The iPhone 17 Pro launches next week, offering 25 changes and improvements over its predecessor from last year. Here's everything that's different between the two generations.
The iPhone 17 Pro introduces an aluminum unibody design, the A19 Pro chip, a new front-facing camera with Center Stage, and a 48-megapixel telephoto camera. Beyond these headline features, how much of an improvement does the iPhone 17 Pro really offer?
This guide breaks down the differences between the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro models to help you understand all of the changes and determine whether these enhancements are enough to justify making the switch.
| iPhone 16 Pro (2024) | iPhone 17 Pro (2025) |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro: Weighs 7.03 ounces (199 grams) iPhone 16 Pro Max: Weighs 7.99 ounces (227 grams) |
iPhone 17 Pro: Weighs 7.27 ounces (206 grams) iPhone 17 Pro Max: Weighs 8.22 ounces (233 grams) |
| 8.25 mm thickness | 8.75 mm thickness |
| Titanium frame | Aluminum unibody |
| Glass rounded square camera bump | Full-width rounded rectangle aluminum camera plateau |
| Glass back | Ceramic Shield back |
| Ceramic Shield front | Ceramic Shield 2 front with 3x better scratch resistance |
| 2,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor) | 3,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor) |
| A18 Pro chip (N3E) | A19 Pro chip (N3P) |
| 6-core GPU | 6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators |
| Vapor chamber cooling | |
| Apple N1 chip for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi | |
| Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity | Bluetooth 6 connectivity |
| 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera | 18-megapixel TrueDepth camera |
| Tap to zoom on front-facing camera | Tap to zoom and rotate on front-facing camera |
| Center Stage front-facing camera | |
| Ultra-stabilized video on front-facing camera | |
| Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps) | |
| 12-megapixel Telephoto camera | 48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto camera |
| 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x optical zoom options | 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x optical zoom options |
| ProRes RAW capture support | |
| Genlock support | |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 27-hour battery life iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to 33-hour battery life |
iPhone 17 Pro: Up to 33-hour battery life iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to 39-hour battery life |
| iPhone 16 Pro: MagSafe wireless charging up to 22W with 30W adapter or higher iPhone 16 Pro Max: MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher |
MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W adapter or higher |
iPhone 17 Pro: Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter or higher iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with 40W adapter or higher |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage iPhone 16 Pro Max: Available with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage |
iPhone 17 Pro: Available with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage iPhone 17 Pro Max: Available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage |
| Available in Desert, Natural, White, and Black | Available in Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange |
The shift from a titanium frame and glass back to a thicker aluminum unibody with Ceramic Shield 2 is one of the most striking updates in years, delivering a design that is not only more durable but also offers three times better scratch resistance and enables longer battery life. Battery life improves meaningfully, rising from 27 hours on the iPhone 16 Pro to 33 hours, and from 33 to 39 hours on the Pro Max. Charging is also considerably faster, reaching 50% in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter.
Display performance also sees a measurable boost, with peak outdoor brightness rising from 2,000 to 3,000 nits—a 50% increase that will be most noticeable for users who frequently use their device in bright environments. Similarly, the A19 Pro chip introduces efficiency improvements through its move to TSMC's N3P process and incorporates Neural Accelerators into its GPU, giving it advantages in AI-driven tasks and intense gaming.
The most significant leap comes in photography and videography. The front-facing camera now features an 18-megapixel sensor, Center Stage, and ultra-stabilized video, making the device much more appealing for video calls, selfies, and content creation. On the rear, the jump to a 48-megapixel telephoto lens with up to 8x optical zoom is a major increase in versatility. Support for ProRes RAW, Genlock, and Dual Capture further cements its credentials as a creator-focused device.
While the iPhone 17 Pro is clearly positioned toward professionals and "pro-sumers" more than ever, even casual users will appreciate its longer battery life, brighter display, and more advanced cameras. Overall, the iPhone 17 Pro seems to offer a fairly substantial upgrade over its predecessor.