Welcome back to Manh Hao Podcast! Today, we’re talking about the iPhone 17 Pro — Apple’s most refined Pro yet. After using it for a month, I’ve got a lot to say about what’s improved, what’s still missing, and whether it’s worth your $1,099.
Overall Impression
This iPhone finally feels balanced — powerful, cool, and compact. Apple fixed two major issues: battery life and overheating.
But the price remains tough to swallow. In the U.S., it starts at $1,099 for 256 GB and goes up to $1,599 for 1 TB.
Battery and Charging
Apple boosted the battery to around 4,000 mAh, giving me about 7–7.5 hours of screen time — nearly the same as the 16 Pro Max.
Charging is still capped at 77 minutes for a full charge, but 50% in just 20 minutes feels much faster in daily use.
Thermal Control
This is easily the coolest iPhone yet.
The new vapor chamber cooling and aluminum frame keep temps steady, even during 4K recording or gaming. The phone now stays around 39 °C / 102 °F, no more dimming or “hot corner” issues. Apple finally fixed it.
Camera Upgrade
The big change is the telephoto lens — now 100 mm (4x) instead of 120 mm (5x). It’s easier for portraits and offers up to 8x optical-quality zoom.
Photos are cleaner, with smoother background blur and better detail. Skin tones still run warm but look more natural overall. It’s not a revolution, but a clear evolution.
Design, Display & Performance
The 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display hits 3,000 nits brightness with anti-glare coating — sharp and easy to read outdoors.
It weighs 206 grams, solid but slightly heavy for the size.
The A19 Pro chip flies through editing, gaming, and Apple Intelligence tasks. Simply put, there’s zero lag anywhere.
The only catch? The aluminum frame looks great and helps with heat but scratches easier than titanium — so use a case.
Price Positioning
At $1,099, it’s great — but not perfect in Apple’s lineup.
You could grab a 16 Pro Max for $999 and get a larger screen, or a standard iPhone 17 for $899 with nearly the same power.
And for just $100 more, you get the 17 Pro Max, which makes the Pro a bit of a “middle child” — great, but not the best value.
Verdict
After a month, the iPhone 17 Pro that I'm using feels like Apple’s most balanced Pro ever — compact, powerful, and finally cool under pressure.
It fixes the key pain points, refines the camera, and delivers incredible performance.
If you want a smaller flagship that feels premium and reliable, this is the one.
Just be ready to pay for perfection.
That wraps up this episode of Manh Hao Podcast.
If you enjoyed this iPhone 17 Pro deep dive, follow for more — next time, we’ll pit it against the Galaxy S25 Ultra to see who rules 2025.
Thanks for listening — see you in the next one.