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Just when I thought I was out, Apple pulls me back in… in this case I’m talking specifically about how I’ve stuck with using an iPhone Pro model since making the switch from Android back in 2021.
But each year since then the iPhone updates have been essentially iterative, with very little in the way of upgrades to tingle my tech synapse. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel phones have evolved rather nicely, and the Pixel 9 Pro on my desk is sitting there siren-like, calling me back to Android.
It hasn’t quite succeeded, mainly due to the annoyance of trying to work out how to neatly transfer the WhatsApp messages I want to keep, and some Apple services that I’m still signed up for. But if Apple keeps going the way it has with its next generation of iPhones, then I really could see myself switching back to Android.
With that in mind, here are the upgrades I’d like to see arrive with the iPhone 17, and which would keep me whiling away the hours and conferring with the flowers in Cupertino’s walled garden.
Improved camera color and contrast
While this isn’t a problem that’s exclusive to iPhones, I feel that the past two generations of Apple smartphones have produced photos in which the shadows are lifted and the highlights lowered in scenes that have both light and dark elements.
This picks out more details in a shot, but it also has the effect of making a photo look flat in terms of contrast and vibrancy. I’ve often praised Apple for keeping colors natural and being good at capturing what my eyes are seeing, but it appears to have lost its touch a little.
So I’m really keen for Apple to go back a step with the iPhone 17 and let its image processing allow for deep, dark shadows and punchy flares of light, all with colors that might look a tad boosted given the lighting situation. Otherwise, I can see myself being drawn towards the dynamic, if oversaturated, photography of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
A real gaming-grade boost in performance
The A17 Pro and A18 Pro chips both promise serious gaming power for a smartphone. And they deliver… but only so far.
While iOS now has access to some true console-quality games like Death Stranding and Sniper Elite 4, they still don’t run at the most desirable frame rates; I particularly struggled with the latter game.
So rather than tout percentage boosts in processing and graphics power with whatever chip comes in the iPhone 17 Pro, I’d like Apple to talk increases in framerates, aiming for a smooth 60 frames per second in the aforementioned games.
I’d also like to see some Apple Arcade games that tap into the power of these Pro chips, although that could be asking for a lot.
A proper Siri and Apple Intelligence experience
When the iPhone 16 family arrived, it was championed as a phone with Apple Intelligence.
But that wasn’t really the case, and we’ve had to wait some time for AI-powered tools to come to the new phones; so much so that I’ve forgotten a lot of the features Apple showcased at the launch event, and I probably need Apple to talk me through them again.
So with the iPhone 17, I want Apple Intelligence better baked into iOS and the phones themselves, and Siri to be consistently smart and useful in handling my queries.
I also want handy features like being able to ask Siri to read web pages, digital magazines and so on, in a natural fashion and to do so intelligently, without needing me to dig into accessibility settings or try and find a workaround to coax it into reading newspapers in Apple News+.
Cameras flush with the body
I know there’s chatter of an iPhone 17 Air, which looks to be somewhat legit, and that phone could slim down the current iPhone design and have cameras flush with the phone’s body, much like the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
But that’s a design feature I want to see for the whole iPhone 17 family, especially the Pro models.
I still like the overall design of the iPhone 16 Pro Max, but the square panel housing its trio of rear cameras is starting to feel a little long in the tooth. So finding a way to make them more compact to fit in flush with the phone’s glass rear would be an upgrade I’d appreciate. Plus, it would mark a notable evolution in flagship iPhone design.
Something actually surprising
The Action Button is okay. Camera Control is a whole button of meh. These are two features Apple introduced with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 respectively, and they’re hardly mind-blowing upgrades. In fact, I’d argue that the Camera Control almost gets in the way of my personal iPhone experience.
What I really want is a feature that actually makes me sit up and pay attention. I’m not sure what that could be, but it could be as simple as having a dedicated video editing app for the iPhone 17 Pro that lets one easily capture and create videos for YouTube, TikTok, and so on.
Or it could be a modular system that allows for camera lens accessories to be added. Or a simple way to connect an iPhone 17 to a monitor in a Samsung DeX-like fashion to act as a pseudo desktop when one doesn’t have a MacBook handy.
I just want to be surprised by an iPhone for once, as that’s something that hasn’t happened in years. So fingers crossed.