iPhone 17 Pro's telephoto lens gives it a clear camera advantage

ZDNET reviewer Kerry Wan says the iPhone 17 Pro retains a clear camera advantage over the standard iPhone 17, even after Apple narrowed the gap with display and selfie upgrades on the base model. Wan notes the Pro uses a triple 48MP camera system, with the Telephoto sensor upgraded to 48MP and optical zoom increased from 5x to 8x.

The standard iPhone 17 has a dual-camera setup without a dedicated telephoto lens, limiting it to 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom versus the Pro's 8x optical and 40x digital. The review explains that optical zoom uses the physical lens to magnify, so the Pro maintains better image integrity at higher zoom levels.

A side-by-side comparison in the review showed the iPhone 17 Pro reaching farther without sacrificing detail, and the telephoto lens also improved certain shots such as portraits by reducing distortion and creating shallower depth of field. The piece adds that for everyday scenes the difference may be less important, since moving closer can achieve similar framing.

Wan concludes she still captured beautiful photos with the iPhone 17, but that the $300 upgrade to the Pro is worth it for frequent shooters who value extra zoom; otherwise the investment may not be justified.

Key Topics

Tech, Telephoto Lens, Optical Zoom, Apple