users may just smile at that number but it is fast enough to charge a battery with such a capacity. It also supports Qi2 25W wireless charging along with Magsafe.
Audio
You don't have to worry because this iPhone 17 still uses stereo speakers. In terms of quality, it is not the best because there are no changes made in terms of hardware but it is not the worst either. As far as normal use such as watching content on Youtube or TikTok is concerned it can still provide a good experience.
Conclusion
This iPhone 17 is a basic model that is quite worth owning in my opinion even though it still uses the same design as before but the improvements to the screen which now uses a 120Hz refresh rate, the use of a chip that is still powerful and good camera performance for everyday use make this device very good to own.
This iPhone 17 has received a lot of improvements and I admit as an Android user that I quite like this iPhone 17 because it provides a fairly good experience when using it and I did not face many major issues. The price is also reasonable where the lowest variant is sold at RM3999, for me this is the most worthwhile model if you are looking for the latest iPhone as a casual user who does not care about professional features.
Pros
Good screen quality with a 120Hz refresh rate
The A19 chip is powerful enough for everyday use.
The main and ultra-wide lenses are now 48MP.
Selfie camera with new Center Stage feature.
Good battery life.
A relatively affordable iPhone for 2025
Cons
The design is still the same as before.
No telephoto lens.
Basic camera features.
No significant AI feature improvements compared to the iPhone 16 series.
