iPhone 17 Pro Unboxing & First Impressions – Silver vs Cosmic Orange

Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup is finally here, and I managed to pick up a few models on launch day:

• iPhone 17 Pro in Silver
• iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange
• iPhone 17 Air in Space Black
• iPhone Air MagSafe Battery

Here are my unboxing impressions of the iPhone 17 Pro models — what I like, what I don’t, and whether the changes are worth it.

iPhone 17 Pro in Silver – The One I’ll Actually Use

The silver iPhone 17 Pro is probably going to be my daily phone.

Silver just feels like the colour again this year.

Clean, simple, minimal — it just works with Apple’s design right now.

Even the box has a bit of a shine to it, almost like foil.

Inside, you get the new USB-C cable (finally) and that’s about it.

No SIM ejector tool, because this one’s fully eSIM.

Quick tip — if you go eSIM-only, you actually get a slightly bigger battery since there’s no SIM tray taking up space.

Doesn’t sound like much, but it can mean a couple extra hours of use, which I’ll always take.

In the hand, the Silver looks really good.

The two-tone finish works nicely, but I’ll be honest — the camera bump is huge.

Not as clean as the 16 Pro in Natural Titanium.

But Apple has switched to aluminium instead of titanium this year.

That’s not just about cost.

Aluminium handles heat better, which is important with the bigger battery, vapour chamber, and the more powerful chip.

Function over form, basically.

So yeah — the silver Pro feels more rugged, more purposeful.

Less luxury, more like a proper tool.

And honestly, I don’t mind that at all.

Cosmic Orange – My Least Favourite Colour

Now onto the new Cosmic Orange.

I really wanted to like this one.

On Apple’s site, it looked like a bold copper — something different and fresh.

But in real life it’s more of a flat, muted orange.

Not terrible, but not what I was hoping for.

Next to the silver, it just doesn’t look as professional or as timeless.

I get why Apple did it though.

People have been asking for brighter Pro colours for years.

If you like orange, you’ll probably love it.

For me, silver still wins this year.

Design Changes That Actually Matter

There aren’t huge design shifts this year, but a few details stand out:

• Aluminium frame → Apple ditched titanium. Aluminium handles heat better, which is important with the bigger battery and more powerful chip.
• Thicker body → Slightly bulkier, but you get more battery and better cooling.
• Matte finish → Less shiny than last year, feels a bit more premium.
• Antenna cutouts → They don’t look great, but they’re needed for reception.
• Glass section on the back → For MagSafe and wireless charging.

So yeah, not the cleanest iPhone Apple’s ever made in my opinion, but it’s more practical.

Camera Upgrades

This is where things get a bit more interesting.

• Main camera sensor → Same as the last few generations, which is disappointing. I would have liked to have seen an upgraded main camera.
• All cameras are now 48MP → Even the telephoto, which means you can crop to 8x zoom and still keep good quality.
• Selfie camera → Finally usable. It’s square now, so you can take portrait or landscape selfies without flipping the phone. I never used to use the selfie camera, but I think this update will change that.

For me, the big deal is all three cameras being 48MP.

I love pushing the iPhone camera to its limits, so this makes a difference.

I’ll be putting out my usual camera settings guide soon for anyone who wants to squeeze the best quality out of these.

Display & Performance

• Brightness → Up to 3,000 nits outdoors. This is big if you live somewhere hot and sunny (like Dubai, in my case). The real test will be whether it dims aggressively under heat. Something we seem to see a lot with iPhones..
• RAM → 12GB across all Pro models. Finally.
• Cooling → New vapour chamber for better thermal performance.

On paper, this makes the iPhone 17 Pro much more capable for heavy users – photographers, video editors, gamers etc.

Accessories Worth Mentioning

The video that this post was based on was sponsored by Dbrand.

They sent me their new Tank Case, which is ridiculously tough, and a Clear Case if you want something more minimal.

They’ve also made custom button colours to match the different iPhone colours, which is a nice touch if you’re into that.

If you’re picking up an iPhone 17 Pro, I’d say grab a good case straight away.

A good case is always the way to go.

Get 42% off with Dbrand

• Add a case – either the Tank, Ghost or Grip.
• Add a Prism screen protector.

Use the link and the code “oliur“.

Should You Upgrade?

If you’re on an iPhone 16 Pro, this is a modest upgrade – mainly better cooling, more RAM, and the new camera system.

But if you’re on anything older than that then the iPhone 17 Pro feels like the most practical and performance-focused iPhone Apple has made yet.

Upgrade Your Wallpaper

If you’ve got a new iPhone, make it feel fresh with the right wallpaper.

You can browse the full collection now at platsupply.com.

*Some of the links in this post are affiliate links — which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and I only recommend items I’ve actually tested.