As 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on Apple’s year and determine what stood out most. It was an exciting year for Apple fans, ranging from new hardware like the iPhone 17, AirPods Pro 3, and new Macs. One of those updates, however, sits above the rest.
Here’s why we decided to crown the iPhone 17 as this year’s 9to5Mac Product of the Year.
Chance Miller
This is the first year since we started awarding the 9to5Mac Product of the Year in 2020 where all possible contenders were iPhones. Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup is the strongest lineup in a long time.
The iPhone 17 Pro is unapologetically Pro, with a new vapor chamber cooling system, longer battery life, and an impressive camera system. The iPhone Air is the most exciting new iPhone design since the iPhone X.
The iPhone 17, however, stands out to me as the best overall iPhone in years. It represents the culmination of the last five years of iPhone updates, since Apple revamped the iPhone lineup and design with the iPhone 12.
There are a few key things about the iPhone 17 that are most important to me. At the top of that list is the fact that it’s the first non-Pro iPhone to offer an Always-On display with ProMotion. It also has the same 18MP selfie camera with Center Stage as the iPhone 17 Pro, plus an upgraded 48MP Ultra Wide lens on the back.
I’ll admit I had some trouble deciding between voting for the iPhone Air or iPhone 17 this year. The iPhone Air is exciting. It represents the first step in what is set to be a major shakeup of the iPhone lineup, including next year’s rumored foldable iPhone and the all-glass 20th anniversary iPhone reportedly set for 2027.
Ultimately, the strength of the iPhone 17 is what allowed Apple to push the iPhone 17 Pro to new heights and to introduce the design-first iPhone Air.
Zac Hall
iPhone 17… while it’s not as capable as a Pro and not as interesting as an Air, it may be the best standard iPhone we’ll see for a while.
If Apple plans to hold back on an iPhone 18 until spring 2027 as rumored, iPhone 17 is strong enough to last longer than most standard iPhones without feeling dated.
iPhone Air, I believe, will define this generation of new iPhones when we look back. Unlike iPhone mini and iPhone Plus, iPhone Air isn’t just a different screen size option for a standard iPhone. Rather, it’s a very different idea of what an iPhone can be.
Because of iPhone Air, I also think Apple could push harder on future iPhone Pro models, favoring more features over a thin and light design.
Still, it wasn’t long ago when the standard iPhone was a chip generation behind. iPhone 16 turned things around last year, and iPhone 17 rides that momentum.
Ryan Christoffel
iPhone 17 achieved something that a ‘base’ model hasn’t in years. It’s an all-around great iPhone with zero significant compromises.
Like many of my colleagues—and I suspect lots of readers—the base iPhone isn’t the model for me. I’ve been a Pro customer since the first Pro model debuted, and this year opted for iPhone Air instead.
But unlike previous years, I don’t have a good argument against the iPhone 17.
Adding ProMotion with always-on support was the big difference maker for me. After using a 120Hz display since the iPhone 14 Pro, I’ve never been able to whole-heartedly recommend an iPhone that supports only 60Hz.
But in addition to these display upgrades, iPhone 17 also got
- a larger and brighter screen
- Ceramic Shield 2 with improved anti-reflectivity
- the excellent new Center Stage front camera
- and a powerful A19 chip
All of these changes, plus a bump to 256GB starting storage, and the same $799 price tag.
iPhone 17 may not be for me, but it’s absolutely a fantastic phone for just about anyone else.
Ben Lovejoy
While I didn’t see any reason to upgrade from my iPhone 16 Pro Max to the iPhone 17 variant, the same would definitely not be true if I’d owned the base model iPhone 16. This year’s standard iPhone 17 is a huge upgrade over its predecessor.
Bringing ProMotion and an always-on display to the base model is a big deal, alongside the slightly larger screen with the same peak brightness as the Pro model.
Base storage is upgraded from 128GB to 256GB, and battery life is also significantly better, at up to 30 hours of video playback compared to 22.
The cameras are also a substantial upgrade. The ultra-wide camera is upgraded from 12MP to the 48MP Fusion, and the selfie camera gets centre stage support. More megapixels aren’t always an improvement, as the greater pixel density can mean compromising low light performance, but that doesn’t appear to be the case here.
For the first time, the base model iPhone compares extremely well to the Pro model. All you’re really getting is a little more battery life, a little more performance, and a third camera.
