iPhone 17 Release Date, Price, and Features Detailed for Australia

• Same starting prices: iPhone 17 from A$1,399; Pro from A$1,999.
• Standard iPhone gains ProMotion 6.3-inch display and 48MP Ultra Wide.
• Pro models: new aluminium unibody fixes thermals; A19 Pro, bigger battery.
• Cameras upgraded: 48MP across lineup; Pro adds 8x optical telephoto.
• Pre-orders 10 pm AEST Sep 12; in stores Sep 19, 2025.

The new Apple iPhone 17 (from AUD$1,399), iPhone 17 Pro (from AUD$1,999), and iPhone 17 Pro Max (from AUD$2,199) have arrived without an increase to their starting prices. You get more for your money, especially at entry-level, where the standard iPhone has adopted Pro-level features, including a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion and a new 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera.

The Pro models see a significant change to their design, with Cosmic Orange being the hero colour you see here. They have a new brushed aluminium unibody crafted with a lightweight aerospace-grade 7000-series aluminium alloy that helps with heat dissipation, a problem found on the titanium iPhone 15 and 16 Pro models. Meanwhile, under the skin, the brand has stuffed an A19 Pro chip, the most powerful and efficient chip for iPhone, and a larger battery.

There’s plenty to unpack here before pre-orders for the new iPhone begin at 10:00 pm AEST on Friday, September 12th, 2025, ahead of the online and in-store release on Friday, September 19th, 2025.

iPhone 17 Release Date in Australia

Pre-orders for the new iPhone start at 10:00 pm AEST on September 12th 2025.

This applies to the iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

They will then be available in-store and online from Friday, September 19th, 2025. However, suppose you’re really interested in getting your hands on a new iPhone. In that case, we highly recommend pre-ordering your device, as availability can be limited in the first few weeks after release, especially if you want a colour other than Cosmic Orange. Speaking of which, let’s talk about iPhone 17 colours.

iPhone 17 Colours:

• Black
• Lavender
• Mist Blue
• Sage
• White

iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max Colours:

• Deep Blue
• Cosmic Orange
• Silver

NOTE: It was sad to see Pink, Teal, Yellow, and Ultramarine removed from the standard iPhone line-up. Meanwhile, the Pro has switched gears to funkier colours, removing a black variant. This is the first time a Pro model is without a dark-tone option in the XS era. Do you miss it already?

iPhone 17 & iPhone 17 Pro Prices in Australia

New iPhone, same entry price. It’s impressive that the iPhone 17 line-up has added a list of performance upgrades, increased standard storage, camera quality, etc., but kept the starting price of AUD$1,399 for the entry-level iPhone 17 256GB. You can go all out and specify the top-of-the-line iPhone 17 Pro Max with 2TB of storage for a whopping AUD$3,799, but that’s overkill for all but the most serious content creators.

For most people, the sweet spot in the iPhone 17 line-up remains either the Apple iPhone 17 512GB (AUD$1,799) or the iPhone 17 Pro 512GB (AUD$2,399) if they shoot many photos and videos.

The mid-range typically sees the largest price increases year-on-year. However, the popular Apple iPhone 17 Pro 512GB sees a modest $50 price rise, while the Apple iPhone 17 Pro 1TB, another popular model, sees a $100 price rise. The larger Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 1TB cops the biggest price rise of AUD$150 now that it’s positioned below the new iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB.

Here’s a complete list of pricing for the new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max line-up:

• Apple iPhone 17 256GB – $1,399
• Apple iPhone 17 512GB – $1,799
  
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro 256GB – $1,999 (+$0)
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro 512GB – $2,399 (+$50)
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro 1TB – $2,799 (+$100)
  
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 256GB – $2,199 (+$50)
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 512GB – $2,599 (+$100)
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 1TB – $2,999 (+$150)
• Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max 2TB – $3,799

But that’s not all! Apple announced the new, thinner, lighter Apple iPhone Air, which is priced from AUD$1,799:

• Apple iPhone Air 256GB – $1,799
• Apple iPhone Air 512GB – $2,199
• Apple iPhone Air 1TB – $2,599

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Changes and New Features

We will start with the Pro models so you can see precisely what you’re missing when we discuss the standard iPhone 17 model.

Design

Bye, Titanium! The new iPhone 17 Pro models swap out the cool-to-the-touch titanium for a heat-dissipating brushed aluminium unibody made from lightweight aerospace-grade 7000-series alloy.

You’ll note the “forged plateau” on the back of the device, which is not particularly pleasing to the eye. However, one needed to make room for a larger battery and reworked antenna system, which the brand says is its highest-performing iPhone antenna setup yet. Under the skin is an Apple-designed vapour chamber laser-welded into the chassis to draw heat further away from the powerful A19 Pro chip, but more on that in a moment.

With a larger battery, the new iPhone Pro lasts longer, but the brand fails to mention how long exactly that is. We know it can charge to 50% in 20 minutes thanks to a new fast charging capability with a high-wattage USB-C port at the bottom.

Display

The screen sizes for the new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max stay the same: 6.3″ (Pro) and 6.9″ (Pro Max) Super Retina XDR. However, they use a new Ceramic Shield 2 front cover with three times better scratch resistance and improved anti-reflection coating. Now that titanium is gone, Ceramic Shield protects the back of the device for the first time and offers four times the crack resistance of the previous back glass.

Specs-wise, the new display has a peak outdoor brightness of 3,000 nits, which is the highest ever on iPhone and higher than that on the iPhone’s nearest competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which manages just 2,600 nits. It also features outdoor contrast that’s twice as good, while ProMotion up to 120 Hz and Always-On return.

