Phone comparison · UK prices · October 2026
iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro: which should you buy?
The short answer
The iPhone 18 Pro leads on speed. The iPhone 17 Pro doesn't pull clearly ahead on anything we compare. They cost the same, £1,199 each.
Comparing 2 phones
iPhone 18 ProOverall score 87/100
iPhone 17 ProOverall score 88/100
What the extra money buys
The iPhone 17 Pro costs the same as the iPhone 18 Pro (£1,199).
You get: nothing extra in the specs we compare.
You give up: a faster chip.
Choose the iPhone 18 Pro: it matches or beats it on everything we compare.
Differences in daily life
Battery and charging
EvenBoth have similar battery sizes (4,056 mAh and 3,988 mAh), close enough not to matter much day to day.
Speed
Best: iPhone 18 ProThe iPhone 18 Pro's chip (Apple A20 Pro) scores higher in benchmark tests than the one in the iPhone 17 Pro (Apple A19 Pro), so it should feel quicker in demanding apps and games.
Size and weight
EvenBoth have similar weights (211 g and 206 g), close enough not to matter much day to day.
Still can't decide?
Your pick
iPhone 17 Pro
It's a close call between the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro: either suits your answers.
What you give up: The iPhone 18 Pro has a faster chip.
We may earn a commission whichever phone you buy. It does not change the pick.
Scores
| Score | iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone 17 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 51 | 60 |
| Screen | 91 | 91 |
| Camera | 86 | 93 |
| Speed | 98 | 92 |
| Toughness | 95 | 95 |
| Connections and extras | 98 | 98 |
| Overall | 87 | 88 |
How these scores are made: Each score is calculated from the maker's published specs and benchmark results, using one fixed formula for every phone. We have not tested these phones in the hand. How we score phones
Specs side by side
Display
- Resolution
- 1206 × 2622 pixels1206×2622 pixels
- Screen protection
- Anti-reflective coating, Ceramic Shield 2 Glass, Mohs level 5Antireflective coating, Ceramic Shield 2 Glass, Mohs level 5
Core Specifications
- Chipset
- Apple A20 ProApple A19 Pro
- CPU cores
- 65
- Fabrication Technology
- 2 nm3 nm
- CPU max frequency
- 4.93 GHz4260 MHz
- Microarchitecture
- 2x 4.93 GHz – Super cores 4x 2.60 GHz – Efficiency cores2x 4.26 GHz – Performance cores 4x X.X GHz – Efficiency cores
- GPU
- Apple A20 Pro GPU (7 cores)Apple A19 Pro GPU
- Storage
- 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Expandable Storage
- NoN/A
Software
- Operating System
- iOS 27iOS 26
Main Camera
- Video Features
- 10-bit HDR, 3D (spatial) video/audio, Apple Log 2, Cinematic from regular video, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 120fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW (up to 120fps), Stereo Sound Rec10-bit HDR, 3D (spatial) video/audio, Apple Log 2, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, ProRes RAW, Stereo Sound Rec
- Features
- HDR (photo/panorama)Photonic Engine Deep Fusion Smart HDR 5 Next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control Portrait Lighting with six effects Night mode Panorama (up to 63MP) Latest-generation Photographic Styles Spatial photos 48MP macro photography ProRAW Advanced red-eye correction Auto image stabilisation Burst mode Photo geotagging
- Lenses
- 48 MP , 24 mm ( Wide angle ), 1.22 μm , 1/1.28" Sensor size Dual-Pixel PDAF sensor-shift OIS (gen2) 48 MP , ƒ /2.8, 100 mm ( Periscope telephoto ), 0.7 μm , x4 Optical zoom, 1/2.55" Sensor size 3D sensor‑shift OIS PDAF 48 MP , ƒ /2.2, 13 mm , 120° ( Ultra-wide angle ), 0.7 μm , 1/2.55" Sensor size PDAF TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)48 MP , ƒ /1.6, 24 mm ( Wide-angle ), 1.22 μm , 1/1.28" Sensor size - Dual-Pixel PDAF - sensor-shift OIS 48 MP , ƒ /2.8, 100 mm ( Periscope telephoto ), 0.7 μm , x4 optical zoom, 1/2.55" Sensor size - 3D sensor‑shift OIS - PDAF 48 MP , ƒ /2.2, 13 mm , 120° ( Ultra-Wide angle ), 0.7 μm , 1/2.55" Sensor size - PDAF
Selfie camera
- Lenses
- 18 MP , ƒ /1.9, 20 mm ( Ultra-wide angle )18 MP , ƒ /1.9 ( Wide-angle ) - Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) - PDAF
- Video Features
- 3D (spatial) audio, Apple Log 2, Gyro-EIS, ProRes RAW, Stereo Sound Rec3D (spatial) audio, Apple Log 2, Dolby Vision HDR, Gyro-EIS, HDR, ProRes RAW, Stereo Sound Rec
General
- Announced
- Wednesday, 09 September 2026Tuesday, 09 September 2025
- Released
- Friday, 18 September 2026Friday, 19 September 2025
Battery
- Capacity
- 4056 mAh3988 mAh
- Wired charging power
- 25 W25W
- Wireless charging power
- 25 W25W
- Fast charging support
- N/Ano
- Features
- Adjustable Voltage Supply (AVS) eSIM only model battery capacity is officially unconfirmed MagSafe wireless charging Qi2 wireless charging Reverse wired charging Wired charging from 0-50% in 15 minutes (as advertised) Wireless charging from 0-50% in 30 minutes (as advertised)MagSafe fast wireless charging, Qi2 wireless charging, Reverse wired charging, Wired charging from 0-50% in 20 minutes (official specs),
Battery Life Test
- Browsing
- N/A13:36 hh:mm
- Video watching
- N/A8:44 hh:mm
- Playing games
- N/A8:26 hh:mm
Design
- Weight
- 211 g206 g
Network
- SIM cards
- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM) Dual SIM (eSIM + eSIM) Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM)Dual SIM
- Network Type support
- 5G, LTE, HSPAEV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps, 5G, LTE, HSPA
- Network_2G bands
- GSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHzGSM: 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz CDMA: 800 / 1900 MHz
Connectivity
- USB ports
- USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 DisplayPortUSB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort,
- USB connectivity
- USB charging, USB Mass Storage device (UMS)USB charging
Multimedia
- Audio type
- Stereo speakersStereo speakers,