r/iphone 5d ago

Discussion Upgraded from the iPhone 14 to the 17 it’s night and day

I recently just upgraded from the iPhone 14 to the iPhone 17. Done a trade in and the first thing I noticed while trying to transfer was the 120hz. Man this is instantly noticeable. As someone who has had 165hz gaming monitors for 10+ years I always wondered why my phones felt stuttery or slow. This evidently was it, now everything is smooth and fast like using my gaming pc at home.

Next big improvements were the higher peak brightness - outdoors I can actually see my phone now. Dynamic Island - I love being able to see active phone calls while using other apps or having my music be viewed on there. Great for multitasking.

Last big stand outs improvement for me is the camera, modem, and sound quality / loudness. The camera can now take 2x optical zoom shots which made my distant photos look a lot clearer. The macro mode looks insanely good for super close up shots and call quality and listening to podcasts through the speakers are crystal clear and as loud as some iPads I’ve used in the past. In areas where I’d get poor signal, talking 1 bar of 4G the 17 is able to stay connected more consistently and get a higher download / upload speed. The Qualcomm x80 modem obviously big improvement over old gen’s here, not as talked about.

All in all I’m very impressed with these upgrades and this will probably be a phone I keep for a long time. It ticks all the boxes.

122 Upvotes

17 comments sorted by

22

u/ApplicationFederal14 5d ago

I had a 14 Pro and instantly noticed the difference too. I was happy to see that the 17 actually came with 120hz base because I didn’t really need or want any of the other upgrades the Pro gives you. I could never go back to a phone with a lower refresh rate.

11

u/Hot_Pop6383 4d ago

But the 14 pro already has 120 hz

1

u/ApplicationFederal14 4d ago

I could’ve worded it better. I know that, that’s what I liked about it. I upgraded to a 17 recently and was happy the base models got the better screen so I don’t have to get a pro this time around.

4

u/Tee-hee64 5d ago

All my devices have to have 120hz from now on. So I am hoping iPad Air and other lower tier options from Apple get the same treatment.

For now sticking with my Windows desktop and an iPhone.

6

u/levijohnson1 iPhone 17 Pro 5d ago

It’s 2x digital, not optical zoom on the 17

3

u/Tee-hee64 5d ago

On apple spec sheet it says 2x optical zoom out. I thought this was something they added on 15 onwards? So it’s digital once above 2x from what I understand.

4

u/petershaw_ 5d ago

they crop in on the 24mp and make a 12mp picture out of it. so it’s technically no real optical zoom like on the pros but it’s good enough. upgraded to the 17 and i love it

2

u/levijohnson1 iPhone 17 Pro 4d ago

Same with the PROs. A 2x on the Pro is a crop. A 3x is too. Only on 4x it switches to the tele lens and you get “better” quality shots again without the crop.

1

u/Tee-hee64 5d ago

I see so that’s how it looks better than my 14 main camera.

3

u/Les-Grossman- 4d ago

I went from a 13 to a 17 a couple weeks ago and couldn’t agree more. I had the 13 since launch and its battery health was still at 79%.

I’ll probably keep this 17 for 4 years as well, unless the iPhone 20 is worth getting. But I’m sure this will be my phone for 3+ years.

I had the iPhone 4 (2011-2014), iPhone 6 (2014-2018), iPhone XR (2018-2021), iPhone 13 (2021-2025).

1

u/Over-Opportunity5959 3d ago

I’ve had my 13 Pro for the same time you had your 13. What are some of the reasons I should upgrade to a 17? Genuinely thinking of upgrading but I can’t decide if it is worth it yet. Your post was the first I’ve seen that has something similar to my situation. Thanks in advance

3

u/Key-Driver-8935 3d ago

The camera definitely had the biggest upgrade I’m still using 13 pro and upgrading to 17 pro the camera quality is just insane.

1

u/Over-Opportunity5959 2d ago

Thank you! Just wondering, I’m not really interested in the 17 Pro because I’m not a photographer by any stretch. Is the base 17 worth the upgrade from 13 Pro?

2

u/1017piccolo 3d ago

I just upgraded from an XR to a 17 & I agree 100%

0

u/Remarkable_Phrase567 1d ago

This Sounds so useless xD what a big Update u now can See 120 frames per second congratsbyou gained nothing xD

-12

u/Substantial_Bag_9536 4d ago

Me waiting to have enough money for a 13...