After two weeks of using the iPhone 17 in the stunning sage green finish as my day to day phone, I’m convinced this could be Apple’s most balanced and thoughtfully crafted iPhone yet.
In a year where the ultra-slim iPhone Air and the bold, eye-catching iPhone 17 Pro in orange are stealing headlines, the iPhone 17 stands out as the elegant familiar choice, with an effortless sense of quality.
This isn’t the Pro model, and yet in all the ways that truly matter, it doesn’t feel like a compromise. It genuinely feels complete.
A familiar and beautiful design
Let’s begin with the aesthetic, it’s the first thing you’ll notice, and one you won’t stop admiring. In just 2 weeks, several people have already come up to me to comment on the colour.
It’s a natural colour, that reminds me of a warm cup of matcha or a large field of grass.
It’s soft, neutral, and perfectly balanced between subtlety and sophistication. Unlike more vivid finishes, this one doesn’t shout, it whispers class. The aluminium frame, now anodized in the same tone, wraps around the device in a seamless harmony of metal and glass. It’s muted, elegant, and incredibly versatile – equally at home in a professional setting or laid casually on a café table.
The matte texture on the back is a quiet triumph. It’s velvety to the touch, resistant to smudges, and offers just the right amount of grip. The phone feels luxurious in the hand – light but substantial, thin yet secure. It’s one of the most tactilely satisfying devices I’ve ever used.
Even the Ceramic Shield 2 on the front inspires confidence. I’ve carried it daily with no case, no screen protector, and after two weeks of regular use, it remains pristine. That speaks volumes about the durability of this year’s materials.
A display that delivers big-time
Perhaps the biggest and most impactful upgrade is the display – and it’s immediately noticeable.
Apple has finally brought ProMotion to the standard iPhone, and it transforms the experience. Scrolling is buttery-smooth, animations are snappy, and everything from swiping between apps to playing games feels instinctively fluid. It makes the entire device feel faster and more responsive.
The 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR screen is a joy to use. With up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness and a new anti-reflective coating, outdoor visibility is dramatically improved. Even in direct sunlight, the screen remains vivid and easy to read. Colours are true-to-life, contrast is deep, and HDR content looks absolutely phenomenal.
It no longer feels like a compromise over the Pro. It feels like the display this phone was always meant to have.
A camera with subtle upgrades yet stunning results
The camera system sees smart, tangible upgrades – not flashy, but deeply meaningful.
You get dual 48MP sensors (wide and ultra-wide), and Apple’s Fusion imaging pipeline processes every shot with improved detail and realism.
There’s a new 2x optical-quality zoom, achieved through sensor cropping, and in practice, it works astonishingly well – producing sharp, distortion-free shots that rival a telephoto lens in most lighting.
Low-light performance is also vastly improved. Nighttime shots are cleaner, with richer colours and less noise. The new Clean Up tool, powered by Apple Intelligence, makes quick work of background distractions with a simple tap- no fiddly edits required.
The front-facing 18MP camera adds clever intelligence too, with Centre Stage automatically adjusting the frame during video calls. It’s subtle, intuitive, and makes the iPhone 17 feel more personal, more responsive.
Powerful performance and battery
While it doesn’t carry the Pro-level A19 Pro chip, the standard A19 chip here is no slouch. In fact, in daily use, it feels indistinguishable from the Pro in most tasks.
Apps launch instantly, games run without hiccups, and even Apple Intelligence features like Live Translation and on-device summarisation operate smoothly and without delay. Everything just works – silently, swiftly, and without drawing attention to itself.
Battery life is excellent. I easily got through a full day of calls, messages, photography, streaming, and a few games without needing a top-up. When I did, fast charging via a 40W adapter gave me nearly 50% in just 20 minutes – quick enough to get back on the move without worrying.
What are my final thoughts?
The iPhone 17 in sage green is a quiet revelation.
It’s a phone that doesn’t demand attention, but once you hold it, use it, and live with it, it becomes clear: this is a phone designed with remarkable care.
It brings long-awaited features like ProMotion, better base storage (now starting at 256GB), and real camera enhancements to the standard iPhone line, finally narrowing the gap with the Pro models in meaningful ways. And it does so while maintaining a lower price, a lighter frame, and a design that’s arguably more approachable.
Apple hasn’t reinvented the wheel here, and that’s the point. This is the result of thoughtful iteration. It’s a phone that feels complete, balanced, and mature.
If you’re someone who appreciates timeless design, reliable performance, and thoughtful features wrapped in a colour as calm and beautiful as sage green – the iPhone 17 might just be the best iPhone for you.