Where the reviewers agree
- The A19 Pro chip delivers strong performance, with several reviewers calling it class-leading or superb. — TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Tech Advisor, Trusted Reviews, The Guardian, The Verge, Android Central, Wired, SmartWorld, Pocket-lint
- The brighter display, reaching about 3,000 nits outdoors, is a clear improvement. — TechRadar, The Verge, Tech Advisor, Pocket-lint, Trusted Reviews, Android Central
- Cameras are strong, especially the upgraded 48MP 4x telephoto lens and zoom. — TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Tech Advisor, The Guardian, Trusted Reviews, Wired
- The switch from titanium to aluminium is a drawback, with the frame seen as scratch-prone or less durable. — Tom's Guide, Tech Advisor, The Guardian, SmartWorld, Trusted Reviews, Pocket-lint
Where they disagree
- Reviewers split on value: The Verge, Tech Advisor and Tom's Guide say the cheaper iPhone 17 is the better buy, while Wired and TechRadar praise the upgrade without raising that concern. — The Verge, Tech Advisor, Tom's Guide, Wired, TechRadar
- Battery life is praised by several reviewers, but Pocket-lint says gains are marginal in its testing, while The Verge calls it solid. — Pocket-lint, The Verge, TechRadar, Wired
- The design divides opinion: Pocket-lint calls the camera plateau polarizing and Tech Advisor calls it divisive, while Android Central and Trusted Reviews praise the look and colours. — Pocket-lint, Tech Advisor, Android Central, Trusted Reviews
Bottom line: Suits buyers who want the strongest zoom, performance and a compact Pro with a bold new design. Trade-offs are the higher price, added weight, a scratch-prone aluminium frame and weak AI features, with the cheaper iPhone 17 a strong alternative.
Summarised with AI from the 10 reviews below — each one is linked in full.
What the reviewers said
Trusted Reviews UK
4.5/5Dec 18, 2025Not the biggest upgrade, but a practical, easy-to-recommend Pro with strong battery life, a versatile camera with better zoom, and new colours.
- Great battery life for a smaller Pro
- Finally some fun colours
- Versatile camera with better zoom and front camera
- Excellent screen with higher outdoor brightness
- Strong A19 Pro performance
- Not the best looking iPhone
- Aluminium design less refined than titanium
- Apple Intelligence still lacking
- No black colour option
- Dynamic Island remains; few display upgrades over standard model
Tech Advisor UK
4/5Oct 23, 2025An excellent phone with great performance, battery, cameras and build, but the cheaper iPhone 17 is hard to beat on value.
- Gorgeous 6.3-inch display with 3000-nit peak brightness
- Compact, easy one-handed design
- Superb A19 Pro performance with vapour chamber cooling
- Brilliant cameras including telephoto
- Solid battery life
- Divisive raised Plateau design
- Regular iPhone 17 offers same display for less
- Aluminium frame seems less durable than titanium
- Heavier than iPhone 16 Pro
- More expensive than the iPhone 17
SmartWorld IT
9/10Oct 10, 2025A strong, refined Pro iPhone with excellent video, zoom, display and battery, but its high price makes it niche for most buyers.
- Excellent video recording, including ProRes and Log
- Consistent, reliable photos from all sensors
- Bright, smooth ProMotion display
- Good battery life and fast charging
- Compact, manageable size for a premium phone
- Very high price, not for everyone
- Action button and Camera Control feel not very useful
- Apple Intelligence doesn't fully exploit the hardware
- Aluminum frame scratches more easily
The Guardian UK
No scoreOct 8, 2025A striking new aluminium design and a much-improved 4x telephoto camera make this the iPhone to buy for zoom, though it is pricey and scratches more easily.
