\n
Note:<\/i><\/b> This feature was first published on 12 September 2025.<\/i><\/p>\nWhat can the iPhone 17 do for you?
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By now, you should have already heard about the 2025 iPhones, which we\u2019ve covered in great detail in the list of articles below: <\/p>\n
This buying guide makes it easier to figure out your best fit <\/b>within your iPhone buying budget. If you already have a preferred colour or favourite model, you might be better served by our detailed pricing and availability article here. <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s get straight into it.
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nArticle Jumplist<\/p>\n
<\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n\n1. Things to know: prices, configurations, colours, and more<\/li>\n 2. What\u2019s new to the whole iPhone 17 series?<\/li>\n 3. Should I upgrade to any of them?<\/li>\n 4. When and where can you get the new iPhone 17 models?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\nThings to know: prices, configurations, colours, and more<\/h2>\n\n
\n\n\n256GB<\/th>\n 512GB<\/th>\n 1TB<\/th>\n 2TB<\/th>\n Colours<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\niPhone 17<\/th>\n S$1,299 (S$1,449)<\/td>\n S$1,599 (S$1,749)<\/td>\n — (–)<\/td>\n — (–)<\/td>\n Lavender, Sage, Mist Blue, White, Black<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \niPhone Air<\/th>\n S$1,599 (S$1,609)<\/td>\n S$1,899 (S$1,929)<\/td>\n S$2,199 (–)<\/td>\n — (–)<\/td>\n Sky Blue, Light Gold, Cloud White, Space Black<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \niPhone 17 Pro<\/th>\n S$1,749 (S$1,749)<\/td>\n S$2,049 (S$2,049)<\/td>\n S$2,349 (S$2,349)<\/td>\n — (–)<\/td>\n Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \niPhone 17 Pro Max<\/th>\n S$1,899 (S$1,899)<\/td>\n S$2,199 (S$2,199)<\/td>\n S$2,499 (S$2,499)<\/td>\n S$3,099 (–)<\/td>\n Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n\n
Note<\/i><\/b>: Prices in brackets are from the previous iPhone 16 and 16 Pro series. <\/i><\/p>\n
Note: <\/i><\/b>The iPhone Air is a new Pro variant with no corresponding predecessor. For visibility, we have pegged its price against the previous Plus variant. <\/i><\/p>\n
Please excuse any misalignment or table-formatting limitations with our new CMS.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Across the board, Apple has stopped retailing 128GB versions of its phones, starting with this generation. Now, iPhone 17 series phones start with 256GB storage<\/b> as the baseline.<\/p>\n
However, their prices remain fairly stable. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max sticker prices are virtually unchanged from their previous series. The only eye-popper here is the new 2TB Pro Max variant, which broke past the S$3,000 mark.<\/p>\n
With \u2018basic\u2019 iPhone 17<\/b> now going at S$1,299 for 256GB, you\u2019re getting double the starting storage at the same starting price<\/b> from before (iPhone 16 was S$1,299, but only 128GB). <\/p>\n
The 512GB version also saw a S$150 reduction<\/b> from before. This gives the iPhone 17 a better appeal to your wallet, on top of receiving Pro-like upgrades this year (see our next section).<\/p>\n
What\u2019s new this time is the iPhone Air<\/b>. Despite its 6.5-inch display coming close to the previous 6.69-inch iPhone 16 Plus, it\u2019s not an apples-to-apples<\/i> comparison to the retired variant. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s because iPhone Air uses the Apple Silicon A19 Pro chipset, which puts it closer to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max <\/b>than the iPhone 17. That doesn\u2019t take into account the 5.6mm super-slim body (or the engineering needed to make it happen), nor that you\u2019re getting a fresh new iPhone variant at a reduced price point than the previous Plus models (caveats do apply, but more on this later).<\/p>\n
Finally, for anything 1TB or more<\/b>, you have to pick a Pro-class phone (iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, or iPhone 17 Pro Max). There wasn\u2019t a 1TB base iPhone model in the previous generation, either.<\/p>\n\nApple Store (SG) screenshot as of 10 September 2025.<\/p>\n
Screenshot: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The new phones also prompted Apple to remove <\/b>the previous year\u2019s iPhone 16 Pro series<\/b> from its retail lineup. Also gone is the 2022 iPhone SE, with the closest available alternative being the early-2025 iPhone 16e now. If you want to get those delisted phones, try an authorised or verified retailer, as they may still have leftover inventory.<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s new to the whole iPhone 17 series?<\/h2>\n
Below is our assessment for each handset, based on what Apple announced at its keynote. <\/p>\n
