Apple iPhone 17 And iPhone 16 Comparison Of Specs, Features, Prices: What's New, What’s Old In Base Model

The latest generation of iPhone has arrived. Apple has launched the iPhone 17 series, and while there’s an all-new device in the form of iPhone Air and some major upgrades for the flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max, the base iPhone 17 has gotten some notable upgrades as well over the past generation.

So what has changed for the vanilla iPhone, and what remains the same? Here’s a comparison between the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 16.

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Display

The standard iPhone 17 now features a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR screen with ProMotion, which is bigger than the 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 16. The iPhone 17 also offers a peak refresh rate of 120Hz, up from 60Hz in its predecessor, and 3,000 nits max brightness, a new high.

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Display Protection

The iPhone 16 comes protected by Ceramic Shield, which has improved to Ceramic Shield 2 in the iPhone 17.

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Camera

While the iPhone 16 had a 48MP primary rear camera and 12MP ultrawide sensor, the iPhone 17 now has a 48MP main camera and a new 48MP ultrawide. On the front is an 18MP Center Stage camera for selfies and video chats, an upgrade from the 12MP shooter in the iPhone 16. 

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Dual Recording

Both the front and rear cameras on the iPhone 17 can now be used at the same time with Dual Capture.

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Chipset

The iPhone 17 features Apple’s latest and most advanced A19 chipset, which offers improved performance, battery efficiency, multitasking, and app switching compared to the iPhone 16.

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: RAM

The RAM on the iPhone 17 remains unchanged from last year, at 8GB. 

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Storage

The iPhone 17 comes with a minimum of 256GB of storage, which is double the base storage offered in the iPhone 16.

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Operating System

The iPhone 17 runs on iOS 26 and has Apple’s all-new “Liquid Glass” interface. The UI showcases a transparent design for widgets, icons, lock screen, and various other elements on the device.

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Colours

While the iPhone 16 came in black, white, pink, teal, and ultramarine colours, the iPhone 17 is available in black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white.

Apple iPhone 17 Vs iPhone 16: Price

The price of the iPhone 17 starts at $799, which is the same as iPhone 16’s launch price.