iPhone 17 Replace iPhone 15 Pro with 17 base?

[Andy_2341]

Hey everybody,
I have a carrier deal where I can take my iPhone 15 Pro 256GB and turn it in for a iPhone 17 base model. My carrier will give me the pay off of my 15 Pro, 366 dollars, plus 12/month off for the next 36 months on the 17. I have 12 months left on my 15 Pro contract for which I pay 18/month.

I mostly use my iPhone to browse, play causal games, listen to music, text, take sunset/rise pictures and family pictures, and FaceTime my significant other.

I’ve concluded that the only things I’m losing that have any value are the smaller size, usb 3, lidar, and the telephoto lens. I don’t mind the size difference, usb3 doesn’t matter as much as i thought two years ago, and I don’t know about the camera stuff.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts!

 

[Macdctr]

Andy, if you look at my signature you see I Have both the Air and 17 Pro iPhones. Both of these iPhones aren’t used as I have been using my 1TB Blue Titanium 15 Pro as my primary iPhone since February after installing a brand new SUNWODA 3400mAh diagnostic compatible battery.

With the new battery I get an all day charge with a battery having 105% battery health 57 cycles since installing it. I use my 15 Pro similarily to how you use yours except for Facetime and I also use mine for GPS navigation with CarPlay when driving my car.

I also have iOS27 Developer Beta 4 installed and the Developer iOS has been running great on my 15 Pro.

Yes the base 17 is newer but you’re trading down just to have a new iPhone in my opinion. If your 15 Pro still looks fantastic and you have been pleased with it’s performance but your battery health is around 83% then taking it to Apple for the battery service will extend the life of your iPhone.

I can use my Air or 17 Pro but I really enjoy using my 15 Pro so I keep using mine. It is still a solid iPhone that can be used for several more years👍🏽 At this point the only way I will replace my 15 Pro is to pick up my 17 Pro and make that device my primary iPhone. I’m far from ready in doing this . . .

 

[Andy_2341]

Andy, if you look at my signature you see I Have both the Air and 17 Pro iPhones. Both of these iPhones aren’t used as I have been using my 1TB Blue Titanium 15 Pro as my primary iPhone since February after installing a brand new SUNWODA 3400mAh diagnostic compatible battery.

With the new battery I get an all day charge with a battery having 105% battery health 57 cycles since installing it. I use my 15 Pro similarily to how you use yours except for Facetime and I also use mine for GPS navigation with CarPlay when driving my car.

I also have iOS27 Developer Beta 4 installed and the Developer iOS has been running great on my 15 Pro.

Yes the base 17 is newer but you’re trading down just to have a new iPhone in my opinion. If your 15 Pro still looks fantastic and you have been pleased with it’s performance but your battery health is around 83% then taking it to Apple for the battery service will extend the life of your iPhone.

I can use my Air or 17 Pro but I really enjoy using my 15 Pro so I keep using mine. It is still a solid iPhone that can be used for several more years👍🏽 At pthis point the only way I will replace my 15 Pro is to pick up my 17 Pro and make that device my primary iPhone. I’m far from ready in doing this . . .

Thank you for your well-thought-out reply, Macdctr.


I had originally planned to keep my 15 Pro till it lost software support, and I also now have the option of paying off the 15 Pro but getting to keep it and get the 17 for free. I'm heavily considering this option but realize the 15 Pro would still be very capable and relevant.


My battery is at 91% and still pretty strong. It's also good to hear 27 runs well. The device is in fantastic condition, but the performance at some tasks is disappointing to me. It gets rather hot under load and burns battery once like that, leading to a need for charging under heated load, which causes reduced performance. This is especially prevalent when gaming and on FaceTime in a variety of conditions. Additionally, I have a lot of dropped Wi-Fi issues across multiple networks that my other devices like my Apple Watch Ultra 3 and MacBook Neo don't have issues with.


On paper, there are a few trade-down points, but the 17 is more than enough phone for my use. It has enhancements that matter to me too, like the bigger, brighter display as I spend a lot of time outside, and of course, the improved FaceTime camera. It may be a step down, but on many occasions, I have considered even going back to my SE3 the 15 Pro replaced but haven't due to lack of USB-C and inadequate camera features.


I am not one to chase the latest; I'm just wanting to get hardware I can quit thinking about and just use. The MacBook Neo did that for me when it replaced my MBA M4. The Ultra 3 did that when it replaced my S10. AirPods did that long ago when they replaced regular BT buds. The 15 Pro opened a world of possibilities for me compared to my SE3 and has served well, but I think about it too much in ways like heat management, battery management, and "pushing it too hard" thoughts.

I'm honestly unsure because I really enjoy the 15 Pro but have a feeling the 17 will fit my life better.

