The iPhone 17 Revolution: Is This Finally the Year Android Users Switch Sides?

17th September 2025 | TF2 Smartphone Solutions

The Plot Twist Nobody Saw Coming

Here’s where things get interesting. The iPhone 17 gets the newer A19 chip and double the base storage — all for the same £799 starting price. Yes, you read that correctly. Apple, the company that charges £999 for a monitor stand, just gave us more storage without raising the price. Hell might have frozen over.

But that’s just the starter. The main course? All the iPhones for 2025 offer Always-On and ProMotion displays, so 120Hz refresh rates are no longer the domain of the Pro models only. Android fanboys, your “but iPhone doesn’t have 120Hz” argument just evaporated.

Breaking Down the Arsenal: Meet the iPhone 17 Family

iPhone 17: The People’s Champion

• Display: 6.3-inch brighter display with ProMotion up to 120Hz
• Chip: A19 chip with all-day battery life
• Camera: 48MP Dual Fusion camera system with new Centre Stage front camera for smarter group selfies
• Durability: Ceramic Shield 2 front with 3x better scratch resistance
• Software: iOS 26 with Apple Intelligence features including image creation and Live Translation
• Colours: Available in five gorgeous colours: black, white, sage, mist blue, and lavender

iPhone Air: The Ultra-Light Champion

This is where Apple went full “hold my pint” mode. The thinnest iPhone ever. With the power of the A19 Pro chip inside. The new Centre Stage front camera. And Ceramic Shield front and back. It’s not just thin – it’s revolutionary in how much power Apple managed to pack into such a slim profile.

iPhone 17 Pro & Pro Max: The Absolute Units

Exceptional performance. New Center Stage front camera. Ultimate pro camera system. Breakthrough battery life. A19 Pro chip. Three 48MP Fusion cameras — Main, Ultra Wide, and an all-new Telephoto — offer the equivalent of eight lenses, including the longest optical-quality zoom. Translation: Your holiday photos are about to make your mates question their life choices.

The Pro models also get 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variants. For the first time, the iPhone 17 Pro Max also gets a 2TB variant. Because apparently, some people need to carry the entire BBC iPlayer catalogue in their pocket.

The Durability Game-Changer

Let’s talk about something that’ll make your clumsy mate finally stop buying phone cases that cost more than a weekend in Brighton. The display gains ProMotion support, enabling adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz, but more importantly, it’s protected by Ceramic Shield 2 front with 3x better scratch resistance.

Three times better scratch resistance. Your keys are officially defeated.

The Million-Pound Question: Should You Upgrade?

From iPhone 15: The Sweet Spot Migration

If you’re rocking an iPhone 15, this is what the upgrade calculator looks like:

• Display: Jump from 60Hz to 120Hz ProMotion (massive)
• Performance: A16 Bionic to A19 (two generations ahead)
• Storage: Probably doubling your base storage
• Camera: Significant computational photography improvements
• Battery: Enormous leap in battery life

Verdict: Even based purely on specs, the new model sounds like it is worth the investment. This is the upgrade iPhone 15 users have been waiting for.

From iPhone 16: The Efficiency Play

Here’s where it gets nuanced. The iPhone 17 upgrades to the A19 chip, which is more efficient and optimised for sustained performance compared to the A18 inside the iPhone 16. Plus, you’re getting double the base storage for the same price you paid last year.

The Maths: You bought a 256GB iPhone 16 for £899? The iPhone 17 gives you the same storage for £799. Apple essentially gave you a £100 credit and threw in a better chip.

From iPhone 16 Pro: The Prosumer Dilemma

There’s a lot to like about the iPhone 17 Pro: a brighter and less reflective display, better cooling, a faster chip with more RAM, and longer battery life. But here’s the reality check: unless there are loads of changes to benefit your primary usage needs, you probably don’t need to upgrade. The main audience who would change are those who rely on its imaging capabilities.

Are you a content creator, photographer, or someone who pushes their phone to its limits? Jump in. Everyone else? Your iPhone 16 Pro is still a beast.

The Android Exodus Question

Now, here’s where things get proper interesting for our Android-wielding readers. The iPhone 17 series addresses nearly every major complaint Android users have had about iPhones:

Versus Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

The Galaxy S24 Ultra has been the Android flagship king, but let’s break down the numbers:

Display: Both offer 120Hz, but iPhone 17’s ProMotion is adaptive (1-120Hz vs Samsung’s fixed refresh rates) Performance: A19 consistently outperforms Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in sustained workloads Camera: This is where it gets spicy. The iPhone 17 Pro’s new computational photography is giving Samsung’s heavily-processed shots a run for their money Price: S24 Ultra starts at £1,249. iPhone 17 Pro Max? £1,199.

