Thinking About Upgrading to the iPhone 17? Here's Why It Might Be Worth It

We are getting closer to the iPhone 17 launch and while the initial excitement may not be as high as expected, there are still some compelling reasons to consider upgrading to the latest model. Despite any lack of hype, the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup, including the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, is set to offer significant upgrades such as improved cameras and a refreshed design. While the base iPhone 17 may not seem groundbreaking at first glance, there are still reasons why making the switch could be worth it.

iPhone 17 Air, which is supposed to be super thin and ultra light. And sure, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are getting actual upgrades, like improved telephoto cameras and a refreshed design and new colors (though whether that design is actually better… that's a whole separate debate).

iPhone 17? Meh. It doesn't seem all that interesting to me. Again.

Most of the leaks and rumors are usually all about hardware. New colors! Thinner bezels! Cameras! Titanium! But what often gets overlooked in the hype cycle is the other major thing that arrives with every new iPhone: a fresh version of iOS. And this year, that means iOS 26.

Apple already gave us a preview of the new update earlier this year, and it's even out in public beta now if you're brave enough to try it. Otherwise, you'll have to wait for the iPhone 17 launch for the stable release.

iOS 26 is bringing a lot. One of the biggest changes is a new design language called Liquid Glass. If you follow Apple news at all, you've probably heard about it. It is Apple's take on a slick, dynamic UI that plays with light, transparency and motion to give everything a futuristic glass-like look. Think reflections, refractions, and shimmer.

It's not all about gimmicks – it's about usefulness, too

Google and Samsung – this latest update actually brings useful tools. And that's exactly why I'm excited. Finally, we are getting features that don't fall into the AI gimmick category.tools that let you change the sky in your photo or turn yourself into a mermaid. Sorry, folks, but using AI for that kind of stuff? That's just not why I love tech.

iOS 26. This might actually be the update that gets me to switch to the iPhone 17. I'm still using my iPhone 13 mini, and while it will get iOS 26 – just like every model back to the iPhone 11 – it won't support Apple Intelligence.

iOS 26 is also bringing genuinely useful features. The one I'm most interested in? The big upgrade to Visual Intelligence.

Apple Intelligence has been kind of hit or miss so far (ok, mostly miss), but Visual Intelligence looks like something I'd actually use. Android phones have had similar tools for a while now – Google Lens, Circle to Search, and others – and now iOS users are finally getting something on that level.

iOS 26 works with whatever's on your screen, too. So if you take a screenshot, you can highlight text and search it (basically Apple's version of Circle to Search), ask ChatGPT for more info, or even extract event details and add them to your calendar.

iOS 26 finally brings it and it's one of those features that just makes sense – especially when traveling a lot.

iPhone 16 or one of the iPhone 15 Pro models, you'll still get the full experience, so probably no need. But for the rest of us? Some of these features are just out of reach… and they're starting to look really tempting.