iPhone 17 arrives with killer camera and display technology

The Apple upgrades are coming thick and fast now – and the new base model iPhone has just been announced with a modest suite of upgrades you'll genuinely use. Let's kick off with the big news – ProMotion has finally arrived on the base model iPhone.

It's something those of us in the tech community have been calling for for years, and it's great to see it finally employed. That means users can enjoy a 120Hz refresh rate, which adapts all the way down to 1Hz when required, to save battery.

That also offers 3,000 nits of peak brightness, for a killer experience in direct sunlight. It's also a 6.3-inch panel – slightly larger than the iPhone 16.

The other major upgrade comes in the camera – and peculiarly, the front camera. That enjoys the Centre Stage front camera, which uses a square shaped sensor to allow for no loss of resolution regardless of the orientation.

That's something I've been calling for in the world of mirrorless cameras – older 6x6 medium format film cameras were created for just this reason – and it arguably makes even more sense here. That also enjoys ultra-stabilised video, which should make it a must have for content creators.

There's also improved battery life – eight hours better than the iPhone 16. That's a serious upgrade, and should help to inspire confidence in not needing to tether yourself to the plug socket.

Faster charging is coming, too. You'll be able to get a 50% charge in just 20 minutes, or 8 hours of charge from just 10 minutes on the wall.

The new model starts from 256GB of storage, too, which is an upgrade at the low end. Prices start at £799 / €949 / US$799 / AU$1,399, which means there's no year-on-year increase for the model, either – score!