The Apple iPhone 17 is a fast device that fits easily in my pocket. I take beautiful photos, except when I zoom in far.
Size
Thanks to the small 6.3-inch screen, the iPhone 17 fit in my pocket. I also operated it easily with one hand. I find the size of the iPhone 17 very pleasant, because I have enough screen space without the device being really big.
Improved, smooth screen
The iPhone 17 features a ProMotion screen, the luxury screen that used to be found only on the more expensive Pro models. I clearly noticed that this screen has a higher refresh rate. When I scrolled through my social media or a website, it was smooth and much less jerky than on a screen without ProMotion. This makes the iPhone 17 feel extra fast. Moreover, it is easier on your eyes.
Center Stage selfie camera
I think the updated selfie camera is a nice addition. The camera automatically focuses on my face and keeps it as much as possible in the center of the photo. As a result, I always look good in the picture. When I took a group selfie, I noticed that the camera automatically switched to a wide shot in landscape mode. This made it easy to fit large groups in my selfies.
Sharp photos, unless you zoom in
I took sharp and colorful photos with my iPhone 17. The camera also worked well in the dark, both indoors and outdoors. Thanks to portrait mode, photos got a nice bokeh effect, where the background becomes blurred. You can use that for people, but I also took many beautiful photos of my dog and cats. The most important difference I noticed with the iPhone 17 Pro is the absence of the telephoto lens. Zooming in a little bit with the iPhone 17 is still fine, but if I zoom in far, photos quickly become blurry. I am used to an iPhone with a telephoto lens, and I would certainly miss it, especially on vacation.
Fast device, but not all new AI features
In daily use, the iPhone 17 felt lightning fast. My device never lagged, not even when I had multiple apps open at the same time. Even editing photos was nice and fast. Thanks to that fast processor, the iPhone 17 will last for years to come. You also get most Apple Intelligence features, but not all of them. That is because the iPhone 17 has less RAM than the iPhone 17 Pro. Right now, it is only a few features, such as improved transcription, but in the future, you will miss more and more of these types of features. If AI is important to you, you are better off with the iPhone 17 Pro.