Apple has made the iPhone 17 official, finally dropping the 60Hz refresh rate option entirely and moving the entire lineup to 120Hz ProMotion displays. This is a major upgrade and answer to all the criticism it faced when compared to competition from the Android rivals. The iPhone 17 packs many more upgrades, big ones in the camera department and we're here to explore them.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 17 begin September 12, with availability starting September 19. Pricing in India starts at Rs 82,900.
Since the big upgrade is the display, let's start with that. The iPhone 17 has a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR panel, which is brighter than before, hitting 3000 nits peak outdoor brightness with improved contrast and a tougher Ceramic Shield 2 front cover that offers three times better scratch resistance and reduced glare.
The major focus of the iPhone 17 is on the cameras. For the first time, all rear cameras use 48MP sensors. The Fusion Main camera is paired with an optical-quality 2x telephoto option, while a new 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide captures wider-angle and macro shots at four times the resolution of the previous generation.
On the front, the iPhone 17 introduces the new Center Stage camera system. The 18MP sensor supports both portrait and landscape selfies without rotating the device, while AI automatically adjusts framing for group shots. The feature also enables stabilized 4K HDR video and simultaneous recording with both front and rear cameras.
The iPhone 17 runs on the new A19 chip built on third-generation 3nm technology, offering faster CPU and GPU performance while powering on-device generative AI features through Apple Intelligence. Apple says the new architecture allows up to 30 hours of video playback, an eight-hour improvement over the iPhone 16, with 50 percent charging in 20 minutes via USB-C fast charging.
Other updates include support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread networking, and eSIM-only connectivity. The phone starts with 256GB of storage, double the base from last year, and will be available in five colors: black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white.
