Apple unveiled the iPhone 17 yesterday during its “Awe Dropping” event in Cupertino. For years, the company’s approach to the standard iPhone has felt like a lazy movie makeover—ditch the glasses, fix the hair, and call it a transformation. This time, though, they might’ve actually done something real. With meaningful upgrades and features people actually asked for, the all-new base model is finally getting the red carpet treatment – and after a long while, it’s not just for showing up.
Offering a base storage of 256GB—twice that of its predecessor, the new generation iPhone comes in five stunning colours: black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white. With the starting price of Rs. 82,900, the phone will hit the stores on September 19 after preorders open September 12, 2025. Let’s take a look at what’s different and good this time around.
Performance Peak at 17?
The iPhone 17 now comes with the A19 chip. While the Pro models have moved on to the new A19 Pro, we’re just glad the regular iPhone is getting its share of the latest tech as well.
Thanks to the upgraded processor, battery life has taken a noticeable leap forward, offering up to 30 hours of video playback—that’s 8 hours more than last year’s model. Charging has also been given a boost, with Apple claiming you can hit 50% in just 20 minutes using the new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter. Everyone loves a good battery backup, and with these upgrades, the iPhone 17 finally brings some real endurance to the table. So, no complaints here!
Display Brighter Than Ever
The iPhone display has finally received the glow-up it’s been begging for. The new 6.3-inch OLED screen with ProMotion up to 120Hz is officially the talk of the town. With this upgrade, scrolling feels smoother, and animations look noticeably more refined.
Apple’s also cranked up the brightness to 3000 nits outdoors, the highest ever on an iPhone. If you have no idea what those numbers mean, it’s fine. Basically, the screen is going to be LIT—indoors or outdoors. The Always-On display feature has made its way to the standard model too, and if that’s something you care about—well, congrats.
To top it all off, the new Ceramic Shield 2 coating offers 3x better scratch resistance and reduced glare—a true blessing for the clumsy among us.
Camera Upgrades—Or Should We Say, What You Actually Care About!
On the back, both the main and ultra-wide cameras are now 48MP, with the ultra-wide sensor delivering up to 4x more detail than before. Up front, Apple has introduced an all-new 18MP Center Stage front camera with a square sensor—marking a first for iPhone. Here’s the fun part: it now supports both portrait and landscape selfies without having to rotate your phone. So for all the times you felt like rotating your hand was such a hassle when clicking a photo, don’t worry—Apple has got you covered! We have been told that people with bad wrists all over the world are celebrating due to this innovative upgrade.
Jokes aside, the entire camera system has undergone a major transformation. With enhanced AI features, Dual Capture, and ultra-stabilized 4K HDR video, this year’s iPhone is clearly putting in the work—front and back.
With all these useful upgrades, the iPhone 17 is not playing catch-up anymore. No longer the “just enough” option, it can actually be the “all you need” phone with features comparable to the others in the lineup, at a significantly less cost. If your current phone is struggling through updates, running low on storage, or dying before lunch, this might be your cue to make the switch.