Why the iPhone 17 Is Actually a Worthy Upgrade Over Your Current Base iPhone

by Anchit Srivastava

Apple has officially announced the iPhone 17, and this year, it feels like a meaningful step forward — especially if you’ve been holding onto your older iPhone for a while. With a mix of powerful cameras, a brighter display, better durability, and the latest A19 chip, the iPhone 17 finally makes a strong case for upgrading.

Why the iPhone 17 Is Actually a Worthy Upgrade After Years

1. Finally: A Front Camera Upgrade

For the first time, the iPhone gets a square front camera sensor. This new Center Stage camera can shoot sharper 18MP selfies. It keeps you perfectly framed during video calls, and even lets you record with the front and rear cameras at the same time using Dual Capture.

You also no longer need to rotate your phone for landscape selfies; the AI takes care of framing for you.

2. New Ultrawide Sensor

The iPhone 17 packs a 48MP Fusion Main camera with an optical-quality 2x zoom, along with a new 48MP Ultra Wide camera. This means crisper detail, better wide-angle shots, and improved macro photography. For videos, you get 4K 60fps Dolby Vision, Spatial Audio, and even the ability to shoot spatial videos and photos for Apple Vision Pro.

3. A Bigger, Brighter Display

The new 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display is not just larger, but also brighter at up to 3000 nits outdoors. This is the highest on an iPhone yet. This is the proper LTPO display with the Always On Display, just like the other iPhone Pro models. So overall, you will be getting almost the same pro model display but in the base variant.

4. Stronger Than Before

Apple has introduced Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple promised 3x better scratch resistance and reduced glare. Apple is providing an anti-reflective coating on the iPhone 17, which you might have seen on the S25 Ultra.

So overall, the display and the durability both have a major upgrade if we compare it with the previous generations.

5. Better Performance And Battery

At the heart of the iPhone 17 is the A19 chip, built on 3nm technology. Apple claims it’s 1.5x faster than the A15 from the iPhone 13, with GPU performance more than 2x faster. It will easily handle everything from Apple Intelligence features to mobile gaming smoother than the iPhone 16.

Battery life also gets a boost, offering up to 30 hours of video playback and faster charging with the new 40W adapter. This is 8 hours more than the iPhone 16.

6. Storage, Colors, and Pricing

The iPhone 17 starts at 256GB of storage, which is double the entry point of the iPhone 16, and goes up to 512GB. It comes in five colors: black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white.

Pricing begins at ₹79,999, the same as last year’s base model.

7. Final Thoughts

If you’re coming from an iPhone 14 or older, the iPhone 17 is easily a big leap forward. You’re getting better cameras, a brighter and smoother display, stronger durability, and a powerful chip that’s ready for years of updates.

Even for iPhone 15 users, the combination of the Center Stage front camera, all-48MP rear cameras, and the Pro-Motion 120Hz LTPO display might be enough to justify the switch.

After years of small upgrades, the iPhone 17 finally feels like a refresh that’s actually worth it.

Spec Comparison between All iPhone Models

Here’s a quick overview of all the base iPhone models launched since 2022. If you want a more in-depth of how they compare feature by feature, you can check out the detailed comparison on our website.

FeatureiPhone 17 (2025)iPhone 16 (2024)iPhone 15 (2023)iPhone 14 (2022)
ReleaseReleased Sept 9, 2025 eventReleased Sept 2024Released Sept 2023Released Sept 2022
ChipsetA19A18 A16 Bionic A15 Bionic
RAM8 GB8 GB 6 GB 6 GB
Storage (base)256 GB128 GB128 GB128 GB
Display6.3″ LTPO OLED, ProMotion 120 Hz, 3000 nits peak brightness,
Dynamic Island
6.1″ Super Retina XDR OLED, 2000 nits peak brightness, Dynamic Island6.1″ Super Retina XDR OLED, 1600 nits peak brightness, Dynamic Island6.1″ XDR OLED, 1200 nits peak brightness, Notch
Rear Camera48 MP (main and ultra-wide)48 MP + 12 MP ultrawide48 MP wide + 12 MP ultrawideDual 12 MP (wide + ultrawide)
Front Camera18MP Centre Stage Camera12 MP12 MP12 MP
Charging25W MagSafe22W MagSafe15W MagSafe15W MagSafe

That’s it, peeps! Stay tuned for more updates like these in future.

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