iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: What Are the Differences?

13 November 2025

Robert Duke

Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup represents the most refined version yet of its flagship series. If you’re wondering whether to upgrade from your iPhone 16 or 15 or just curious about what’s changed, we’ve done the legwork so you don’t have to!

Design and Display

The iPhone 17 keeps Apple’s sleek aesthetic but trims bezels even further for a near edge-to-edge look. Very tidy!

All models use Ceramic Shield 2 on the front glass for improved durability, while the back features color-infused glass in multiple finishes. The Dynamic Island remains, with smoother animations thanks to iOS optimizations.

The standard iPhone 17 now features a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with ProMotion up to 120 Hz and Always-On Display, a major upgrade from the 60 Hz refresh rate on the iPhone 15 and 16 base models. Peak brightness reaches 3,000 nits for HDR highlights, while sustained outdoor brightness is around 1,000 nits - still among the brightest screens available. This means you’re extremely unlikely to be caught squinting at your handset even on the sunniest days. Result!

Compared with the iPhone 16, the design feels more refined and the display noticeably brighter. The iPhone 15 still looks great, but its thicker borders and lower refresh rate now feel a tiny bit dated.

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Performance and Hardware

The iPhone 17 introduces the A19 Bionic chip. It delivers higher performance and efficiency than the A18 in the iPhone 16, with a 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine for advanced on-device AI tasks like image processing and voice recognition.

Everyday tasks are effortless: apps launch instantly, 4K videos export quickly, and demanding games run smoothly. Long story short, it’ll deal with pretty much anything you can throw at it comfortably compared to 99% of the other phones on the market. The iPhone 16 remains strong, and the iPhone 15’s A16 Bionic still holds up well, but the iPhone 17 is the fastest and most efficient yet.

Camera and Photography

Apple continues to refine its camera system. The iPhone 17 features a dual 48 MP rear system (wide and ultra-wide) and an 18 MP front camera, both benefiting from new sensors and Apple’s latest image pipeline for truer color and sharper detail. Great for budding photographers!

The iPhone 17 offers up to 2× optical zoom in and 2× optical zoom out (a 4× range in total) via sensor cropping – note that the base model does not include a dedicated telephoto lens (reserved for Pro models). Night photography is cleaner and video stabilization smoother than on the iPhone 16. The iPhone 15’s 48 MP main camera still performs well but lacks the enhanced processing found on the iPhone 17.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life improves modestly thanks to the A19 chip’s efficiency. Apple lists up to 30 hours of video playback, with small real-world gains of only around 20 minutes over the iPhone 16. Charging supports up to 40 W wired, achieving roughly 50% in 20 to 25 minutes, and MagSafe wireless up to 25 W – a small but meaningful improvement for upgraders.

Price and Availability

In the UK, the iPhone 17 starts at £799, while the iPhone 16 now retails at around £699 to £749, and the iPhone 15 can often be found for £599 or less, depending on promotions (which looks a pretty good deal considering it’s still a very powerful handset).

Which iPhone Should You Choose?

iPhone 17: the superior choice for most users looking for the best of the best, offering cutting-edge features and performance.
iPhone 16: still fast, still premium, and now better value.
iPhone 15: the affordable choice that still delivers excellent everyday performance.

If you’re upgrading from the 15, the 17 feels like a significant leap in design and performance. From the 16, the differences are more incremental – mainly in display brightness, efficiency, and image processing – but they still add up if you want Apple’s most polished experience.