I Ditched My Samsung for the iPhone 17

For one day, I replaced my Samsung phone. I swapped it for the iPhone 17. If you follow my channel, you know I use the Galaxy S25 Ultra daily. It is my personal and, above all, my professional tool. You also know I am not a big fan of Apple. I have several reasons for this.

When I test one of their phones, one question always haunts me. Why do people buy an iPhone? There are so many excellent alternatives on Android. This question truly bothers me. Personally, I find their ecosystem poorly designed for work. It is difficult to interact with other devices. Unless, of course, you own the entire Apple ecosystem, which costs a fortune.

Furthermore, the OS forces useless extra steps. Simple actions require more steps than on Android. I know, it takes time to adapt. But it is not intuitive enough for my taste. It is also very hard to install or extract files from this closed ecosystem. Finally, artificial intelligence plays a huge role in my life. It boosts my productivity. On this front, Apple is two years behind Samsung or Google. So, I always feel limited when I try to work on an iPhone.

However, I wanted to give it another try. My close friends encouraged me. My influencer friends did too. They all told me, “Hugo, try again, you are too harsh on Apple sometimes.” So I decided to test the iPhone 17 for a full day. And in the end, I must admit that Apple’s offerings get better and better each year. So here is my review of the iPhone 17, from the perspective of a dedicated Android user.

The Design: A Familiar but Effective Formula

Let’s get straight to the point. The iPhone 17’s design looks familiar. It strongly resembles the iPhone 16. In itself, that is not a bad thing. The previous design was already very successful and attractive. It is one of the most pleasant compact phones to look at. Plus, it feels great in the hand. It is as well-balanced as a Google Pixel 10.

The phone has an aluminum chassis. Its matte glass back looks beautiful. I admit, it slipped from my hands once during the day. Thankfully, the Ceramic Shield held up well. However, I have one fear. I am afraid this iPhone will scratch as easily as its predecessors. We see many photos on social media of iPhones covered in scratches. Perhaps it is due to the aluminum. This is a real problem for a device that costs over €1000.

This choice of aluminum also makes it feel a bit less premium than other high-end models. On the other hand, I really appreciate the color palette. You can choose between green, blue, pink, white, and black. It’s great to have this diversity. I am tired of black or white phones.

A Screen That’s Finally Up to Par?

Now let’s move to the front. Many Apple users will call this a revolution. Yes, for them, the change is huge. But Apple simply integrated an OLED screen with an adaptive refresh rate. This technology has been available for years on €500 Android phones.

Still, the screen is very good. It offers excellent fluidity during navigation. We finally get the Always-On Display. I still do not understand why this feature was missing before. The screen is immersive thanks to its truly thin bezels. You have to give them credit for that. The brightness is also very good. It is more than enough for daily use, even in direct sunlight.

The screen has an anti-reflective coating. However, it is very light. It is nowhere near the quality of an S25 Ultra on this point. To conclude, it is not the best screen on the market. But it easily makes it into my personal top 5.

Battery Life: The Big Surprise

Let’s talk about a feature that was once heavily criticized at Apple: battery life. Frankly, I was very surprised. For such a compact phone, it lasts a really long time. That is an excellent point. Apple claims up to 30 hours of video playback. Based on my one-day test, that is almost true.

I believe it can last a full day without any issues. For example, after 6 hours of screen-on time, I still had between 10% and 20% battery left at 8 PM. That is a solid performance for an intensive day. The other good news is the arrival of true fast charging. The phone supports up to 40W of power. This means you can get 50% battery in about 20 minutes. Just be sure to use a quality, compatible charger.

Power and iOS 26: Between Performance and Confusion

Regarding power, there is nothing to complain about. It is an Apple device, so it is a powerhouse. I noticed no slowdowns. Apps like Instagram run perfectly smoothly. The new operating system, iOS 26, is very responsive. Benchmarks confirm this. This phone is as powerful, if not more so, than previous Pro models. So your iPhone 17 will last. In 5 or 6 years, it will still run every app without a problem.

Now let’s talk about iOS 26. This is my biggest hurdle to switching to Apple. They completely changed the interface. Everything is now translucent and transparent. It will take time for many people to adapt. It is pretty, I’ll admit. But it is also quite distracting. At times, it is even unreadable. The layering of translucent surfaces can make text difficult to read in certain situations.

The Camera: Reliable and Ingenious

The iPhone 17 features two 48-megapixel sensors. The ultra-wide lens delivers detailed shots. The colors are more accurate. There is also less distortion at the edges. Photos are generally sharper than on the iPhone 16. In low light, the quality is great. The system is reliable, consistent, and versatile. Plus, you can shoot video in 4K at 60 frames per second.

The digital zoom, however, is limited. It is good up to 2x. Beyond that, the quality degrades quickly. Do not expect to take great zoomed-in photos. However, Apple introduced an option that I find brilliant. I am talking about the square selfie sensor. It is a truly genius idea. I do not understand why no one thought of it before. It allows you to film yourself in landscape format while holding the phone vertically. It is perfect for content creators.

My Final Verdict: The Best iPhone… For Everyone Else?

In conclusion, the iPhone 17 is a nice step forward. It is a big leap for the “classic” models. I even think it is the best choice in this year’s lineup. It offers the best value for money. It is the first iPhone that made me think, “Okay, this is actually getting good.”

However, it is a shame that the biggest new features are things that have existed elsewhere for years. Apple held back its non-Pro devices for a long time. It was a marketing strategy. The goal was to push you towards the Pro versions. Today, they are releasing these long-awaited features for everyone. That is a good thing, but it comes very late. As for me, I am going back to my S25 Ultra, but I will keep a closer eye on Apple in the future.