 

[Macdctr]

Yes the base 17 has the same improved facetime cameras the Air and 17 Pro series have. I don’t do graphics intensive gaming so my 15 Pro rarely heats up unless I’m updating a big iOS update or recharging using a magsafe charger. Right now as I type my response on my 11-inch iPad Pro M5, my 15 Pro is sitting on 100% charge level and is cool to the touch. When driving it is plugged into an AC source since I use my 15 Pro for GPS navigation. For me my 15 Pro has been a joy to use, coming from my Air and 17 Pro. Before getting my Air on launch, I was using my 15 Pro Max which has been a great iPhone to use but I got tired of the weight. The Air in comparison felt feather light but I wanted a smaller screen/foot print so I got my 15 Pro in January and fully restored it in February and have been using this iPhone since. For me it fit right into how I want to use an iPhone.

For you, you have to look at how you want to use yours and whether or not the tradeoffs of going to the base 17 is perfect for your use case. Only you can determine what works best for you. Most here would question why you would be willing to do this but at the end of the day it is your decision to choose which iPhone works best for “your” use case. Good luck on your decision.

For what it’s worth . . . I just took delivery of a 1TB Black Titanium 16 Pro that I will be using side-by-side with my 15 Pro to evaluate which iPhone works best for me. The 16 Pro having battery life almost on par with the 15 Pro Max, having the same camera setup as the Pro Max, better display and camera control button as well as improved thermals over the 15 Pro series iPhones. Unfortunately the facetime cameras on the 16 series iPhones don’t match the facetime cameras on the 17 series iPhones.

 

[snipr125]

Keep the 15 Pro and get the 17 for free, thats what i would do.

 

[Andy_2341]

Keep the 15 Pro and get the 17 for free, thats what i would do.

I really like this option, but in choosing it I realize that then the 15 Pro would sit unused despite being a perfectly functioning and viable device. Unless I could use the rumoured number share or find a use for the 15 Pro.

 

[maerz001]

Just keep the 15pro if it works and reduce your monthly payments

 

[snipr125]

I really like this option, but in choosing it I realize that then the 15 Pro would sit unused despite being a perfectly functioning and viable device. Unless I could use the rumoured number share or find a use for the 15 Pro.

I upgraded to the 17 Pro from my 15 Pro. Love the 15 Pro's size and feel in the hand as well as the Titanium which makes it super premium imo so kept it as my main back up iPhone, no way i'm selling or exchanging it. Like you said, now with iOS 27 there is the possibility if using your phone number with 2 iPhones.

But you cant go wrong either way with any of the options, 15 Pro is great, and the 17 is excellent, basically the same as the 17 Pro minus a telephoto lens and the USBC 2 speeds.

 

[Ahiqar]

17 pro has 12 gb of ram while the 17 has 8. If you are going to keep the phone until its software upgrades run out, the extra ram, camera might be worth getting the pro (assuming they would still pay off your old phone if you got a pro).

 

[Andy_2341]

I upgraded to the 17 Pro from my 15 Pro. Love the 15 Pro's size and feel in the hand as well as the Titanium which makes it super premium imo so kept it as my main back up iPhone, no way i'm selling or exchanging it. Like you said, now with iOS 27 there is the possibility if using your phone number with 2 iPhones.

But you cant go wrong either way with any of the options, 15 Pro is great, and the 17 is excellent, basically the same as the 17 Pro minus a telephoto lens and the USBC 2 speeds.

I set up a family members 17 Pro yesterday. They were coming from a 15 Pro identical to mine that we got around the same time. I honestly couldn’t tell that much of a difference. Function is basically identical and the weight difference is barely noticeable. The camera was nice, camera control felt clunky, and the display size increase wasn’t really noticeable.

 

[Andy_2341]

17 pro has 12 gb of ram while the 17 has 8. If you are going to keep the phone until its software upgrades run out, the extra ram, camera might be worth getting the pro (assuming they would still pay off your old phone if you got a pro).

This is a good point. They would still pay it off but I would end up with a continued monthly payment at the same amount per month of what I pay now for my 15 Pro.

 

[snipr125]

I set up a family members 17 Pro yesterday. They were coming from a 15 Pro identical to mine that we got around the same time. I honestly couldn’t tell that much of a difference. Function is basically identical and the weight difference is barely noticeable. The camera was nice, camera control felt clunky, and the display size increase wasn’t really noticeable.

You are right there is not that much difference, I really upgraded because the battery on my 15 Pro was down to 89%, and Apple kept messing me about when I simply wanted to replace the battery. I could easily have just got the 17, but I wanted the best cameras available to take pics of my 2 lovely cats, and the battery on the 17 Pro is an absolute beast.

 

[i4k20c]

You are right there is not that much difference, I really upgraded because the battery on my 15 Pro was down to 89%, and Apple kept messing me about when I simply wanted to replace the battery. I could easily have just got the 17, but I wanted the best cameras available to take pics of my 2 lovely cats, and the battery on the 17 Pro is an absolute beast.

What storage size did you get? I had a 15 pro 512gb and got a 17 pro 256 on the way that is used. currently i am sitting at 127 gb usage and am wondering if i messed up in not getting something bigger.

 

[Andy_2341]

What storage size did you get? I had a 15 pro 512gb and got a 17 pro 256 on the way that is used. currently i am sitting at 127 gb usage and am wondering if i messed up in not getting something bigger.

I’d say it depends on how long you plan to keep your 17 Pro and if you expect your storage usage patterns to increase a fair amount over that amount of time.