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Compare the New iPhone Models

42 points by skadamat

by pupppet

2 subcomments

Dynamic Island as a product feature - chef's kiss. Never has a dead area on your screen been marketed so perfectly.

by politelemon

3 subcomments

Please could the apple announcements be merged together this year. I'd argue they are of little interest to a hacker spirit but they are certainly promotional... If they are going to be tolerated could they at least be tolerated in one place.

by awestroke

6 subcomments

Hilarious how they refuse to list memory (RAM) capacity of their phones. Probably because they are way behind other phones in that regard.
Which is weird, since they focus so much on on-device AI. I guess the very very slightly lower profit margin from including more RAM is incredible unpalatable.

by jama211

0 subcomment

Feels like the air is the “consumer” pro iphone and the actual pro really is a proper product aimed at pros, just took them a while to feel out these lanes.
The real question is next year if they release the rumoured folding iphone if they’ll still keep all 4 of these existing categories…

by pkoiralap

1 subcomments

I was thinking about what all is new in this version, or in fact in any other versions after iPhone 10/X (I don't know)? They all look same to me.
I personally think that Apple and other smartphone companies need to do a minor and major version release like you do with software. Every 3-5 year, do a major release. This way you create significant hardware/software features every major version, a hype that is well backed up, and at the same time keeps you working and improving and still making money out of it through minor versions. Plus, you also don't have to rely on planned obsolescence as people are gravitated towards the major version release naturally.

by dang

0 subcomment

Related ongoing threads:
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45186044 - Sept 2025 (42 comments)
Apple Debuts iPhone 17 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45186023 - Sept 2025 (104 comments)
iPhone Air - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45186015 - Sept 2025 (431 comments)

by ceejayoz

3 subcomments

The color choices seem… odd. I can't get a lavender/green/blue Pro Max? The premium option has the least color options, 1/3 of which is... garish?

by atonse

1 subcomments

In past years, part of the new iPhone's hardware was usually coupled with a huge new software feature that was made possible by the new hardware (think of FaceTime for example that came with the front facing camera, or Dynamic Island that came from the full display).
Was there anything like that this year? It felt like the iPhone 17 Pro talk lasted 2 mins, and they spend 99% of their time just talking about the cameras. Although I only started watching parts of the event 52 mins in.
I understand that hardware has mainly reached a steady state, but have we also hit peaks of creativity from the software side, given that we have these amazing machines in our pockets?
Of course, no mention of anything AI, so Apple is either truly restraining themselves until they have something amazing, or they continue to slide into irrelevance and are missing the whole AI shift.

by yurys

1 subcomments

Have high expectations of their own modem in the new iPhone. Hopefully it makes a difference in terms of connection quality and improves battery life, especially with the cellular coverage in the US.

0 subcomment

by jus3sixty

1 subcomments

It's surprising to see the iPhone 17 Pro Max specs compared to those of the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Comparisons show the S25 Ultra leading in several areas, especially the cameras. The difference in megapixel count is significant.
For years, Apple's flagships were considered superior, but Samsung appears to be pushing boundaries with the S25 Ultra.
Is Apple truly behind, or does their optimization and ecosystem integration make up for it?

by Havoc

0 subcomment

Not looking promising on upgrade
14 ProMax -> 17 Pro (roughly same size) have remarkably few tangible diffs.
Stronger CPU/GPU -> wouldn't notice. It's not a computing device for me
3x to 8x optical zoom and nice camera yeah would notice

by ortusdux

0 subcomment

Apple math - https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NiNYOZZLOyg

by ortusdux

1 subcomments

Another rung in the Apple price ladder - https://medium.com/entrepreneur-s-handbook/if-you-cant-buy-i...

by lvl155

7 subcomments

They’ve been doing this for, what, 14 years now since Jobs passed. I fail to see anything substantially new since then. They’re quite literally milking the cash cow at this point. They became the company the old Apple fans despised.

by ChrisArchitect

0 subcomment

Related:
iPhone 17
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45186023
iPhone Air
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45186015
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45186044

by lenerdenator

1 subcomments

My first thought to this was, "Oh, that was today?"
Is the iPhone 17 supposed to be the bottom-of-the-line now, or the 16e?

by crinkly

1 subcomments

No point in buying a Pro now. Will get a 17 to replace my 15 Pro, give that to my eldest kid and be done with it.

by akmarinov

0 subcomment

So EU people can’t buy the e-SIM only version and thus get more battery?
Wtf??

by derac

1 subcomments

Why does the air have usb 2? lmao

by mrweasel

6 subcomments

The cheapest of the new phones is 7500DKK ~ 1175USD. That is just insane. I get that I can get an older models and that Apple is a "luxury" brand, but at $1000+ I don't get who buys new iPhones anymore.
Apple seems stuck in a mentality of subsidized phones, which might still be how the US does it, but it makes their product unreasonably expensive in other parts of the world. I can accept that Apple can't do a $200 phone, but that this point I'd be happy with a $500 phone.

by paxys

2 subcomments

The biggest enhancement this year seems to be the across-the-board increase in prices.
Just don't say the "tariff" word...