Apple unveils iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, plus new iPhone 17 Air

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Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup is here: featuring an all-new iPhone Air, as well as the standard iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and super-sized iPhone 17 Pro Max. Each new handset offers the latest and greatest Apple hardware, along with artificial intelligence advancements and the new iOS 26 software update.

Read on for all the details on Apple’s iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro series and to see which phone is right for you.

When is the iPhone 17 release date?

The iPhone 17 series will be available to pre-order on Friday, September 12 from 10pm AEST. Each device will arrive in Australian stores from September 19.

What is the price of the iPhone 17?

The iPhone 17 range is priced slightly differently than the 2024 iPhone 16 series: you’ll find the standard 17 model down by a considerable $150 — $200. However, the Pro series has increased by $50 — $150 year-on-year.

You can pick up the iPhone 17 series at full price from Apple and authorised sellers. If you’d prefer to buy on a phone plan, the range will also be available from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone on 12, 24 or 36-month device payment plans.

Here are the recommended retail prices of Apple’s iPhone 17 range.

iPhone 17 prices

• 256GB: $1,399 AUD
• 512GB: $1,799 AUD

iPhone 17 Air prices

• 256GB: $1,799 AUD
• 512GB: $2,199 AUD
• 1TB: $2,599 AUD

iPhone 17 Pro prices

• 256GB: $1,999 AUD
• 512GB: $2,399 AUD
• 1TB: $2,799 AUD

iPhone 17 Pro Max prices

• 256GB: $2,199 AUD
• 512GB: $2,599 AUD
• 1TB: $2,999 AUD
• 2TB: $3,799 AUD

Where can I buy the iPhone 17?

You can order any of the iPhone 17 models directly from Apple and from authorised retailers including JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks and Harvey Norman. Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will also stock the range on device plans, which you can pair with a postpaid mobile plan.

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air

Design and display

• iPhone 17: 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display
• iPhone 17 Air: 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display
• Face ID facial recognition
• IP68 water and dust resistance
• Dynamic Island widget
• Action button
• Camera Control button

The base iPhone 17 comes with incremental improvements over the iPhone 16. The biggest leap in design is the upgraded display, which has grown to 6.3 inches (compared to 6.1 inches on the iPhone 16). The screen itself is Apple’s signature Super Retina XDR, which offers excellent colour clarity and brightness, even in direct sunlight (peak brightness for the 17 is up to 2,000 nits). The newest iPhone also comes with Apple’s ProMotion adaptive 120Hz refresh rate — up from 60Hz — and the Dynamic Island on-screen widget.

The new kid on the iPhone block is the 17 Air: a sleek, skinny device with a big 6.5-inch display and a 5.5mm frame. The iPhone 17 Air offers the key features of the 17 series, but in a pocket-friendly package. With a titanium frame, the Air is a lightweight alternative to the larger and chunkier members of the 17 family, but with some caveats: eagle-eyed readers will notice that the rear showcases only one lens in the horizontal camera bump (more on this below!). However, you’ll still get the handy Dynamic Island on screen, so important notifications and app controls are easily accessible.

Both new iPhones also feature the right side Camera Control button, which activates your camera, as well as the left-side Action button — use this for your choice of shortcuts, such as the flashlight, Live Translation, or activating silent mode. The iPhone 17 and 17 Air also come with the tough, scratch-resistant Ceramic Shield 2 in the front and IP68 dust and water resistance — each phone can withstand 30 minutes of submersion in up to six metres of fresh water.

Battery and performance

• iPhone 17: Up to 30 hours video playback
• iPhone 17 Air: Up to 27 hours video playback
• iPhone 17: Apple A19 Bionic Chip
• iPhone 17 Air: Apple A19 Pro Bionic Chip
• iOS 26 operating system
• Apple Intelligence AI
• 5G connectivity

The 17 and 17 Air include Apple’s newest A19 and A19 Pro Bionic Chips, respectively. The base A19 is around 20% faster than the A18 found in the iPhone 16, and features a 6-core CPU and 5-core GPU for fast gaming and multi-tasking. The A19 Pro takes this processing power an extra step, offering what Apple says is the fastest CPU in any smartphone.

As with last year, Apple Intelligence — the company’s generative AI tool — is integrated into each new model. The feature has been enhanced for iOS 26, rivalling Samsung’s Galaxy AI and Google’s Gemini AI.

Apple Intelligence is designed to accelerate both productivity and creativity, and features some fun updates, including:

• Live translation in Messages, FaceTime and calls in the Phone app.
• Visual Intelligence can now recognise, find info on and answer questions about media on your phone (in addition to content on your camera roll).
• Improved Apple Wallet integration, including finding orders and tracking info from your emails.
• Image Playground updates, including ChatGPT integration, allowing for improved image generation options.
• Intelligent Shortcuts, which allow you to summarise text, create images and more.
• Clean Up removes unwanted objects or people from your images.

Both phones also come with bigger batteries: the standard 17 can give you up to 30 hours of video playback on a full charge, while the 17 Air offers up to 27 hours. Each iPhone can quick charge up to 50% in as little as 30 minutes.

All of Apple’s 2025 iPhones feature the new iOS 26 operating system, which comes with Apple’s dynamic Liquid Glass interface and improvements like Call Screening, Hold Assist and even the option to create polls in conversations in the Messages app.

