While there are certainly still reasons to pay extra for an iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max, very few of those still feel essential for the average person. For most, the base model now covers all the necessary bases for $300 or $400 less. Yes, Apple (Apple!) has made a smartphone that’s a genuinely strong value for money in 2025. The iPhone 17 starts at the same $799 as the iPhone 16, but it comes with 256GB of storage by default — twice as much as before.