Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple lists the Australian starting price for the iPhone 17 Pro at A$1,999 for the 256GB variant. The device became available alongside the standard iPhone 17 line in September 2025. The Pro model is built with more ambitious ambitions: higher performance, more advanced photography and videography, and a construction that leans into durability and thermal engineering.

At a glance, the iPhone 17 Pro retains a familiar footprint: it measures 150.0 mm tall, 71.9 mm wide and 8.75 mm thick, with a weight of 204 g. The design centres on a heat-forged aluminium unibody enclosure, which helps with structural strength and heat dissipation. On the front, Apple uses Ceramic Shield 2, which is claimed to have three times better scratch resistance than previous versions; the rear glass is also reinforced. Water and dust resistance is rated under IP68 (up to 6 metres for 30 minutes).

The display is a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED, with rounded corners and an all-screen layout. Resolution is 2,622 × 1,206 pixels at 460 ppi. It supports ProMotion (adaptive refresh up to 120 Hz), Always-On display, HDR, True Tone and wide colour (P3). Brightness targets include 1,000 nits typical, 1,600 nits peak in HDR, and up to 3,000 nits outdoors. An anti-reflective coating and fingerprint-resistant oleophobic surface help maintain visibility and usability in bright environments. 

Powering the device is the A19 Pro chip, with a 6-core CPU (2 performance + 4 efficiency cores), a 6-core GPU, Neural Engine and hardware ray tracing support. Apple claims that with its thermal engineering — including a vapour chamber integrated into the aluminium body — sustained performance is improved, making it better suited for prolonged high-demand tasks like gaming or video-editing. Storage tiers are 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB. Apple also layers in Apple Intelligence features for on-device smart capabilities, such as image processing and system-wide enhancements.

Photography and videography are among the biggest leaps in the Pro line. The iPhone 17 Pro uses an all 48 MP Pro Fusion camera system composed of three rear modules: Main (24 mm f/1.78, sensor-shift stabilisation, 100 % Focus Pixels), Telephoto (48 mm, also f/1.78), and an Ultra Wide (13 mm f/2.2, 120° field of view). On top of that, a further 100 mm telephoto (4× optical) module is included (with tetraprism design), enabling an 8× optical-quality zoom and a total 16× zoom range. The main sensor supports both 24 MP and 48 MP capture modes. Benefits include improved low-light performance, enhanced detail across focal lengths and more flexibility for framing distant subjects. Deep Fusion, Smart HDR, Photonic Engine and new Photographic Styles are baked in; a “Bright” style (coming with iOS 26) helps skin tones with vibrance. On the video side, it supports 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps, ProRes, ProRes RAW, Cinema mode, Action mode and simultaneous dual-capture from front and back.

The front camera is refreshed as well. A 18 MP Center Stage camera with a square sensor allows for flexible framing: zooming, rotating, and automatic adjustment when people join the frame. 

Battery life is strong. Apple estimates up to 31 hours of video playback (or 28 hours streamed) for the iPhone 17 Pro. Fast charging is supported: up to 50 % charge in 20 minutes with a 40 W (or higher) wired adapter over USB-C, and in 30 minutes with a 30 W MagSafe charger. In real-world usage, energetic users pushing gaming or videography will likely find full-day performance manageable but heavy workloads may border on challenging. The revamped internal layout also gives more room for the battery, which helps deliver extended runtime versus earlier models. 

For everyday experience, the Pro’s smoother animations, higher sustained performance, advanced camera tools and display responsiveness are noticeable. The Action button offers quick access to frequently used functions (silent mode, shortcuts, torch, translation and more). The tighter integration between hardware and software—particularly with Apple Intelligence features—helps keep the experience polished and future-ready.

If your priorities are photography and videography, gaming and professional workflows, the iPhone 17 Pro pushes much further ahead of the standard model. For many users it will feel like a powerhouse in the hand — something made not just for daily tasks, but for creative professionals, media makers and those who demand performance under pressure. The extra spend is significant, but for the right user the gains are tangible.

This description was generated with the help of AI and last updated October 2025.