Need a new iPhone but aren’t sure whether to opt for the latest iPhone 17, or to save a bit of money and get 2024’s iPhone 16? You’ve come to the right place.
While not all of us necessarily need the latest flagship smartphone, and opting for an older one is a great way to save money, many worry that there could be too much of a sacrifice. After all, smartphones are ingrained in our everyday lives so they need to be reliable.
With this in mind, we’ve compared our reviews of the iPhone 17 to the iPhone 16 so you can decide which handset to go for.
Otherwise, make sure you visit our list of the best smartphones and, if you aren’t yet sold on an iPhone, our best Android phones will offer our favourite alternatives.
Price and Availability
The iPhone 17 has a starting RRP of £799/$799, which is unsurprisingly more expensive than its younger sibling. However, it’s worth noting that this price is for the 256GB-sized handset.
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In comparison, while the iPhone 16 starts at a cheaper £699/$699, this is for a much smaller 128GB-sized handset. In fact, if you want to upgrade to 256GB, then its RRP rises to more than the iPhone 17, at £899/$899.
Design
- Both the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 share the same design
- iPhone 17 is fitted with Ceramic Shield 2
- Both include the Action and Camera Control buttons
Other than their colour selection, and the iPhone 17 being slightly bigger, there isn’t much difference between the two iPhone’s designs. Both sport the same flat edged, rounded corner design that was first introduced with the iPhone 12 – and this certainly isn’t a bad thing. Even so, there are a few tweaks with the iPhone 17 that although might not be visible, help make the handset feel more premium.
Firstly, the iPhone 17 sports Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2 protection on both the front and back, whereas the iPhone 16 is fitted with the older Ceramic Shield. Apple claims that Ceramic Shield 2 is more durable than its predecessor and should prevent micro-scratches from forming. Admittedly, we didn’t put the iPhone 17 through particularly wild tests to determine whether this is true, we still found that the panels remained scratch-free after prolonged use.
Otherwise, both the iPhone 17 and 16 have an IP68-rating and include the reprogrammable Action and Camera Control button.
Winner: iPhone 17
Screen
- iPhone 17 benefits from a 120Hz refresh rate while the iPhone 16 maxes out at 60Hz
- The iPhone 17’s screen is slightly bigger at 6.3-inches
- Both are OLED displays
Apple has finally taken the lead from the best Android phones (and even the majority of the best mid-range phones too) and introduced a 120Hz refresh rate to the iPhone 17. Coined ProMotion, the LTPO-enabled technology was previously reserved for its Pro models which was a huge bugbear for many. Instead, the iPhone 16 sports just a 60Hz refresh rate.
As expected, the inclusion of ProMotion makes the iPhone 17 feel impressively smooth in both everyday use and when gaming too, especially in comparison to the iPhone 16. In fact, we hailed the iPhone 17 as having “the best screen yet on an entry-level iPhone”.
Otherwise, the iPhone 17 is actually slightly bigger than the iPhone 16, at 6.3-inches compared to 6.1-inches. Even so, both panels are OLED and support HDR10 and Dolby Vision content.
Winner: iPhone 17
Camera
- Neither handset has a dedicated zoom lens but include a 2x in-sensor zoom instead
- Both have main and ultrawide rear lenses, but the iPhone 17’s are both 48MP
- The iPhone 17 has an upgraded 18MP square selfie camera
Apple made many thoughtful improvements with the iPhone 17’s camera hardware. While we’d still recommend opting for the iPhone 17 Pro if you’re serious about photography, the iPhone 17 is a brilliant choice for most casual snappers.
While both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 are equipped with a 48MP main lens which deliver consistently sharp and detailed shots, the iPhone 17 benefits from a 48MP ultrawide whereas the iPhone 16’s is just 12MP. The difference, perhaps unsurprisingly, is enormous as we found the iPhone 17 delivers a big jump in overall resolution and better low-light shots too.
One area which lets both the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 down is the lack of dedicated zoom lens, like their Pro alternatives. Even so, both handsets are fitted with an in-sensor 2x zoom instead, which allows you to get closer without sacrificing quality and detail too.
While the iPhone 16’s 12MP front lens is undoubtedly decent, the iPhone 17 boasts a welcome upgrade. Not only is the front camera 18MP but it’s now a square sensor which allows you to shoot portrait and landscape shots without actually having to rotate your phone. It may sound small, but it’s a seriously brilliant tweak.
Winner: iPhone 17
Performance
- A19 vs A18 chips
- The iPhone 17’s 120Hz refresh rate makes gaming and scrolling feel smoother
- Apple has ditched the original 128GB storage option for 256GB with the iPhone 17
Although neither the iPhone 17 nor iPhone 16 are quite as powerful as their respective Pro siblings, both offer brilliant performance that’s enough for most users. In fact, unless you’re playing high-res AAA titles or editing multiple 4K video streams in LumaFusion, you’re unlikely to notice a difference.
Powering the iPhone 17 is Apple’s A19 chip which, when paired with the 120Hz refresh, ensures apps open instantly, scrolling feels smooth and you can comfortably achieve high frame rates in games too.
Instead, the iPhone 16 runs on Apple’s A18 chip and remains a capable smartphone – even over a year on. In fact, we found in our benchmarking tests that it doesn’t come that far behind the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The biggest nuisance with the iPhone 16 is that it caps out at a 60Hz refresh rate. Even so, if you’re coming from an even older phone, you’re unlikely to notice this too much.
Winner: iPhone 17
Software
- Both support iOS 26
- New Liquid Glass interface is easy to use and, we think, looks great
- Apple Intelligence remains an afterthought
When the iPhone 16 launched back in 2024, arguably one of the reasons to buy the phone was the promise of the vast Apple Intelligence toolkit. Unfortunately, nearly two years on, Apple Intelligence still hasn’t quite come into its own.
Sure, Writing Tools is somewhat useful and Image Playground is fun for a while, but generally the AI toolkit fails to impress – especially when Gemini really does help to enhance the best Android phones. Essentially, with both the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16, we wouldn’t recommend buying either purely for Apple Intelligence.
Otherwise, both the iPhones support iOS 26. Overall we don’t have many qualms with iOS 26 and find the software is polished, easy-to-use and feels familiar, even with the new Liquid Glass design.
Winner: Tie
Battery
- Both offer all-day battery life
- iPhone 17 benefits from faster 40W charging
- Both support a max 25W wireless charging
Apple has never boasted a strong reputation for battery life, especially when compared to many of the best Android phones which sport seriously mighty cells. Even so, we found that both the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 are solid all-day handsets, as we easily ended days with some charge remaining.
Plus, if you want to top up during the day then it’s good to know both support wireless charging too.
However, the iPhone 17 benefits from faster 40W charging, which we found took around 85 minutes to reach 100%. In comparison, the iPhone 16 supports slightly slower speeds of 30W which took around 100 minutes to fully recharge.
Winner: iPhone 17
Verdict
With a 120Hz refresh rate, powerful processor and improved camera camera hardware, the iPhone 17 is an easy recommendation for many – especially if you’re coming from an older iPhone.
Having said that, if you aren’t too fussed about having the absolute latest technologies and want to get a new-ish iPhone but without the high price tag, then the iPhone 16 remains a solid choice.
