Updated December 16
• New renders show us what could become of a rumored iPhone 17 Pro Max redesign
• Watch out for the first iPhone price hike in a long time with the iPhone 17
• iPhone 17 pro could get a display upgrade for better durability and performance
• One rumor insists that iPhone 17 Pro will still use titanium after all
• iPhone 17 Pro will reportedly swap the titanium frame for aluminum
• A leaked frame suggests Apple could redesign the iPhone 17 Pro camera array
• iPhone 17 Slim may skip out on the telephoto camera lens
We're already looking toward the launch of the iPhone 17, even though we're still the best part of a year away from its launch. The iPhone 16 is still pretty new, but the iPhone 17 line-up could change a lot.
Initial rumors are pointing to a more expensive series of phones, but one with a brand new slim model on offer, more camera upgrades for the Pro models and even better performance. Rumors at this point still offer contradictions and some absurd-sounding details, but as we get closer to launch, hopefully we'll get more leaks that will help us sort fact from fiction.
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. Unfortunately, the first price hike in eight years could be coming in 2025, after the iPhone 16 narrowly avoided the price increase according to one analyst.
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.
Rumors covering this redesign claim that Apple could shift the camera array to the center of the iPhone 17 design. Or at least that's what leakers claim when they show off new frame components. Renders from Russian YouTuber Wylsacom show off what this new design could look like — and it's very reminiscent of Google's Pixels.
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.) Another report in November reiterated this, suggesting that the standard iPhone 17 could inherit the ProMotion, 120Hz display of the Pro series. 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.
Leaker Jukanlosreve later claimed that Apple would add new "Low-Dielectric TEE" technology to iPhone 17 Pro's display. This tech will apparently offer better power efficiency, more durable displays and overall better display performance.
One thing that isn't clear is whether the Pro models will utilize titanium in their frames again. While it makes sense that Apple would retain the premium metal, some rumors claim that Apple will be swapping in aluminum — a much cheaper and far less durable material. Others have disputed this, however.
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 was initially reported that the new chips could be built to the 2nm process, meaning a greater transistor density for better performance and efficiency. However later reports have debunked this, insisting that 2nm chips won't be arriving until the launch of the iPhone 18.
That said, the A19 chips may still benefit from TSMC's third generation 3nm process. This is said to offer better transistor density compared to the 2nd gen process used to build the A18 chips. This would improve performance and energy efficiency, though not to the same extent as a drop to 2nm would.
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.
Noted leaker Majin Bu has said the entire iPhone 17 could use a new glue to hold the batteries in place, making them easier to replace without risking damage to their devices. Apple previously used this same tech on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, but it seems ready to roll it out to all four phones in the iPhone 17 line.
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.
Given how the iPhone 16 Pro models only saw an upgrade to their ultrawide cameras, these upgrades to their telephoto and selfie cameras could be enough to keep the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max in contention for some of the best camera phones around.
The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max could also ditch the rounded square camera array that Apple's used since the iPhone 11 Pro, adopting a horizontal camera array similar to the Pixel 9 Pro, according to several leakers.
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.
