I’m happy with the new phone 17 base model. I have migrated from a 15 Pro. Everything is as expected. It’s a, well, err, iiiiiii-Phone. The iPhone 17 is USD400/AUD600 cheaper than the iPhone 17 Pro. That’s good enough reason to switch. But here are some other observations.
1. The screen is slightly bigger than the 15 Pro—6.3 vs. 6.1. That’s nice.
2. It feels lighter. I don’t know if it is lighter than the 15 Pro titanium, but it feels like it. The 17s have aluminium chassis, across the board (apart from the Air).
3. I like how the case goes all the way around. The 15 Pro clear case exposed the bottom of the unit, attracting a lot of grime and cruft.
4. The migration from the old to the new was easier than previous moves, and Apple has made it even easier.
5. My only problem was WhatsApp – I lost the chat history on my ‘normal’ and WA business apps (they have two apps and I have two numbers in the phone). Meta’s build or methodology on WA message storage and migration has been and remains terrible.
6. Apple Care Plus with Theft and Loss is cheaper at USD 10.50/AUD16 vs USD 13.50/AUD20.50 a month.
7. I merged my Apple accounts a few months ago. I think this made everything quicker and easier. There was one less ‘hokey-pokey’ as a result in the setup
8. An annoyance in the migration is that you must go back in and switch on all apps and devices that sync with Apple Health. The settings don’t migrate. This issue is not huge, but things would have remained off if I had not checked.
9. My 15 Pro had 128 GB of memory. The base 17, and what I got, was 256 GB (and not 512). I ran out of space for software updates and deleted downloaded music—no more. I’m using 100 GB of the 250 GB. (I have music downloaded for offline listening when not in 4/5G range.
10. I took some photos at twilight yesterday, then indoors at a supermarket. They’re fine.
I wrote this on the phone in Notes and checked it via Grammarly (via the keyboard). Both felt easier.
The base model currently suits my work and personal lives. It joins my other ‘base’ level machines – an M2 Air and an M2 ‘base’ Mini. They’re fine for their purposes (amateur radio and general use, respectively). My iPad Pro M4 is excellent and is my ‘does it all’ machine. I have an Ultra 2 Watch, mainly for battery size and storage (and not the ‘outdoor’ reasons).
I’m happy with the 17 new and don’t consider it a downgrade from the Pro. Being in the 80 per cent and not the 20 per cent is just fine.
20 September 2025