Smartphone buying advice is rarely straightforward.
While we rank the top 10 ‘best’ phones in our detailed buying guide, the phone that suits you best will vary hugely depending on your budget, hardware priorities and software preferences.
At Tech Advisor, we pride ourselves on publishing in-depth reviews and detailed advice, helping people make an informed buying decision. A one-size-fits-all approach would be foolish.
However, if you’re considering an iPhone, our advice is remarkably simple. If your budget can accommodate it, the iPhone 17 is the outstanding candidate, both now and well into the future. It’s one of the very few flagship phones that we can wholeheartedly recommend to almost anyone.
The sweet spot in Apple’s iPhone lineup…
When Apple released the iPhone 17 late last year, it dramatically simplified the buying decision for millions of people around the world. Indeed, it went on to become the second most popular smartphone in Q4 of 2025 (according to Counterpoint Research), behind only the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
However, for most people, there’s no need to cough up at least £1,099/$1,099 for the Pro models, which introduce a divisive design and add little to the overall experience.
Meanwhile, the ultra-thin iPhone Air that I reviewed costs £200/£200 more than the iPhone 17, yet is badly hamstrung in the camera, battery and speaker departments. And the iPhone 17e loses too many of the regular model’s quality-of-life features in order to achieve its more affordable price tag.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
For most people, the regular iPhone 17 offers the perfect balance between price and feature set. It may even be enough to tempt some Android users to make the switch.
…as verified by our expert reviewer
As an Android user who occasionally reviews iPhones, I wouldn’t blame you for not fully trusting my opinion on Apple handsets.
So, I thought I’d call on my colleague Emma Rowley, an iPhone expert who’s been using Apple handsets for 16 years (her first was the iPhone 4). She was effusive in her praise of the iPhone 17 in her 4.5-star review last October, describing it as “the model to get”.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
But after six months of constant use, is her opinion still so favourable? Well, it seems that the phone has only gone up in her estimation:
“The iPhone 17 is a phone I’d recommend to literally anyone who can stump up £799/$799 for their daily driver. Most of the reasons to buy it can be summed up under the following heading: it is insanely convenient.
“It’s a comfortable size and weight and has all the key hardware and software upgrades of the last few years (USB-C charging port and Action button, plus Dynamic Island, Always-On display and the Centre Stage selfie cam feature). The OLED display is bright and crisp, with 3,000 nits’ peak brightness to deliver a superb viewing experience in all environments, and a 120Hz refresh rate.
“All this, plus a faster chip than the iPhone 16 and double the starting storage – for the same launch price. You’ll also be getting software updates until around 2032, and it’s AI-ready, if Apple ever gets its act together in that area.”
Emma Rowley / Foundry
So, there you have it. Aside from lacking AI, an issue that still affects all iPhones, the only real compromises you’ll have to contend with are underwhelming low-light and zoom photography. If you largely tend to use the main and selfie lenses during the daytime, you’ll be more than happy.
For most people, the regular iPhone 17 offers the perfect balance between price and feature set
Essentially, if you have an iPhone that’s at least two years old, you’ll really appreciate the scale of upgrades that Apple has introduced on the iPhone 17. I’m not encouraging you to switch your smartphone every 24 months, though – going longer between upgrades is one of the easiest ways to make your phone more sustainable.
It’s certainly not worth holding out for the next generation, either…
Don’t wait for the iPhone 18
Anyone eagerly awaiting the upcoming iPhone 18 has been hit with a double whammy of disappointment recently.
First, back in January, multiple reports suggested that the regular model would have a later launch date, meaning it wouldn’t arrive with the iPhone 18 Pro models in September. Its release window is supposedly being shifted to Spring 2027 alongside the mid-range iPhone 18e, to make way for the long-awaited foldable iPhone this year.
If true, that’d mean the iPhone 17 would remain the latest base flagship for almost another full year, making it much easier to recommend.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Even when it does arrive, the regular iPhone 18 is shaping up to be a disappointing successor. Earlier this week, a Weibo leaker suggested that one or more of the manufacturing process, chip specs or memory will be downgraded.
The ongoing global RAM shortage appears to be to blame, with unprecedented demand from AI data centres leading to a massive increase in production costs.
In response, companies must absorb the additional costs themselves, increase product prices, or compromise their hardware to make it cheaper to produce. In the case of the iPhone 18, it looks as though Apple is opting for compromise.
The iPhone 18 has been hit with a double whammy of disappointment recently
With no base iPhone 18 expected until 2027 and downgrades likely once it eventually arrives, the iPhone 17 becomes an even better buy.
Get the iPhone 17 while you still can
As Emma mentioned in her appraisal above, the iPhone 17 starts at £799/$799 when bought outright. Make no mistake, that’s not cheap, though you can break the cost down into monthly payments of around £36-£37 for 24 months by buying it on contract in the UK.
However, it’s a very fair price for an exceptionally well future-proofed phone, with no upgraded successor on the horizon and a promise of Apple’s long and reliable software support.
The iPhone 17 is a phone I’d recommend to literally anyone who can stump up £799/$799 for their daily driver
The global RAM shortage also introduces the possibility of Apple raising the price on existing iPhone models, as it has previously in response to Brexit in the UK and high levels of inflation in 2022.
At the time of writing, the iPhone 17 remains available for its launch price of £799/$799 via many retailers in the UK (Apple/Amazon) and the US (Apple/Best Buy), but there’s no guarantee that’ll remain the case for long.
$1099.99
Spending this much money on a phone is a big decision, even if you’re getting it on contract. But if you’re seriously considering a new iPhone, you might want to act fast on the iPhone 17. It’s as close as you can get to a no-brainer flagship phone.
Don’t mind an Android handset? Our guides to the best budget phones, best mid-range phones and best phones overall include some great alternatives.
