These phones alone have redeemed all of Apple’s mistakes this year

So the iPhone 17 line has been out for pretty much 8+ weeks now, and chances are you’ve checked your favorite reviewer or tech YouTuber and gotten an idea as to whether you should buy them (unless of course we’re your favorite reviewer, in which, well, sorry for the silence). But as much as we could do a typical review roundup as we did with the Pixel 10 series, we think there’s a more interesting discussion here. The simple fact that after almost 5 years of being the smartphone equivalent for “vanilla and boring”, Apple’s finally made 3 iPhones that are each genuinely interesting. And that excites us more than almost anything else about each of them. So let’s take a closer look at the iPhone 17, Pro/Pro Max, and of course, the iPhone Air.

The iPhone 17: Probably the best one.

The base iPhone for at least the past 4 years has been the butt of many jokes when it comes to Apple. Here was a phone that sold for the same price or more than Samsung or Google’s latest flagships, yet had a slower and worse screen, two (debatable) cameras, more limited storage options, and a smaller battery and worse charging. These things rarely got noticed by “normal people” as every year the iPhone kept selling bonkers, but they did start to create a sort of apathy in people, both tech nerds and non-nerds alike. There’s a reason we would recommend an iPhone 13 to anyone who couldn’t buy a 16 after all.

And yet, this year, Apple proved that not only had it been listening, but it easily could have made one of the best entry-level Flagship phones on the market at least two to three years ago. The iPhone 17 is, in our opinion, the best of the bunch and by far the best /most impressive iPhone that you could get this year. Why? Because when it comes down to it, it essentially has no flaws and fixes all of the issues that we had been complaining about the past three years.

That slow, regurgitated screen that we had brought up when the iPhone 14, 15, and 16 didn’t upgrade is now the same 120Hz panel that you get on the Pro models. The storage has been doubled to a base of 256GB, something that Apple is now going to make a standard for all phones, starting with next year’s Android flagships. And even the cameras, whilst not exactly a match spec for spec, are essentially just as good as the Pro ones for most people, especially when compared to the older Pro models. Simply put, Apple fixed the base iPhone in one fell swoop, and with the 17, made the best entry-level flagship phone again, in a year where Samsung still hasn’t done much with the base S25, and Google made some confusing changes with the base Pixel 10. Because of that, we hope Apple continues to improve on this phone, though knowing their track record, they’ll probably rest on this model for the next three years with no real changes. For now, though, this model is good enough. And that’s all we ever asked for to begin with.

The iPhone Air: The pretty one.

To put it in simple terms, the iPhone Air, whether we like it or not, is a better execution of the “Slim Phone” concept that Samsung tried to do with the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year. To be fair, that can be a bit subjective, because when it comes to a spec sheet, the S25 Edge does have a better camera, a technically more powerful processor, and more durability on paper.

However, put that aside and look at what these phones are made for, which is, above all else, design and style, and the iPhone here takes the win. Whilst its camera hump is weird, no matter which way you look at it, it does look like a more futuristic take on a modern-day smartphone, which is what all these slim phones are supposed to do more than anything else. In our opinion, they’re very similar to folding flip phones, where it’s less about the power and the specs, and more about the style and the general experience of using the phone. And whilst it’s harder to judge those aspects over the internet, the Air nails them better than Samsung’s offering does.

Beyond that, it’s an impressive, and for those who have used it, fun to use phone. Is it the one you should probably get? Well, if you’re the type who’s reading this and looks at specs or general logical opinions first, probably not, but if you’re the type who buys a new phone for what color it has or for how it feels different from the last one. Then, chances are, the Air already has you, and if it doesn’t, it will have you soon, regardless of whether it’s doing less than Apple’s expected sales numbers.

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max: The muscle cars.

Now, there are a lot of people who keep saying that this is the iPhone for Android users. And when it comes down to it, it kind of makes sense. Because when we really take a look at it. Apple really decided that this year the Android nerds aren’t going to have much to say about their phone being behind.They took the iPhone 17 Pro models and gave them three impressive 50 megapixel sensors, again, double the base storage, as any iPhones before it, thermal and performance changes that make any spec nerd jump or want to cry out in joy. 

Whilst there are niche areas where they fall behind. The iPhone is definitely a big power contender this year. The aforementioned triple camera array is where a lot of that attention is because, outside of its new controversial, and yes, Tecno-like design, these cameras are where Apple changed the most this year.

A triple 50 megapixel array is no longer as unique as it used to be two years ago. Google has one on the Pixel 10 Pro, for example. But honestly speaking. Google’s offerings, whilst probably being able to give better images, are not going to offer the same consistency, quality of feel, and reliable video that Apple has often offered with its iPhone Pro models, its only limitation being the smaller sensors for the wide-angle and telephoto sensors, but now that’s a thing of the past.

On top of that, Apple genuinely decided to boost this machine as much as I could. The A19 Pro chip is one of those chips where you could dial it down and just say it’s faster. And that’s all that matters, but faster is a key feature here, especially when we’re talking about these Pro Ultra model phones, where every single extra spec counts. On top of that, the aforementioned center stage front camera is genuinely a fun feature that has impressed and surprised anyone who’s used it. Now that Apple has just done it, it seems like a no-brainer that every phone should copy it next year again.

Beyond that, this phone has better thermal performance, an interesting look due to the marriage of anodised aluminum and its Ceramic shield glass, and it’s likely going to be A phone that whoever buys it they’re going to keep using for the next four to five years on end, unless Apple really makes a big jump in the next iPhone Pros.

As such. Whilst it might not be the best Ultra phone for everyone,(after all, Xiaomi and Oppo have better cameras, Samsung is just going to throw in more features all the time, and Google always boasts an AI advantage over everyone else), this phone is going to please all the nerds who want to geek out over it, and more importantly, it might even get a few more Android nerds this year.

So when it comes down to it, Apple’s performance with its iPhones this year is something that everyone should take a look at and admire. Not necessarily because it’s hitting everything out of the park, but because this is clearly a year where Apple has shown more ambition in its mobile offerings than any of the past 5 years before it. The iPhone 17 is going to easily be the best entry-level flagship you can pick up for almost everyone, except if you’re a die-hard Android fan. The iPhone Air, whilst a little more controversial, will definitely serve those who want its unique portfolio more than others.  And the iPhone 17 Pro is enough of a beast to keep Apple fans happy, and honestly, entice a few Android ones, maybe? That’s a lot more than we could say for Apple’s offerings in the past five years. In fact, it’s a lot more than we could say for Apple’s offerings in almost the amount of time that this publication has existed. And so, whilst not every phone is one that we would take into our pockets to be a daily driver, every phone here is worth talking about and, based on the people who have been using them for the past 2 months, worth carrying and using on a day-to-day basis as well.

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