Marcus Mendes
Brazil is famously one of the most expensive places in the world to buy an iPhone. Right now, the base iPhone 17 costs roughly $1,435, which is more than what the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at in the U.S.
This has always made it awkward to advise friends and relatives on which iPhone to buy. The non-Pro models were usually the sensible recommendation for non-technical users, but that advice almost always came with a familiar list of caveats about what they were missing compared to the Pro line.
On the flip side, recommending a Pro model was even more uncomfortable, since it meant telling someone to spend well over $2,000, a starting price Pro iPhones in Brazil have hovered around for the past few years.
Which is exactly why the iPhone 17 matters so much this year. By bringing several Pro-level upgrades and features to the base model, for the first time in a while (maybe ever) it feels reasonable to recommend the standard iPhone without any asterisks attached.
Zooming out, the fact that the base iPhone 17 just got many Pro model features is, in a way, a redefinition of what an iPhone, any iPhone, actually is.
And while there are still meaningful differences between Pro and non-Pro models, both in hardware and capabilities, they now matter primarily to users who can probably already tell whether the Pro iPhone is for them.
I can’t recall recommending a Pro iPhone to anyone who asked me this year, which is not a knock against the Pro models, but rather a testament to just how capable the base iPhone has become.
Benjamin Mayo
The iPhone lineup was very strong this year, arguably with three different models vying for the Product of the Year title. The bold orange iPhone 17 Pro Max and the thin-above-all else design of the Air certainly made a statement. It is not often you see Apple refresh the industrial design of its most popular product so dramatically. The Pro and the Air are really two distinct paths of phone design, and Apple debuted both in the same cycle, while also delivering a bevy of new features.
But what is eye-catching is not always the most impactful. And that’s why the base iPhone 17 deserves the Product of the Year title. It’s the phone most regular customers are buying, and this year, they are getting an incredible package of features at the exact same price of its predecessor, in a year that started with much fear-mongering about tariff-induced price rises. In fact, the iPhone 17 effectively got cheaper in real terms, now starting at 256 GB base storage. For that $799 price point, the phone has the new Center Stage selfie camera (something that easily could have been reserved for the pro phones for a generation or two), the 48-megapixel ultra-wide rear camera, the upgraded durability of Ceramic Shield 2, A19 chip performance, and — for the first time — sports the exact same screen as the iPhone 17 Pro. That means every new iPhone buyer this holiday season gets silky smooth ProMotion frame rates and always-on display features as standard. In all, the iPhone 17 represents a fantastic year for the betterment of the iPhone family as a whole.
Fernando Silva
The iPhone 17 ultimately earned our pick as 9to5Mac Product of the Year because of how much it was able to close the gap between itself and the Pro level iPhones while keeping the price the same. The addition of a 120Hz ProMotion display completely changes how the standard iPhone feels day to day, finally closing one of the biggest gaps between the regular and Pro models. Combined with the larger 6.3 inch display, up from 6.1 inches last year, the iPhone 17 feels more pro then ever before.
The camera system also takes a clear step forward. The dual 48MP cameras provide excellent image quality and versatility without pushing users into Pro territory. Then you get the new and innovative square selfie camera sensor. It drastically improves the selfie taking experience. You may not notice these improvements immediately, but they add up quickly in everyday use.
What really seals the deal is how complete the package feels. Apple increased the base storage to 256GB with no price increase, making the iPhone 17 a significantly better value than last year. When you combine the display upgrades, stronger cameras, better value, and overall balance, the iPhone 17 stands out as the best all around iPhone for most people, and that is why it earns Product of the Year.
But, the iPhone Air finishes as a very close second because it takes real risks in a way Apple rarely does anymore. Its ultra thin, lightweight design and intentional trade offs make it the most distinctive and exciting iPhone Apple has released in years, even if it is not the most practical choice for everyone.
Michael Bower
The iPhone 17 is “Product of the Year” as long as you ignore the Pro Max. It’s compromisingly adequate, unsurprising, and does everything well enough to make you wonder why you bothered upgrading. Not bad, not great, a triumph of almost. Apple clearly didn’t try that hard, but at least you didn’t buy the iPhone Air.
Wrap up
What do you think? Did we make the right decision? Let us know down in the comments.
Previous 9to5Mac Product of the Year winners:
- 2024: Apple Vision Pro
- 2023: 15″ MacBook Air
- 2022: AirPods Pro 2
- 2021: M1 Pro/Max MacBook Pro
- 2020: M1 MacBook Air
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