PhonesCheaper
iPhone 17 Buying Guide
iPhone 17 Buying Guide
Complete UK buying guide for refurbished iPhone 17. Find the best deals from £630-927 and save up to 21% off retail.
The iPhone 17, released September 2025, is the first standard iPhone to get a 120Hz ProMotion display - a feature Apple had reserved for Pro models since 2021. It also doubles the entry storage to 256GB, upgrades the ultra-wide camera to 48MP to match the main sensor, and runs the A19 chip. Being the current generation, refurbished stock is still thin and prices sit closer to retail than any other model on this site.
💰 Current Savings
Original retail: £799
Refurbished range: £630-927
Save up to £169 (21% off)
Savings on a current-generation iPhone are always smaller than on older models. They widen as supply builds.
Chip
A19, 6-core CPU / 5-core GPU
Apple Intelligence ready
Display
6.3" Super Retina XDR OLED
2622 x 1206, ProMotion 120Hz
Camera
48MP main + 48MP ultra-wide
18MP Center Stage front camera
Storage
256GB or 512GB
(no 128GB option)
Battery
Up to 30 hours video
50% in 20 mins with 40W
Colours
Black, White, Mist Blue,
Sage, Lavender
Charging
USB-C, MagSafe up to 25W
Durability
Ceramic Shield 2 front
IP68 water resistance
Live UK prices, updated from our comparison data
| Condition | 256GB | 512GB |
|---|---|---|
| Pristine/Like New | £700 | - |
| Excellent | £665-670 | £849-927 |
| Good | £630-659 | £896 |
| Fair | £635-719 | - |
The lowest iPhone 17 price we tracked on each of the last 90 days. Hover the line to see any day's price.
Lowest tracked
£595
Highest tracked
£752
Cheapest now
£630
Over this period
+6%
Based on prices recorded by PhonesCheaper. Coverage varies by retailer and has expanded over time, so this shows the cheapest price we observed, not necessarily the cheapest available anywhere.
The iPhone 17 Pro adds the A19 Pro chip, a telephoto camera with 8x optical-quality zoom, an aluminium unibody with Ceramic Shield front and back, a 1TB storage option and about an hour more video playback. The gap is narrower than in previous years, because the standard iPhone 17 now has the 120Hz ProMotion display and the 48MP ultra-wide that used to separate the two. Unless you specifically want the telephoto zoom, the standard model covers most of what made Pro worth paying for.
Refurbished iPhone 17 stock starts around £630, against roughly £459 for a refurbished iPhone 16, a difference of about £171. The 17's real advantages over the 16 are the 120Hz display and the 48MP ultra-wide camera. If those matter to you, the premium is reasonable; if they don't, the iPhone 16 does nearly everything for noticeably less. Either way, buying the current generation refurbished always means a smaller discount than waiting a year.
Buying online means you cannot inspect the handset first, so run these checks as soon as it is delivered, while you are still inside the returns window.
Remaining Apple Warranty
A 2025 handset may still be inside Apple's own 12-month cover - worth checking, and specific to a phone this new
Battery Health
On a phone this recent, expect 90%+ - anything lower suggests heavy use
ProMotion Display
Confirm the phone is a genuine iPhone 17 and not a 16 - the 120Hz display is the headline difference
Face ID
Test thoroughly - expensive to repair
USB-C Port
Check for debris or damage
