Best iPhone 17 plans in Australia (January 2026)

We named the iPhone 17 the best iPhone for most people thanks to its upgraded 120Hz display and storage options now starting at 256GB (compared to the iPhone 16’s 128GB), and the sales numbers so far are backing that claim.

These upgrades, as well as a more powerful A19 processor and improved cameras, came at the same price of AU$1,399 as the iPhone 16 had when it was launched in 2024, strengthening the value for money proposition. While it’s no longer the absolute cheapest current generation iPhones sold in Australia thanks to the iPhone Air getting big discounts, it’s still much easier to buy outright than the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.

In our iPhone 17 review, my colleague and TechRadar US managing director of news Jacob Krol was convinced it's the best-value iPhone ever. He said this model makes it a no-brainer upgrade for anyone who owns an iPhone 14 or older, adding that the iPhone 17 feels every bit like a modern iPhone.

While the AU$1,399 price tag is hardly going to score the handset any favours among the best cheap phones, phone plans from a major telco like Vodafone or Optus are another option to get your hands on the iPhone 17 by paying it off over a long term period. If that's you, or if you're just weighing up options, we've found the best iPhone 17 plans for two very different mobile users.

• Best iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max plans
• Best iPhone Air plans
• Best iPhone 16e plans
• Best iPhone 16 plans

Best iPhone 17 plans: our picks

Best overall iPhone 17 plan

iPhone 17 (256GB) | Vodafone Small Plan | 60GB data | 24 months | AU$97.29 p/m

Vodafone is cutting AU$14 p/m off the length of your chosen contract, making the combined payment AU$6 p/m cheaper than at launch. While Optus’ promotion of $15 off is only a smidge more expensive on the surface, that only applies to the first 12 months of the plan. The total cost for Vodafone’s offer over two years is AU$2,334.96, while it’s AU$2,538.96 with Optus. As for the plan itself, it includes unlimited national calls and texts, and roaming in eligible countries for just AU$5 per day.

Minimum total cost: AU$1,437.96 | Cost over 24 months is: AU$2,334.96

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Best premium iPhone 17 plan

iPhone 17 (256GB) | Vodafone Medium Plan | 200GB | 24 months | AU$107.29p/m

If you need more monthly data than the 60GB on offer above, Vodafone is the choice once again. For AU$10 p/m more than the budget plan above, customers get a massive 200GB of data each month, plus unlimited international calls and texts to select nations. This deal also gets the AU$14p/m discount like the plan above. For those with even greater data needs, the large plan offers 400GB for AU$117.29 p/m.

Minimum total cost: AU$1,437.96 | Total cost over 24 months is: AU$2,574.96

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Compare iPhone 17 telco plans

Are you curious to see what other carriers are offering? Here's a quick look at what you'll pay each month for the 256GB iPhone 17, spread over a 24-month contract.

Outright iPhone 17 deals

The telco deals above aren't the only way to buy the new iPhone 17. If you can front the initial outlay, you'll pay much less in the long run by purchasing the phone outright and pairing it with one of our best SIM-only plans.

With all of Australia's major retailers wanting in on the action, there are plenty of options to choose from. In fact, we even saw some modest discounts during the Boxing Day 2025 sales, with some retaining the prices at the time of writing. You can find all the best offers available in the widget below.

iPhone 17 Specs comparison

What's new with the iPhone 17?

• 120Hz ProMotion display
• A19 Chip
• New 48MP 'Fusion' camera system
• New 18MP selfie camera with Center Stage
• Better battery life and improved charging

The iPhone 17 has got the same upgrades that its predecessors usually do. A new, more powerful processor, new colours and a boost to its CPU and GPU power.

However, there's a few other upgrades to this baseline model that we think make it better value than other regular iPhones that have come before it. That is, non-pro models.

The first and most obvious upgrade comes to the iPhone 17's display, which is now 6.3-inches, compared to the 6.1-inch iPhone 16. It also supports live activity and widgets on the lockscreen, and matches the peak brightness of the iPhone 17 Pro at 3,000 nits.

Moreover, the base model finally sports the 120Hz ProMotion display of its Pro siblings, which not only means it can reach those heights for gaming and entertainment, but can also crank down to 1Hz when it's not needed, saving battery in the process.

This improves the iPhone 17 to the point that its display can truly compete with those on the best Android phones. Apple's Ceramic Shield 2 glass also promises 3x better resistance over the iPhone 16, plus handling of reflections in bright environments thanks to its seven layers of anti-reflective coating.

The iPhone 17 now also boasts an improved dual camera system with its new 48-megapixel 'Fusion' lens. Sitting in a vertical pill-like configuration, the bottom main lens has a 26mm focal length and a F.1.6 aperture, and sensor-shift optical image stabilisation. However, it also serves as a telephoto camera with a 2x optical zoom and a 52mm focal length.

The upper 48MP ultra-wide camera now offers four times the resolution to the iPhone 16's ultra-wide. It has a 13mm focal length, F.2.2 aperture and a 12MP 1x macro photography function with a 26mm focal length.

On top of that, Apple has boosted the front-facing camera to 18 megapixels, with a wider field of view thrown in to. And this lets users take both landscape and portrait photos without needing to turn the phone horizontally. The real upgrade here, though, is the AI-powered Center Stage feature, which automatically expands the field of view to better capture groups of people posing for a selfie snap.

Last, but certainly not least, Apple has made some serious improvements to both the battery and charging capabilities of its baseline handset.

Apple states that the improved efficiency of the A19 chip over its predecessor sees the iPhone 17 deliver "all-day" battery life – promising 30 hours of video playback. That's six more than the iPhone 16.

In our iPhone 17 review, we stated that video playback numbers don't easily translate to daily use, but we found that the iPhone 17 easily lasted all day on a consistent basis, even with the Always-On display turned on.

However, our favourite upgrade when it comes to battery is the improved charging ability of the 17. You'll need to use an optional high-wattage USB-C power adapter like Apple’s new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter to make the most of it, but the iPhone 17 boasts up to 40W fast charging when wired – reaching 80% in under an hour.

The iPhone 17 comes in only two models – 256GB and 512GB, and if unless you really need the cameras or power of the iPhone 17 Pro, it's easily one of the best upgrades from Apple in recent memory.

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