iPhone 17 Pro rumored release date, specs, price, colors and all the new features

Update: Follow our iPhone 17 event live blog for all the big news as it's announced!

Today we should see the iPhone 17 Pro launch, likely one of the most anticipated phones of the year, if not one of the best phones. 

A new design with the rear camera block stretched the full length of the iPhone 17 Pro will contain more significant upgrades like an 8x telephoto camera, a cooling vapor chamber to keep performance steady, and a brighter display with an anti-reflective coating. You can read about these and more below, but keep an eye on our live blog linked above to hear when Apple finally confirms this phone and its features.

iPhone 17 Pro cheat sheet

• A new design with a rectangular camera array
• Aluminum frames possibly replacing titanium
• A19 Pro chip built on a next-gen 3nm process
• Vapor chamber cooling to combat overheating
• 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB
• A 48MP telephoto lens with a 3.5x optical zoom, replacing the 12MP zoom lens with 5x zoom
• An upgraded 24MP front camera
• iOS 26 software featuring a massive redesign

iPhone 17 Pro: possible release date and price

Forget about guessing as to when we'll see the iPhone 17 Pro. Apple has sent out invites to its upcoming 'Awe Dropping' event for Tuesday, September 9 — which was previously tipped by Mark Gurman and a report out of Germany. We've got a guide on how to watch the iPhone 17 launch event along with our iPhone 17 live blog with the most up-to-date news.

Now that date is official and the iPhone 17 Pro figures to be among the rumored devices debuting next week, we'd guess that you'll be able to lay your hands on a new iPhone on Friday, September 19. That would match up previous release dates Apple has done with its iPhones.

Pricing is a lot harder to forecast, and not just because nothing's official until Apple says it is. Amid uncertainty over tariffs all year long, the Wall Street Journal has since reported that Apple is mulling over a price hike on the iPhone 17 models. An earlier analyst report claims price hikes of $50 on each model.

However, the latest report looks grim for the iPhone 17 Pro as it's tipped to get a price hike of $200. That effectively would put it at $1,199, while the same report indicates the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be $1,299. It's not what people want, but it looks like it'll come with double the starting storage space of 256GB.

iPhone 17 Pro: design and display

The iPhone 17 Pro could be in for a major design change, at least when it comes to the backside of the phone.

On the iPhone 16 Pro, the rear cameras are housed in a square camera array in the left upper corner of the phone. However, everything from leaked CAD designs to apparent iPhone 17 Pro cases have suggested that Apple is extending that array across the length of its Pro models.

The lenses would still be arranged in a triangular pattern in the left corner, but other sensors would appear on the opposite end of the phone. The proposed look is similar to what Google offers with the horizontal camera bar on its Pixel 9 flagships, though renders depict a thicker camera bar on Apple's phone.

As noted, leaked cases for the iPhone 17 Pro feature a cutout for the elongated camera array. And additional case leaks have hinted that case makers are working on customized camera covers that take advantage of the expanded space between the lenses and the sensors in the revamped camera array.

We've also seen these designs appear in dummy form, such as from AppleTrack, which match these earlier leaks and show how everything looks in 3D.

Note that Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has dismissed rumors that Apple would adopt a two-color tone for the array and the back of the phone, saying instead that the array is likely to be the same color.

As for other potential design changes, analyst Jeff Pu initally claimed that the Dynamic Island would be smaller on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but now he's amended that to cover all iPhone models including the iPhone 17 Pro.

Apple currently uses titanium frames in its Pro models, and there's been some talk that the iPhone 17 Pro would swap in aluminum instead. Other leaked claims say that Apple will stick with titanium going forward, though it's possible that Apple will use titanium in its new iPhone 17 Air, while turning to another material for the Pro models.

While the iPhone 16 Pro introduced a larger display — it grew to 6.3 inches compared to the 6.1-inch panel on its predecessor — the iPhone 17 Pro doesn't figure to make any such change to its screen. In fact, it's the iPhone 17 that could get a larger display, matching the 6.3-inch size of the Pro model.