Cameras

• 18-megapixel Centre Stage front camera
• iPhone 17: Dual camera setup in rear (48-megapixel Fusion, 48-megapixel ultrawide)
• iPhone 17 Air: Single camera setup in rear (48-megapixel Fusion)
• 4K video recording at 60fps

On paper, the 17’s cameras offer little in terms of hardware changes, with one exception. The front-facing camera finally comes with an update, going from 12-megapixels to 18-megapixels on all models. The new Centre Stage front camera features a square sensor for more zoom and rotation options and a wider field of view, plus all-round sharper selfies with better detail.

In the rear, the standard 17 includes Apple’s classic two-camera setup, with a 48-megapixel Fusion camera combining a main and telephoto lens, plus a 48-megapixel ultrawide shooter. The Fusion camera offers both high resolution standard shots, as well as 2x optical quality zoom. You’ll also get macro photo modes, for ultra-clear close-ups.

In comparison, the iPhone 17 Air offers a single 48-megapixel Fusion main camera, but with the same full resolution capabilities and telephoto zoom options. All phones include a range of photo and video modes and features, such as:

• Photographic Styles: Preset styles to customise colour, tone and filters on your images
• Night Mode: Advanced low-light photography
• Pro video: Record in 4K at up to 60 frames per second
• Action Mode: Video stablisation

Extras

• iPhone 17: 256GB and 512GB storage sizes
• iPhone 17 Air: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage sizes
• Siri voice assistance
• Dual SIM and eSIM support
• iPhone 17: Available in Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White and Black
• iPhone 17 Air: Available in Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White and Space Black

The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air come with must-have inclusions such as dual SIM and eSIM, 5G capability, Find My Phone and Apple’s Crash Detection and Emergency SOS safety features. You’ll be able to get the iPhone 17 in 256GB or 512GB storage sizes and the iPhone 17 Air in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB. The 17 comes in Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White and Black, while the Air is available in Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White and Space Black.

iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max

Design and display

• iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR Always-On display
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR Always-On display
• Face ID facial recognition
• IP68 water and dust resistance
• Dynamic Island widget
• Action button
• Camera control button

Apple has gone all-out in durability for the Pro series, building each iPhone with what it calls a ‘heat-forged aluminium unibody enclosure’. The 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max each offer the new Ceramic Shield glass in front and back for superior scratch resistance, and we can expect the phones to also be IP68-certified.

Visually, the back camera bump takes up more real estate than on previous models, although the lenses still sit to the left. The design still incorporates the Camera Control and Action button on either side, so you’ll get fast one-touch access to your camera and your choice of frequently-needed features.

Display-wise, the 17 Pro measures in at 6.3 inches, with the Pro Max at 6.9 inches. Both phones come with Apple’s ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate for fast scrolling, with a slightly smaller Dynamic Island for a less obtrusive experience. Each Always On display also offers improved visibility in strong light, with up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness outdoors.

Battery and performance

• iPhone 17 Pro: Up to 31 hours video playback
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to 37 hours video playback
• Apple A19 Pro Bionic Chip
• iOS 26 operating system
• Apple Intelligence AI
• 5G connectivity

This year’s Pro phones include Apple’s professional-level A19 Pro Bionic chip, a processor fine-tuned to support on-device AI. Apple claims this chipset can deliver a 40% performance improvement from the A18 Pro, thanks to the 6-core CPU and GPU and its 16-core Neural Engine. This is phone engineered for both AI and fast, graphics-intensive gaming on the go. The 17 Pro series is also the first to offer a vapour chamber cooling system to better prevent overheating.

The iPhone 17 and 17 Pro Max also come with better battery life: Apple promises up to 31 hours of video playback on the Pro and 37 hours on the Pro Max. That’s an improvement of around four extra hours when compared to the iPhone 16 Pro models.

As with the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air, Apple Intelligence will be built-in across most of Apple’s iOS 26 apps, and can work with a range of third-party applications. This means you’ll get the same features listed above, including live translation and image creation.

Cameras

• 18-megapixel Centre Stage front camera
• Triple camera setup in rear (48-megapixel main, 48-megapixel ultra-wide and 48-megapixel telephoto Fusion cameras)
• 4K video recording at 120fps

Apple touts its new Pro camera system as the equivalent of eight professional lenses. The triple rear camera setup on each phone includes a 48-megapixel Fusion main, 48-megapixel Fusion ultrawide and 48-megapixel telephoto Fusion camera, all with high-resolution sensors and serious zoom range.

You’ll get a main camera sensor that’s 56% larger than previous models, so night photography and video will be better than ever. You can also select focal lengths from 13mm to 200mm, and capture incredible details with macro shots.

The new 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max also pack the updated 18-megapixel front camera, so your selfies will be on-point in any environment. Each phone also comes with professional photo and video controls, including ProRes RAW video and 4K Dolby Vision recording at up to 120 frames per second.

Extras

• iPhone 17 Pro: 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage sizes
• iPhone 17 Pro Max: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage sizes
• Siri voice assistance
• Dual SIM and eSIM support
• Available in Silver, Deep Blue, Cosmic Orange

As with other models, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max include Apple’s Siri voice assistant with Apple Intelligence integration, plus built-in safety features including Crash Detection and Emergency SOS. You’ll also get MagSafe accessory compatibility, USB-C charging, dual SIM and eSIM support and ApplePay technology.

Each phone will include 12GB of RAM, and be available in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB storage sizes (plus 2TB for the Pro Max). You can pick from Silver, Deep Blue and Cosmic Orange colours.

iPhone 17 compared: features at a glance

All images: Apple