Head to head
Apple iPhone 18 ProvsApple iPhone 17
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 17 for lower weight. The iPhone 18 Pro wins no row by a gap you’d notice. The iPhone 17 is £400 cheaper at UK RRP (£799 against £1,199). Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037 for the iPhone 18 Pro and 2032–2036 for the iPhone 17, our estimate, not Apple’s.
- Released
- 2026-09-18Apple Newsroom UK — Apple debuts iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Price
- £1,199Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-09-10
- Released
- 2025-09-19endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Price
- £799Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-20
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-20
0 wins for iPhone 18 Pro1 win for iPhone 174 gaps borderline1 difference you won’t notice£400 apart at RRP
Verdict: iPhone 17 ahead on 1 row, iPhone 18 Pro on none
On the makers’ published figures, the iPhone 17 wins on weight (177 g against 211 g). 4 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: HDR peak brightness (1,600 nits against 1,200 nits) for the iPhone 18 Pro, RAM (12 GB against 8 GB, both from GSMArena) for the iPhone 18 Pro, claimed video playback (34 h against 30 h) for the iPhone 18 Pro and fast charging (60 W against 40 W) for the iPhone 18 Pro. The difference in battery capacity is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same display size, refresh rate, peak brightness, typical brightness, storage (base) and wireless charging. The other 37 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
2 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 18 Pro better than the iPhone 17?
On the figures, the iPhone 17 is ahead wherever there is a gap you’d notice: weight, 177 g against 211 g (both Apple UK). The iPhone 18 Pro wins no row by such a gap. That is a count of rows, not an overall score.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 18 Pro is ahead, narrowly: claimed video playback, 34 h against 30 h (both Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. The iPhone 18 Pro is ahead on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: battery capacity, 4,056 mAh against 3,692 mAh (both GSMArena).
Which is lighter?
The iPhone 17, by a gap you’d notice: weight, 177 g against 211 g (both Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
Neither: both state 3,000 nits for peak brightness (Apple UK). Both state 1,000 nits for typical brightness (Apple UK). The iPhone 18 Pro is brighter, narrowly: HDR peak brightness, 1,600 nits against 1,200 nits (both Apple UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which gets updates for longer?
Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2033–2037 for the iPhone 18 Pro and 2032–2036 for the iPhone 17, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Which is cheaper?
The iPhone 17 is £400 cheaper at UK RRP (£799 against £1,199). Prices from iPhone 18 Pro: Apple UK store; iPhone 17: Apple UK store.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.