Every fall, Apple releases a new iPhone, and every year, students wonder if it’s really worth upgrading. It’s a widely held belief that the iPhone does not make mind-boggling improvements year by year, with upgrades typically amounting to a bigger and slightly stronger screen, longer battery life, and an updated Apple chip. This past September, Apple released the iPhone 17, featuring several upgrades including the new A19 chip, upgraded 48MP dual camera system on the back and a 18 MP camera on the front, and a brighter display in an attempt to attract potential buyers. But are these improvements enough to justify the hefty price tag?
I believe there is absolutely no reason to buy the iPhone 17 if you have a Pro or Pro Max model from the iPhone 14 series or newer. First, the refresh rate of the screen has not changed from 120 hertz. According to Lenovo, refresh rate is the number of times per second a display updates its images, measured in Hertz (Hz). A higher refresh rate results in smoother motion, less motion blur, and reduced eye sprain. Second, if battery life is the main issue for potential buyers, I would suggest replacing the battery instead of buying an entirely new phone: battery replacements cost a few hundred dollars at most, while these new iPhones can cost thousands of dollars with the storage options and additional features Apple provides. I personally have an iPhone 15 Pro Max, and it still works well despite a slightly drained battery capacity.
Junior and tech enthusiast Dhruv Panchel commented, “To be honest, there are like no changes in the iPhone every year. I’m still using the iPhone 13, and it works completely fine.” He also notes how he hates how the new iPhone 17 looks aesthetically, emphasizing the “weird extended camera bump on the top of the phone.” Senior Andrew Thallemer had similar thoughts: “I do like the iPhone 17’s faster charging, new A19 chip, and upgrades to the front camera with the ‘center stage’ feature, but overall, since I have a 14 Pro, I don’t think these incremental improvements are worth the price.”
Overall, I think that unless an individual’s phone is more than three generations old and lacks the features of previous Pro and Pro Max models, the iPhone 17 series is not a purchase worth considering. As Apple continues to release new iPhones, I hope they will eventually make more ground-breaking improvements and slow down the significant price jumps they have for their products.