Before you read them, you should also know that the 2025 iPhones come with Apple\u2019s iOS 26<\/b> operating system and Apple Intelligence. We won\u2019t go through those software changes in this buying guide because you can find the important additions and updates here.<\/p>\n\niPhone 17 in hand.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
iPhone 17<\/h3>\n Beyond its new A19 chipset and all-day battery life (30 hours video playback), iPhone 17 actually received lots of love with changes that affect the majority of regular iPhone users, while granting them upgrades they never had in previous non-Pro iPhones before.<\/p>\n
For us, adding ProMotion technology to the iPhone 17\u2019s display feels like a big change on paper. It offers a 1 to 120Hz refresh rate that\u2019s also adaptive, which is a wider range than the previous 60Hz refresh rate.<\/p>\n
Real-world benefits from ProMotion depend on your phone usage and habits<\/b>. Browsing around your iPhone\u2019s Home Screen gets a boost since the phone can natively utilise its 120Hz refresh rate. Some gaming apps support 120Hz<\/b>, which may translate into a better gaming experience, especially for fast-paced games that enable 120Hz support. Non-gaming apps with more than 60Hz support (such as Telegram, Facebook, X, etc.) do exist, but they benefit more from the refresh rate\u2019s adaptiveness<\/b> when scrolling\/browsing. In particular, content on Instagram and TikTok is usually uploaded at 60 FPS, so a 120Hz refresh rate doesn\u2019t make those short videos look smoother, but it does make browsing in-app menus feel more fluid<\/b>.<\/p>\n
Photography is crucial to smartphones and their users, even if they only use it for documentation. That makes the change to Fusion Cameras for both<\/b> the 48MP main and ultrawide the practical reason to upgrade. You get additional shooting support in the form of a 2x optical-like telephoto (via the main camera) and macro shooting (via the ultrawide). <\/p>\n
The new 18MP Center Stage front camera<\/b> also makes it easier to get correctly oriented selfies and an adjustable field-of-view. As a whole, Apple made photo and video-taking easier and more flexible, which can even satisfy some former Pro users.<\/p>\n
Of course, there are other upgrades like 3,000-nit peak brightness, Ceramic Shield 2 (in front), and a new Photographic Style, but those are complementary to the overall device. That pretty much covers all the upgrades seen at the keynote.<\/p>\n
\niPhone Air in hand.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
iPhone Air<\/h3>\n As this is a new Pro variant to the iPhone lineup as \u201cthe thinnest iPhone ever\u201d (thus far), there really isn\u2019t a point of comparison unless you look outside of iOS (like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge).<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how it compares against the iPhone 17 Pro models<\/b>:<\/p>\n\nYou get up to 27 hours of video playback battery life, which is 3 to 6 hours fewer<\/b> than the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, respectively.<\/li>\nIt has a single, main 48MP Fusion Camera on the back<\/b>, which means fewer optical\/optical-like zoom options (down from the three Pro cameras you usually get).<\/li>\nIn return, it\u2019s 5.6mm <\/b>thin and weighs 165g<\/b>, a whopping ~35% thinner and ~20% lighter body<\/b> than the iPhone 17 Pro.<\/li>\nIt comes with a screen size of 6.5 inches, which sits between the Pro (6.3-inch) and Pro Max (6.9-inch).<\/li>\n There\u2019s no physical SIM<\/b> with the iPhone Air, but the iPhone 17 Pro models continue to offer it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n When compared against the iPhone 17<\/b>:<\/p>\n\nThe iPhone Air gets the A19 Pro<\/b> chip, which will likely be more powerful than the iPhone 17\u2019s A19<\/b> chipset.<\/li>\niPhone Air is also 2.31mm thinner and 12g lighter<\/b> than iPhone 17.<\/li>\nBoth displays have very similar <\/b>pixel density<\/b>. iPhone Air has a bigger 6.5-inch Super Retina XDR display, but the pixel resolution (2,736 x 1,260 pixels, ~463.41 PPI<\/b>) is very close to the 6.3-inch iPhone 17 (2,622 x 1,206 pixels, ~458.10 PPI<\/b>).<\/li>\niPhone 17 is rated for 3 more hours<\/b> of video playback battery life than the iPhone Air.<\/li>\nThe iPhone 17 retains physical nano-SIM<\/b> compatibility with eSIM support, while the iPhone Air is eSIM-only<\/b>.<\/li>\niPhone 17 actually has more optical zoom options <\/b>(ultrawide, 1x, and 2x) because it has two rear cameras. iPhone Air has a single rear camera.<\/li>\niPhone 17 doesn\u2019t have 1TB <\/b>storage, but iPhone Air does<\/b>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n As assessed in our hands-on, iPhone Air is a Pro variant, but not in the way that it caters to videography professionals like the Pro and Pro Max models do. <\/p>\n
