Updated September 27
• The standard iPhone 17 model should get a 120Hz ProMotion display.
• The iPhone 17 Pro Max could feature 12GB of RAM.
• Analyst Jeff Pu sent out a note to investors with huge optimism for the iPhone 17's features and upgrades.
The iPhone 16 may have just arrived, but that doesn't mean work isn't already underway on the iPhone 17 that will be replacing it in just a year's time. And just as phone makers are constantly working on the next version of their flagship device, rumor mongers are trying to uncover all the details about that phone ahead of its launch.
We may be a year away from laying eyes on the iPhone 17, but some initial rumors about the upcoming phone have emerged. Granted, we don't have anywhere close to a clear picture of what Apple's planning, but the details we have seen raise some interesting questions about how significant the 2025 iPhone update will be.
Here’s what we know so far about the iPhone 17:
iPhone 17: Potential price and release date
With iPhones, it’s pretty easy to guess the release date. For more than a decade, every numbered iPhone has been revealed in September (barring the iPhone 12, which was pushed back a month due to COVID-19). In other words, it’s extremely likely the iPhone 17 will be unveiled in September 2025, with a release a week or so afterward.
The iPhone 16 certainly fit that pattern, with Apple holding an event on September 9. The four new models hit stores on September 20.
The price of the iPhone 17 is far harder to pin down this far in advance. We now know that Apple didn't raise prices on this year's iPhone models, with the iPhone 16 starting at $799 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max topping the lineup at $1,199. For now, we'd assume those prices will remain in place for the iPhone 17, but a lot can happen between now and September 2025.
There’s talk of an iPhone 17 Slim replacing the ‘Plus’ model, which reliable leaker Ice Universe claims to be coming in 2025 alongside the other models. More on that below, but one pricing detail now: it will be expensive, with one report suggesting it could cost more than the $1,199 Pro Max models.
iPhone 17 rumored specs
iPhone 17 Slim joins the lineup
The iPhone 17 Slim is rumored to be just what the name suggests: a new, thinner version of the iPhone. Bloomberg’s well-connected reporter Mark Gurman believes this is part of a plan to make “a new class of Apple devices that should be the thinnest and lightest products in the whole tech industry.”
The iPhone 17 Slim will apparently sport a 6.6-inch display, and it could feature a redesign reminiscent of how the iPhone X shook up the iPhone lineup when it dropped the Home button and introduced the notch in 2018. That said, talks of it being aluminum rather than Titanium are a touch worrying considering the price talk being bandied about.
Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the iPhone 17 Slim will prioritize being thin above all else, the the point where the phone may only have a single main camera lens. While that seems like a really strange and disappointing downgrade to have, Kuo later claimed that the phone could be one of the first iPhones with an Apple-made modem.
To make way for the iPhone 17 Slim, analyst Jeff Pu claims there will be no iPhone 17 Plus. That’s a pity, given the rumored high price for the Slim and given our positive review of the iPhone 16 Plus, but it’s not entirely unexpected. Reportedly, the iPhone Plus series hasn’t been that much more successful than the iPhone mini, which flopped.
iPhone 17: Design and display
Beyond the Slim, it doesn’t sound like the iPhone 17 will change much in terms of looks. According to analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 17 will still be a 6.1-inch device, with no plans to grow an extra 0.2 inches like this year’s Pro models. While Pu claims Dynamic Island will shrink on the iPhone 17 Pro, the regular model will remain the same.
But despite the similar look, two things may change for the better. The first is that for the first time, the basic iPhone 17 may benefit from the 120Hz ProMotion display for smoother performance and up to 120fps gameplay. (Additional reports on the 120Hz iPhone 17 display back up this claim.) The planned LTPO OLED panels will be able to drop to 1Hz with the always-on display, just like the Pro models.
Secondly, the screen itself may be a bit more robust. According to the leaker Instant Digital on Weibo, the iPhone 17’s panel will be “made of a super-hard AR [anti-reflective] layer” to make it “more scratch-resistant than you think.” Perhaps the days of needing a screen protector will soon be over?
iPhone 17: Performance and battery
Apple’s A-series chips are no slouch, offering some of the best smartphone performance available. The A18 Pro silicon powering the iPhone 16 Pro models has proven to be a particularly strong performer, as you can see in our iPhone 16 Pro benchmarks.
And yet, the A19 chipset you'd imagine that Apple will use in the iPhone 17 series could be a giant leap forward. It could be built to the 2nm process, meaning a greater transistor density for better performance and efficiency.
Greater efficiency means less power drain, which means better battery life. And on that note, Apple is tipped to be making a change with its iPhone 17 series, building its own batteries for the first time. The aim is reportedly to offer “significantly improved performance compared to the existing one”, which sounds extremely promising.
Analyst Jeff Pu has said the iPhone 17 could feature with 8GB RAM. However, in a report to investors, Pu said the iPhone 17 Pro models could come with 12GB RAM, a notable upgrade from the 8GB found in the current models — and probably a necessary boost given Apple's push into on-device artificial intelligence. Ming-Chi Kuo also thinks the higher-end iPhones will feature 12GB of RAM.
iPhone 17: Cameras
While the iPhone 17 Pro Max model is tipped to get three 48MP cameras, nothing has yet been revealed about the regular iPhone 17’s rear camera array. That might be because there’s no change from the iPhone 16’s 48MP primary lens and 12MP ultrawide, or nothing has yet leaked. We shall see.
One thing that has leaked is the word for an upgrade to the front-facing selfie camera. The analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is predicting a 24MP selfie camera for the iPhone 17 — a significant improvement on the 12MP TrueDepth Cam that’s been present since the iPhone 11 Pro Max. It's also speculated that we may see a camera lens with a variable aperture for the first time on an iPhone.
The iPhone 17 Slim, on the other hand, may only have two lenses at most, with some reports claiming it will be a single-camera phone in order to save space. You wonder how people will receive that, given the premium shoppers place on cameras when choosing a phone.
iPhone 17: Outlook
All in all, it sounds like the iPhone 17 will be a serious upgrade — especially if the 120Hz ProMotion display and 2nm system-on-chip come to pass.
The iPhone 16 phones released in September are certainly worthwhile upgrades, if not revolutionary ones, with Apple putting most of the emphasis on new AI features coming to the phone rather than significant hardware improvements. It sounds like the iPhone 17 lineup could be a departure from that, should it introduce an iPhone 17 Slim to the mix.
