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Apple iPhone 17 vs Apple iPhone 3G

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone 17AppleiPhone 3G
Overview
ReleasedSeptember 2025July 2008
Display
Screen size6.3″3.5″
Resolution2622 × 1206480 × 320
Sharpness458 pixels per inch165 pixels per inch
PanelLTPO OLEDLCD
Refresh rate120 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness3,000 nits–
Display typeSuper Retina XDR OLED display with Dynamic Island3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
Pixel density460 ppi163 ppi
Brightness detail1,000 nits max (typical); 1,600 nits peak (HDR); 1 nit minimum–
Always-on displayYes–
Screen protectionCeramic Shield 2 front–
Display featuresProMotion adaptive refresh; HDR; True Tone; Wide colour (P3); Haptic Touch; 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical); anti-reflective coating–
Performance
ChipA19Samsung S5L8900
Memory8 GB128 MB
Storage256 GB, 512 GB8 GB, 16 GB
CPU6-core CPU with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores412 MHz ARM 11 (GSMArena); Apple-labelled Samsung processor marked 8900B, with a Samsung K4X1G163PC 1 Gb (128 MB) memory chip on the package (iFixit)
GPU5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators; hardware-accelerated ray tracingPowerVR MBX (GSMArena)
AI engine16-core Neural Engine–
Cameras
Main camera48 MP2 MP
Ultra wide camera48 MPNone
Telephoto cameraNoneNone
Optical zoomNoneNone
Front camera18 MP–
Main camera48MP Fusion Main, 26 mm, ƒ/1.6 aperture, sensor-shift optical image stabilisation, 100% Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos2.0 megapixels
Ultra wide camera48MP Fusion Ultra Wide, 13 mm, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 120° field of view, Hybrid Focus Pixels; 24MP and 48MP photos–
Front camera18MP Center Stage camera, ƒ/1.9 aperture, autofocus with Focus Pixels–
Zoom12MP optical-quality 2x Telephoto (52 mm) from the Main camera; 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out (4x optical zoom range); digital zoom up to 10x–
Video recording4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p Dolby Vision at 25, 30 or 60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 or 240 fps; spatial video 1080p at 30 fps; Dual Capture up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; HEVC and H.264–
Front video4K Dolby Vision at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps; slo-mo 1080p at 120 fps; ultra-stabilised video; Centre Stage for video calls–
Camera featuresPhotonic Engine; Deep Fusion; Smart HDR 5; next-generation portraits with Focus and Depth Control; Night mode; Photographic Styles; spatial photos; 48MP macro photography; Camera ControlPhoto geotagging
Battery and charging
Battery3,692 mAh–
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 30 hoursUp to 7 hours
Wireless chargingUp to 25 WNone
Battery life detailUp to 27 hours streamed video playback; EU energy label class A, 41 hours per charge, at least 1,000 charge cyclesTalk time up to 5 hours on 3G or 10 hours on 2G; standby up to 300 hours; internet use up to 5 hours on 3G or 6 hours on Wi-Fi; video playback up to 7 hours; audio playback up to 24 hours
Wired chargingUp to 50% in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher (sold separately)Charging via USB to a computer or the included USB Power Adapter
Wireless chargingMagSafe and Qi2 up to 25W with a 30W adapter or higher; up to 50% in 30 minutes–
Connectivity
Satellite messagingYes–
Mobile network5G (sub-6GHz) with 4x4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO; UK model A3520UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
SIMDual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM); dual eSIM support–
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with 2x2 MIMO; Apple N1 wireless networking chipWi-Fi (802.11b/g)
BluetoothBluetooth 6; ThreadBluetooth 2.0 + EDR
Ultra WidebandApple second-generation Ultra Wideband chip–
NFCNFC with reader mode; Express Cards with Power Reserve–
Satellite featuresEmergency SOS via satellite; Roadside Assistance via satellite–
USBUSB-C with charging, DisplayPort and USB 2 (up to 480Mb/s); video out up to 4K HDR30-pin dock connector; 3.5 mm stereo headphone minijack
PositioningPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC); digital compass; iBeacon micro-locationGPS; Assisted GPS
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight177 g133 g
Thickness7.95 mm12.3 mm
Height × width149.6 × 71.5 mm115.5 × 62.1 mm
Water and dust resistanceIP68–
MaterialsAluminium design; colour-infused glass back (Black, Mist Blue, Sage, Lavender)–
ColoursBlack, White, Mist Blue, Sage, LavenderBlack (8GB); black or white (16GB)
ButtonsAction button; Camera Control; side button; volume up/downSleep/wake; ring/silent; volume up/down; Home
Water resistance detailIP68 (maximum depth of 6 metres up to 30 minutes) under IEC standard 60529–
BiometricsFace ID–
SensorsBarometer; high dynamic range gyro; high-g accelerometer; proximity sensor; dual ambient light sensorsAccelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
SpeakersBuilt-in stereo speakers–
MicrophonesBuilt-in microphones; Voice Isolation and Wide Spectrum modes–
Software
Operating systemiOSiOS
Software at launchiOS 26iPhone 2.0 software
Software updatesSecurity, corrective and functionality updates for at least 5 years after it stops being sold (EU product information sheet)–
AI featuresApple Intelligence; Visual Intelligence–
Safety featuresCrash Detection–
In the boxiPhone 17, USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), documentation; no power adapter–

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