Performance

The new iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max contain a new, powerful A19 Pro chip, and it’s shaping up to be a performance monster. Combined with the new vapour chamber, it offers up to 40% better sustained performance than the last generation. Those who use AirDrop more regularly will appreciate the inclusion of a new N1 wireless chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread and improves the reliability and performance of Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

By the numbers, the A19 Pro features a 6-core CPU (the fastest smartphone CPU, per Apple), a 6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators in each GPU core, a larger cache, more memory, and a new 16-core Neural Engine for on-device AI. This should unlock some pretty impressive gaming performance, and we should see an improvement in ray tracing and frame rates.

Cameras

The big news is that the new Pro models gain an all-new 18 MP Centre Stage front camera with the first square front-camera sensor on iPhone. This offers up to 18 MP photos, a wider FOV, and higher resolution, with ultra-stabilised 4K HDR video now on offer. Hopefully, this means no more turning the phone around to take advantage of the better, Ultra-Wide rear camera.

Dual Capture is a new feature that excites us because it lets you simultaneously record on the front and rear cameras. Meanwhile, thanks to orientation-agnostic capture, you can take portrait or landscape photos/videos while holding the phone vertically.

The new iPhone 17 Pro models feature three cameras as part of the 48 MP “Fusion” rear camera array:

• 48MP Main: 4x optical zoom at 100mm
• 48MP Ultra-Wide
• 48MP Telephoto (all-new): 8× at 200 mm (longest optical-quality zoom ever on iPhone)

With a combination of digital and optical zoom, Apple says it’s like having eight cameras for the price of three. If you’re a current iPhone 16 Pro user and love your 5x optical zoom, just wait until you get your hands on the 8x optical 48 MP Telephoto lens, which features next-gen tetraprism and a 56% larger sensor for better detail in bright and low light.

Photos have also been given a once-over, with the Photonic Engine now touching up photos with more natural detail, lower noise, and better colour accuracy (especially in low light). There are also new Photographic Styles, including the new “Bright” style coming in iOS 26 (that brightens skin tones and adds vibrance), but we haven’t really played with this. Have you?

Video quality remains top-tier, with Dolby Vision HDR, 4K120 fps, ProRes Log, and ACES. It even supports Blackmagic Design Camera ProDock and ProRes RAW with Final Cut Camera and Blackmagic Camera.

iPhone 17 Changes and New Features

Design and Display

One of the most significant pieces of news is that the standard iPhone 17 gets the same 6.3″ Super Retina XDR screen as the Pro model. Where the entry-level iPhone has always been capped at 60Hz, the inclusion of ProMotion means smoothness from 1 to 120Hz (Always-On drops to 1Hz) has arrived at the entry-level model.

It also has the same Ceramic Shield 2 (front) coating, which offers three times better scratch resistance and reduced glare. It also has the same 3000 nits peak outdoor brightness (the highest ever on iPhone) and outdoor contrast that’s twice as good.

Previously, the Pro models were made of titanium, and the standard iPhone models were made of aluminium, but both are now made of the same alloy material. The standard model also gains Camera Control, which was previously reserved for the Pro models. You’re certainly getting a lot of phone for the money with the new iPhone 17 so far.

Performance

Under the skin of the device is a new A19 (3-nm, latest generation) chip that features an updated display engine, ISP, Apple Neural Engine, and a CPU that’s 1.5× faster and GPU >2× faster than A15 (iPhone 13). Like the A19 Pro chip, there’s a Neural Accelerator in each GPU core for on-device generative AI.

Because it’s more efficient, the new chip offers increased battery life, meaning up to 30 hours of video playback (+8 hours vs. the previous generation). Adaptive Power Mode in iOS 26 learns usage and conserves proactively. Like the Pro model, a charge to 50% takes just 20 minutes with a high-wattage USB-C adapter.

Like the Pro model, the debut of an N1 wireless chip enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, and boosts Personal Hotspot and AirDrop performance and reliability.

Cameras

The all-new Centre Stage front camera with the first square sensor on iPhone is carried over from the Pro models. With a wider FOV, up to 18MP photos, ultra-stabilised 4K HDR video, and Dual Capture (front + rear simultaneously), it’s shaping up to be one of the most usable, significant upgrades to the new iPhone 17 line-up, and we’re glad to see that it’s included on the entry-level model.

The new iPhone 17 models feature two cameras as part of the 48 MP “Fusion” rear camera array:

• 48MP Main: 2x “optical-quality” zoom
• 48MP Ultra-Wide

Where the Pro models get real 4x (100mm) and 8x (200mm) optical zoom, the standard iPhone has been let down in this department with a 48MP Fusion Main with what the brand is calling “optical-quality 2× Telephoto built in.” Of course, that’s fine for most users, but content creators will struggle without optical zoom, the one piece of hardware we’d struggle to live without after using it in our iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Video quality won’t keep up with the Pro models, with a max of 4K60 Dolby Vision. Still, including Cinematic mode, Action mode, Spatial Audio capture, Audio Mix (boost voices/reduce ambient), wind noise reduction, and spatial photos and videos for Apple Vision Pro is a nice inclusion.

Conclusion

That’s everything you need to know about the new iPhone line-up, but if you have any further questions, let us know in the comments section below, and we will endeavour to answer them.

This is a reminder that pre-orders for the new iPhone begin at 10:00 pm AEST on Friday, September 12th, 2025, ahead of the online and in-store release on Friday, September 19th, 2025.