MKBHD's Shocking Verdict: The Base iPhone 17 Is A "Straight Up Good Deal" With "No Asterisks"

In a world where Apple constantly pushes its “Pro” models, tech guru Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) has just delivered a shocking verdict: the base iPhone 17 is not just good, it’s a “straight up good deal” with “no asterisks.” In his latest review, MKBHD, disguised as the “world’s most honest salesman,” argues that for most people, this is the iPhone to buy, even over its more expensive Pro siblings.

The iPhone 17 Review MKBHD kicks off with a humorous skit where a lottery-winning customer, eager to buy “the best iPhone” money can buy, is surprisingly steered away from the Pro models by MKBHD’s salesman persona. The reason? The base iPhone 17 has finally caught up, offering flagship-level features at a more accessible price point.

“There’s this funny thing that happens when the cheapest phone in a lineup of phones is a really good deal,” MKBHD explains. “It makes all of the more expensive versions feel like worse deals because they are. And this is the best base iPhone since they added the Pro to the lineup.”

The Base Model’s Triumph: Flagship Features Without the Pro Price Tag

MKBHD highlights a trio of obvious improvements that elevate the base iPhone 17 features to flagship status:

1. Top-Tier Display: Finally, the base iPhone gets a proper upgrade. It boasts a brighter (up to 3000 nits) display with a variable refresh rate (up to 120Hz, down to 1Hz for efficiency). This means no more 60Hz iPhone, and it enables features like an always-on display. “Dare I say a flagship quality display finally,” MKBHD declares.
2. Genius Selfie Camera: Apple has introduced a new 24-megapixel square selfie camera across the entire iPhone 17 lineup. This innovative camera allows for 18-megapixel horizontal or vertical crops and offers significantly better stabilization. MKBHD calls it “kind of genius” and predicts everyone will copy it.
3. Better Battery Life: The new iPhone 17 features a physically larger battery, which, combined with the more efficient variable refresh rate display, results in “meaningfully longer battery life.”

Beyond these, the iPhone 17 is powered by the new Apple A19 chip, which, while not the Pro version, is still “one of the most powerful single core chips on the planet right now.” The icing on the cake? Apple doubled the base storage from 128GB to a generous 256GB, making the phone feel even cheaper when considering storage upgrades.

The Ultimate Value Proposition: iPhone 17 vs. Pixel 10

MKBHD even pits the base iPhone 17 against the Pixel 10, arguing that for $100 less than the equivalent Pixel, the iPhone offers a better screen, a better main camera, a better selfie camera, better battery life, and a more powerful chip. “That’s kind of crazy,” he notes. “It’s now this like rock solid default phone for most people.”

Why the iPhone 17 Pro is Only for Pros

The review also clarifies the distinction between the iPhone 17 vs 17 Pro. MKBHD argues that the Pro models are now truly for “pros” who need specific, niche features that most regular users won’t even notice or utilize. These include a better GPU, improved sustained thermal performance thanks to a vapor chamber, a telephoto camera, LiDAR, and advanced manual camera features like ProRes RAW video.

For the average user, spending an extra $300 on the Pro model for features they won’t use is simply not justified. The base iPhone 17 is now so good that it makes the Pro models a harder sell for the masses.

While MKBHD does have a few minor complaints (USB 2.0 data speeds, no millimeter wave 5G, no telephoto camera, and no major Apple Intelligence improvements), he concludes that these are minor in the face of the overall value proposition. The iPhone 17 is, in his words, “really good.”

Do you agree with MKBHD’s surprising verdict? Is the iPhone 17 the best value iPhone in years? Let us know in the comments!

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