The iPhone 17 offers exceptional value with enhanced ProMotion displays and excellent battery life, making it the best choice over the more expensive Pro and Pro Max models. Picture: Stringer / IC photo / Imaginechina via AFP
Image: Stringer / IC photo / Imaginechina via AFP
Apple may or may not make the best devices on the market, but what can’t be disputed is that they have the best marketing of any tech company around.
Their tiered pricing and product system always make you doubt your purchases of their cheapest products, and that’s the main driver in their sales of higher-end devices.
The latest fleet of iPhone 17s is no different.
Once again, their cheapest iPhone is by far the best value. That’s even more the case this year as there are fewer differences between the regular 17 models and the more expensive Pro devices.
Even the new iPhone Air is more expensive than the base model iPhone 17.
Those prices? The 17 starts at R20799, the Air is R25,999, the Pro is R28,599, and the Pro Max is a whopping R31,299.
Before the 17s were launched, the base model over the last few generations always had a worse screen around 60Hz while the Pro devices sported Pro Motion displays up to 120Hz. The faster refresh rates simply mean the phones appeared more snappy and smooth when scrolling.
This is a big deal though, as the main selling point of a phone is the screen.
Now with the 17s, every model has ProMotion and an Always-On display. This is a significant upgrade as the better screens are no longer reserved for the more expensive Pro models.
The 17 and 17 Pro have 6.3” displays, while the Air is 6.5” and the Pro Max is a rather chunky 6.9”.
While the Pro devices offer better zoom ability with the camera, this for me is hardly a selling point.
The only real difference is the battery with the 17 offering up to 30 hours video playback, while the Pro is listed at 33 hours, while the Pro Max is the best at 39 hours.
However, the battery of the 17 is already excellent and just less than the 33 of the 16 Pro Max.
Therefore, it really makes no sense why anyone would waste their money on the more expensive iPhones when they have all the actually useful features of the other models at a fraction of the price.
Oh, and perhaps if you like the orange, only the Pro Max comes in. Other than that, it’s the base model every day of the week.