iPhone 16 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro: is the newer model worth the extra?

The iPhone 17 Pro is Apple's 2025 flagship. The iPhone 16 Pro came a year earlier and, refurbished, costs a good deal less. So is the newer phone worth the difference? Both pages show today's price side by side with CeX's.

What the iPhone 17 Pro adds

• A19 Pro chip and better cooling. An aluminium unibody with a vapour chamber holds peak performance for longer in games and long video recordings.
• A better zoom. The telephoto camera moves to 48MP, so zoomed shots are sharper.
• A better selfie camera. The new 18MP front camera with Center Stage frames group selfies and video calls automatically.
• More storage to start. It begins at 256GB rather than 128GB.
• A bigger battery. Battery life is longer.

What stays the same

Both have a 6.3-inch 120Hz always-on display, USB-C, the Action button, Camera Control and Apple Intelligence. Day to day — opening apps, messaging, browsing, photos in good light — most people won't feel a difference.

Which we'd buy

Pick the iPhone 16 Pro if you want a premium Pro iPhone and would rather keep the difference. It's the better value, and it will get software updates for years.

Pick the iPhone 17 Pro if you shoot a lot of video, play demanding games, zoom often, or want the newest model to keep for a long time.

If what you really want is the smooth 120Hz screen and a current chip rather than Pro cameras, the standard iPhone 17 now has ProMotion too. Every phone we sell comes with a 24-month warranty and 14-day returns.