For the first time in years, iPhone is actually the better value proposition.

The Google Pixel 8a Comparison: Budget Battle Royale

Here’s something mental: The iPhone 17 at £799 is now competing directly with Google’s supposed “budget flagship” Pixel 8a at £699. For £100 more, you get:

• A19 chip that demolishes the Tensor G3
• Ceramic Shield 2 vs standard Gorilla Glass
• Longer software support (Apple’s track record speaks for itself)
• Better resale value

The Pixel’s camera computational photography is still brilliant, but the iPhone 17’s improved Night mode and Portrait capabilities have closed that gap significantly.

The Great British Upgrade Calculator

Let’s get practical. Here’s what your old phone is worth on the UK second-hand market right now and whether the upgrade makes financial sense:

Trade-In Values (September 2025, UK market)

• iPhone 14: £250-350 (depending on storage/condition)
• iPhone 15: £350-450
• iPhone 16: £450-550
• Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: £300-400
• Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: £450-550

The Upgrade Sweet Spots

Best Upgrade: iPhone 14 → iPhone 17 (£350-450 effective cost) Questionable: iPhone 16 → iPhone 17 (£150-250 effective cost for marginal gains) Don’t Bother: iPhone 16 Pro → iPhone 17 Pro (unless you’re a camera obsessive)

The Reality Check: What the Reviews Actually Say

The early reviews from Marques Brownlee, Dave2D, and our mates at Mobile Phone Checker UK are largely positive, but they’re not blind fanboy praise. The common themes:

The Good: Battery life is genuinely impressive, the 120Hz across all models is game-changing, and the camera improvements are noticeable in real-world use.

The Meh: iOS is still iOS. If you hate Apple’s ecosystem, the iPhone 17 won’t convert you. The innovation feels more evolutionary than revolutionary.

The Concerning: The iPhone 17 Air’s thinness comes at the cost of battery life. It’s gorgeous, but you’ll be reaching for a charger by teatime.

The Ecosystem Lock-In Reality

Let’s address the elephant in the room. The iPhone 17 isn’t just a phone purchase; it’s an ecosystem commitment. If you’re deep in Google’s ecosystem (Gmail, Google Photos, Chrome, etc.), switching to iPhone means adapting your entire digital life.

But here’s what’s changed: Apple’s ecosystem has become less hostile to non-Apple services. You can set Chrome as your default browser, use Google Photos for backup, and even run proper alternative keyboards without feeling like you’re fighting the system.

The Final Verdict: Should You Make the Jump?

After a week of testing, comparing benchmarks, and honestly assessing whether the iPhone 17 series lives up to the hype, here’s our conclusion:

iPhone Users: If you’re on iPhone 15 or older, this is your upgrade. iPhone 16 users can probably wait another year unless money isn’t a concern.

Android Users: The iPhone 17 is the most compelling Android-to-iOS switching opportunity in years. The entry barriers have never been lower, and the performance advantages have never been clearer.

Budget-Conscious Buyers: The standard iPhone 17 offers the best value proposition Apple has ever delivered. At £799 for 256GB with ProMotion, it’s actually competitive with Android flagships.

What This Means for the UK Market

The iPhone 17 series arrives at an interesting time for UK consumers. With the pound stabilising and Apple maintaining prices from last year, we’re seeing genuine value in the iPhone range for the first time in ages.

Major UK networks (EE, O2, Three, Vodafone) are already offering compelling upgrade deals, especially for customers coming off two-year contracts from iPhone 15 purchases.

The iPhone 17 isn’t perfect, and it won’t solve world peace or make your commute to Canary Wharf any less miserable. But it might just be the smartphone that finally delivers on the promises we’ve been hearing for years: genuine all-day battery life, pro-level photography for everyone, and performance that doesn’t throttle when you need it most.

In a world where smartphones have become boring, incremental updates, the iPhone 17 series feels like someone at Apple remembered that technology should be exciting. And in 2025, that’s exactly what we needed.

What do you think? Are you making the jump to iPhone 17, or sticking with your current device? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to follow TF2 Smartphone Solutions for more no-nonsense tech analysis.