This slim version matters more to people who have reliable charging throughout the day, appreciate travelling light, and want to minimise handling fatigue during prolonged use<\/b> (as we found out in our Galaxy S25 Edge review). It sounds ideal if your workplace, home, and even commute have reliable charging options (at your office desk, in your car, etc.).<\/p>\n
Where the iPhone Air makes us feel conflicted is in its comparison to the iPhone 17<\/b>. Even if you don\u2019t care for its extra processing power, the end result for an iPhone Air is a slightly slimmer and lighter phone, but at the loss of video playback hours (battery life) and optical zoom options. And, it costs more. <\/b><\/p>\n
A possible hiccup is that the iPhone Air is eSIM-only, worldwide<\/b>. For Singaporean travellers, it\u2019s hardly an issue for roaming data, but it\u2019s worth noting that some roaming eSIM plans do not come with phone numbers or talktime minutes<\/b>. Being eSIM-only also may affect your local mobile plan since you might still be on a physical SIM card, or your preferred MVNO doesn\u2019t have eSIM support yet.<\/p>\n\n
Note<\/b>: All Singapore telcos (Singtel, StarHub, M1, Simba) have eSIM plans. Only a handful of MVNOs don\u2019t. However, MVNOs rely on a telco\u2019s backbone network to service your mobile data plan. It\u2019s only a matter of switching to an eSIM-friendly MVNO\/telco that also uses your preferred backbone network. <\/p>\n
The HWZ Forum\u2019s Mobile Communication Technology sub-section is a good place to begin your deeper research for your eSIM needs and recommendations. <\/p>\n
You can also refer to our under $10 4G plan comparisons to see who offers eSIM options and our more recent comparison of value 5G SIM-only plans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\niPhone 17 Pro in hand.<\/p>\n
Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max<\/h3>\n Like recent Pro iPhones, Apple has catered the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max to professional videographers, filmmakers, and video-based creators (amateur or otherwise) more than any other user type. It\u2019s expected that they will receive numerous helpful features in these areas (e.g., ProRes RAW, genlock, Apple Log 2).<\/p>\n
For the mass market, they also get to benefit from its Ceramic Shield 2<\/b> front and Ceramic Shield rear, as well as the new 18MP Center Stage front camera<\/b>, although those perks are also present in all of the new phones<\/b> that just launched.<\/p>\n\nImage: Apple<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Of all the cameras, the telephoto <\/b>received the most upgrades on paper (which you can read about here). 4x optical zoom<\/b> sounds a little nearsighted when you remember previous Pro models had 5x optical zoom. However, the change to Camera Plateau and Fusion Camera upgrades to telephoto mean you get an additional 8x optical-like zoom<\/b>, on top of an upgrade to 40x digital zoom<\/b>. That\u2019s Apple finally breaking past its old 25x digital zoom after several years.<\/p>\n
We also expect better thermals (and performance) <\/b>than titanium-based iPhone models of the past. There are at least three things Apple did to ensure this: Apple itself said (during the keynote) that aluminium has 20x better thermal conductivity than titanium<\/b>, and the Pro models have an extra cooling vapour chamber<\/b> with deionised water sealed within<\/b> their systems. It also moved antennas into its Camera Plateau<\/b>, so the gains don\u2019t stop at its claims of \u201c40% better sustained performance\u201d, but also in stability and strength for mobile data connectivity.<\/p>\n
Even if we don\u2019t get the eSIM-only models with two extra hours of video playback battery life, we can still expect longer uptimes<\/b>. On the Apple website, the iPhone 17 Pro Max claims to have up to 37 hours. You can subtract the 2 bonus hours from eSIM-only versions, and still get up to 35 hours of playback; that\u2019s 2 more hours than the iPhone 16 Pro Max\u2019s 33 hours of video playback.<\/p>\nShould I upgrade to any of them?<\/h2>\n\nFrankly, picking any iPhone 17 series model results in only one true winner. Either way, you\u2019re Cook-ed.<\/p>\n
Screenshot: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Situational circumstances and outliers aside (e.g. yearly upgraders, replacing a koyak<\/i> phone, buying it as a gift, a Pro-Max-or-nothing user, being filthy rich, etc.), all four models have tangible upgrades<\/b>, but choosing well<\/b> comes down to the following observations:<\/p>\n
iPhone 17 – The practical choice for most<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n
Non-Pro iPhone users, as well as Pro users who\u2019ve not upgraded in a while (at least three years), would be well served by the base iPhone 17<\/b> model because Apple brought lots of advancements that were once Pro-only to this tier. <\/p>\n