iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16 Comparison: From Price, Upgrades and Specifications—Which One to Buy?

iPhone 17 was unveiled at Apple's ‘Awe Dropping' event on September 9, alongside the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The standard iPhone 17 offers several hardware improvements over the iPhone 16. It features a 6.3-inch display with ProMotion technology and is powered by the A19 chip, an upgrade over the A18 chip found in the iPhone 16. Notably, the iPhone 17 starts with 256GB of storage, doubling the base 128GB offered by the iPhone 16. The new model also houses an upgraded 18-megapixel front camera and promises up to 30 hours of video playback on a single charge.

Here's a quick comparison between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 16.

iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16 Price in India

The iPhone 17 is released in 256GB and 512GB storage variants, marking an increase from the baseline 128GB storage of the iPhone 16. The new model is a bit expensive with an initial price tag of Rs. 82,900. It is available in Black, Lavender, Mist Blue, Sage and White colourways.

Last year, the iPhone 16 was announced with a starting price of Rs. 79,900, though it has now dropped to Rs. 69,900 for the 128GB internal storage variant. It is available in Black, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine, and White shades. 

iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16: Specifications

The iPhone 17 features a larger 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with ProMotion technology, always-on support and Ceramic Shield 2 coating. This marks a significant enhancement over the iPhone 16's 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with Ceramic Shield protection. The refresh rate of the iPhone 17 panel adjusts from 120Hz down to 1Hz, compared to the static 60Hz on last year's model. 

The newly launched iPhone 17 comes preloaded with iOS 26; the fresh operating system will be available to download on the iPhone 16 once it's officially released. Both models offer Apple's Intelligence suite of AI features as well. They have an Aluminium frame and have an IP68-rated build.

Apple's A19 Bionic chip powers the iPhone 17, and it comes in 256GB and 512GB storage options. The old model, in contrast, has an octa core A18 Bionic chip under the hood and is offered in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB variants

iPhone 17
Photo Credit: Apple

The iPhone 17 features an upgraded camera setup with a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 48-megapixel main sensor. It also gets an 18-megapixel selfie shooter.  The iPhone 16, for reference, has a 48-megapixel primary sensor, a 24-megapixel secondary rear camera and a 12-megapixel selfie camera. 

The iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 offer Face ID via their front-facing TrueDepth Cameras for biometric authentication. They also have an IP68-rated build for dust and water resistance and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. The iPhone 17 has Bluetooth 6 connectivity, while the old model has Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

In terms of battery life, the iPhone 17 is said to deliver up to 30 hours of video playback time and up to 27 hours of streaming video playback.  The iPhone 16, in contrast, promises up to 22 hours of video playback time and 18 hours of streaming video time on a single charge.

Both iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 models support Qi, Qi 2 wireless charging and MagSafe wireless charging. The iPhone 17 supports fast charging via a 40W adapter or higher, while the iPhone 16 supports charging through a 20W adapter or higher. 

The iPhone 16 measures 147.6x71.6x7.80mm and weighs 170 grams. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 measures 149.6x71.5x7.95mm and weighs 177 grams.