iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17: which should you choose?

Apple iPhone 18 Pro The iPhone 18 Pro is a better phone than the iPhone 17 in almost every way — from its performance ceiling to its battery life and cameras.

But it also costs a lot more.

Pros Superb cameras Outstanding battery life Top-end power Cons Costs far more than the 17 No major screen upgrades Similar design to before Apple iPhone 17 The iPhone 17 is a relatively basic phone, but it still performs well on almost every front while costing less than the iPhone 18 Pro and packing a similar screen.

Pros Lower price Great screen Capable cameras Cons No telephoto lens Less powerful Worse battery life Usually, September brings a new standard iPhone, but this year was different — we didn’t get an iPhone 18, with that device reportedly set to land early next year instead.

As such, we’re in the odd situation of the iPhone 17 coexisting alongside the iPhone 18 Pro as a current-generation model in Apple's iPhone lineup.

It goes without saying that the iPhone 18 Pro is the better phone — it’s both newer and a Pro model, duh! — but just how much better is it really? And how much more does it cost? We’ve answered those questions in the comparison below. iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17: specs comparison Before we examine every major detail of these phones, the chart below will give you a brief overview of their core specs and how they compare. iPhone 18 Pro iPhone 17 Dimensions: 150 x 71.9 x 8.8mm 149.6 x 71.5 x 8mm Weight: 211g 177g Display: 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED Refresh rate: 1Hz–120Hz 1Hz–120Hz Peak brightness: 3,000 nits 3,000 nits Chipset: A20 Pro A19 RAM: 12GB 8GB Rear cameras: 48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto 48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide Front camera: 18MP 18MP Battery: 4,288mAh (eSIM-only) / 4,056mAh (physical SIM) 3,692mAh Charging: 50% in 15 minutes 50% in 20 minutes Storage: 256GB / 512GB / 1TB / 2TB 256GB / 512GB iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17: price and availability The iPhone 18 Pro Future/Jacob Krol The iPhone 17 Jacob Krol/Future The iPhone 18 Pro was announced in September 2026, and it’s available now.

This being an iPhone, you can buy it in most parts of the world too.

The cheapest version of the 18 Pro comes with 256GB of storage and costs $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099, but you can also get a model with 512GB of storage for $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,499, one with 1TB of storage for $1,799 / £1,799 / AU$3,299, or a massive 2TB configuration for $2,399 / £2,399 / AU$4,499.

The iPhone 17 launched a year earlier, in September 2025, and is similarly widely available.

This device starts at $899 / £899 / AU$1,549 for 256GB of storage, rising to $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,949 for 512GB of storage.

But those are the only two configurations, so you can’t get the iPhone 17 with 1TB or 2TB.