- Distinctive new aluminium design, first big redesign in years
- Upgraded 48MP 4x telephoto camera with strong detail
- Excellent screen, top-tier performance with vapour chamber cooling
- Battery lasts about 42 hours between charges in testing
- Long software support and USB-C port
- Expensive, with price rising above £1,000 for base model
- Heavier at over 200g for a compact phone
- Aluminium scratches more easily than glass
- Lacks cutting-edge AI features compared with rivals
- Same screen available on cheaper standard iPhone 17
Android Central US
4.5/5Oct 2, 2025A bold redesign, much better sustained performance, a bigger battery and standout cameras make the iPhone 17 Pro a strong upgrade, though it costs more and is heavier.
- Gorgeous new orange color and bold design
- Much better sustained performance from vapor chamber cooling
- Brighter OLED display with anti-reflective coating
- Standout rear and front cameras
- Bigger battery that lasts longer
- Telephoto lens not as good as Android rivals
- Heavier than last year
- iOS 26 has a few quirks
- Costlier than last year
Pocket-lint UK
4.5/5Editor's ChoiceSep 24, 2025A bold, polarizing redesign that grows on the reviewer, with a brighter display and cooler-running A19 Pro, though battery and camera gains are modest. Worthwhile for design-minded upgraders.
- Stunning new design with softer rounded edges
- 8x sensor-crop zoom works well
- Improved 18MP front camera with Center Stage
- Brighter 3,000-nit display outdoors
- Stays cooler under sustained heavy loads
- Only a minor upgrade over iPhone 16 Pro
- Polarizing camera plateau design
- Aluminum body reportedly scratches easily
- Battery life gains marginal in reviewer's testing
- No smarter Siri; AI features underwhelm
A strong upgrade with excellent battery life, sustained performance from vapor chamber cooling, bright displays and class-leading video. Heavier and chunkier, but a better iPhone overall.
- Excellent battery life, longer than predecessors
- Vapor chamber cooling sustains performance under gaming load
- Bright 120Hz displays
- Versatile triple-camera system with top video recording
- Improved 4X telephoto camera
- Chunky and heavy compared to iPhone Air
- Portrait mode struggles in low light
- Shadows lifted too much in some low-light scenes
Tom's Guide US
4/5Sep 17, 2025A smaller flagship with a redesign, strong A19 Pro performance, a versatile Center Stage selfie camera and better charging, though the $100 price rise stings.
- Beautiful new redesign with two-tone Cosmic Orange finish
- Class-leading performance from A19 Pro chip
- Center Stage front camera offers flexible selfie framing
- Sharp photos from 48MP 4x telephoto
- Faster charging speeds
- Few major Apple Intelligence features
- $100 price increase over the previous generation
- Titanium dropped for aluminum frame
- Telephoto sensor resolution trade-off versus 16 Pro's 5x zoom
The Verge US
8/10Sep 17, 2025A bold redesign with better cameras, battery and charging, but most changes are modest; the regular iPhone 17 is the smarter buy for most people.
- Solid battery life, with the Pro Max lasting well through a day
- Brighter outdoor screen
- Center Stage front camera works well in portrait
- Faster 40W wired and MagSafe charging
- Runs cooler under gaming load thanks to vapor chamber
- Siri still lacking
- Heavier than last year
- Upgrades feel modest for the price
- Regular iPhone 17 offers same screen for less
TechRadar UK
4.75/5Sep 17, 2025Apple's fastest iPhone yet, with standout cameras, bold new design and strong battery life in a more pocketable size than the Pro Max.
- Fantastic cameras with strong zoom performance
- Excellent performance from the A19 Pro chip
- Strong battery life for a compact phone
- Bold, comfortable aluminum design with new colors
- Bright display reaching 3,000 nits outdoors
- No major screen technology updates over predecessor
- Apple Intelligence still lags behind rivals
- Titanium frame replaced by aluminum
Verdicts, pros and cons are short summaries in our words of each publisher's review; scores are as the publisher gave them. Specs are taken from the reviews' spec boxes — where they differ, we show the value most of them give; price is the US launch price of the base model. Read the originals for the full picture.
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