Design
Leaked renders show the iPhone 17 design sporting a new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners spanning the width of the back of the device. This design change is expected to appear on all iPhone models with the exception of the iPhone 17 base model.
One rumour suggested that Apple will replace the titanium framing on their Pro models, opting for a half aluminium, half glass back design. If we believe the leaked reports, the only iPhone from this year's range to feature a titanium frame will be the new iPhone 17 Air.
There’s also speculation that a smaller Dynamic Island could appear on the iPhone 17 series due to new compact metalens technology, but as to how big of change this is, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Finally, the all-important colours. The standard iPhone 17 model is expected to launch in black, white, steel grey, green, purple and light blue colourways, while the Pro range will be available in black, white, grey, dark blue and orange. The new iPhone 17 Air is expected to come in black, white, light blue and light gold.
Display
Rumours claim the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro will have a screen size of 6.3 inches and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a screen size of 6.9 inches. The iPhone 17 Air could feature a 6.6-inch display. For reference, the iPhone 16 had a display size of 6.1 inches and the iPhone 16 Plus had a screen size of 6.7 inches.
Camera
iPhone camera technology is so good already that it’s hard to see how much better it can get… but that won’t stop Apple from trying!
Exciting rumours for the iPhone 17 series suggest that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to include three 48MP cameras, making it the first iPhone to offer this setup. Plus, all 17 series models could have an upgraded 24MP front-facing camera, doubling the iPhone 16’s 12MP front camera.
Performance
Like last year, leaks claim that the iPhone 17 series will all receive the A19 chipset. However, Apple still intends to differentiate the Pro models and their chipset by giving the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max an upgraded A17 Pro chip, while the standard iPhone 17 will get the regular A18 chip. Surprisingly, the iPhone 17 Air may also get the A19 Pro chip, but with a smaller 5-core GPU compared to the Pro models’ 6-core GPU.
What won’t we get
Rumours of an all-screen iPhone have persisted for years but leaked renders and screenshots suggest that 2025 won’t be the year for that. Sources claim that Apple is working on housing the front camera and Face ID under the display, but we’ll have to wait some more before we see this on the market.
Another rumour we definitely won’t see this year is a foldable iPhone. While a few Android manufacturers have released foldable devices already, Apple often waits a few years until they’re happy their version of the tech is perfect before releasing it to the public. A foldable iPhone is almost inevitable at some stage, but you’ll have to wait a year or two yet!
