The iPhone 17 series is one of the most ambitious releases from Apple in recent years. It features noticeable upgrades to the base iPhone 17, a new design for the iPhone 17 Pro, and an all-new iPhone Air that is a joy to hold. If Apple’s current delivery timelines are any indication, the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro are off to a strong start, making for great upgrades for older iPhone users. Those of us using an Android flagship are unlikely to switch to the iPhone 17 series, partly due to our allegiance to Android. But what if the iPhone 17 series ran Android instead of iOS? Would you consider picking one up then, instead of a flagship from Samsung or Google? For the sake of this discussion, we’ll presume that the hardware of the iPhone 17 series (and its performance) remains unchanged even when it runs Android. That means users still get access to the Apple A19 and A19 Pro SoCs, which are among the fastest smartphone processors. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is here to give it some competition, but if history is any indication, the A17 Pro is likely to maintain its lead. For Android users seeking raw, benchmark-beating performance, this hypothetical Android-based iPhone 17 Pro would be the ideal phone to purchase. The iPhone 17 series also starts at 256GB storage, which would help justify the pricing against its Android peers.