One leaker had suggested that Apple will turn to "Low-Dielectric TEE" technology for the iPhone 17 Pro display to improve power efficiency and make the screen more durable. But a more recent report has indicated that Apple won't add that new anti-scratch, anti-glare display on either iPhone 17 Pro model.

The current iPhone 17 color rumors show the Pro models in black, white, gray, dark blue and orange. However, a late-breaking report claims that black may not be an option for the iPhone 17 Pro Max (and presumably the iPhone 17 Pro if Apple keeps colors consistent on its Pro phones).

iPhone 17 Pro: cameras

After the iPhone 16 Pro introduced a 48MP ultrawide lens alongside a faster 48MP main Fusion camera, there's only one lens left to upgrade on the iPhone 17 Pro. And rumors suggest the telephoto camera could get a resolution boost, though it may come with a caveat.

Rumors tip the iPhone 17 Pro to feature a 48MP zoom lens, giving the phone a trio of 48MP rear camera sensors across the board. However, that improvement could come at the expense of zoom capabilities, as a report claims the new lens would support a 3.5x optical zoom. The iPhone 16 Pro offers a 5x zoom.

A more encouraging report claims that the Pro models will now feature an 8x zoom. That same report predicts a second Camera Control button on the iPhone 17 Pro plus a new Pro camera app.

Meanwhile, the front camera could be due for an upgrade, though that change will reportedly happen for every iPhone 17 model. The TrueDepth camera on this year's iPhones could use a 24MP sensor instead of the 12MP shooter Apple's relied on for years.

New camera features typically don't leak out until just before a phone's launch, but Front Page Tech's Jon Prosser says the iPhone 17 Pro models will gain dual video capture capabilities.

That means you'll be able to record video from both the front and back cameras. The feature could be particularly useful on FaceTime calls, where you can record yourself with the front camera while use a rear camera to show what you're looking at to anyone on the other end of the video call.

iPhone 17 Pro: performance

For the iPhone 17 Pro, we expect an A19 Pro system-on-chip to power the phone. If Apple takes the same approach it did with the A18 silicon, that would mean an extra graphic core for the Pro version of the A19 chips.

Initial rumors suggested that the A19 silicon would be built on a 2nm process, which would mean more densely packed transistors resulting in better performance and power efficiency. Lately, though, rumors have said that Apple's chip-building partner will use a new generation of its 3nm process, which should deliver some improvements over the A18 Pro silicon in the current Pro models. Reports now suggest the iPhone 18 Pro models will be the first iPhones to get 2nm chipsets.

Apple includes 8GB of RAM on its current iPhones. Analyst Jeff Pu has raised the possibility of the iPhone 17 Pro models adding more memory to reach 12GB. Such a move would help with Apple's push to add more on-device artificial intelligence.

To help keep its phones from overheating, Apple is said to be working on a vapor cooling chamber, which would replace the standard heatsinks found in Apple's current phones. A photo showing off that vapor chamber has surfaced as has a leaked diagram, adding to the speculation that this feature will come to pass. It looks like only the Pro models will offer vapor cooling.

iPhone 17 Pro: battery

The larger iPhone 16 Pro design allowed Apple to use a larger 3,582 mAh battery in that phone. Though the screen size is staying the same for the iPhone 17 Pro, it sounds like Apple figured out a way to include a larger battery, with regulatory filings claiming that the new phone will feature a 3,988 mAh power pack in the model with a physical SIM. The battery could expand to more than 4,000 mAh for an eSIM phone.

One thing that could change on the power front would be a boost to the iPhone 17 Pro's charging speeds from the 20W maximum that Apple's phones have been stuck at for years.

A research note from February claims charging speeds on the iPhone 17 lineup could increase to 35W. That's still a far cry from what phones like the Galaxy S25 Ultra offer with their 45W wired charging speeds, but it's still a definite improvement.

Meanwhile regulatory filings indicate a Qi2 wireless charging upgrade bringing faster speeds could be in place for the iPhone 17 lineup to benefit from. Additionally, another report hints at a long awaited feature, reverse wireless charging, could finally make its debut with the iPhone 17 Pros.

iPhone 17 Pro: software

Apple has taken the wraps off iOS 26, previewing the software during its WWDC 2025 event. This software will almost certainly appear on the iPhone 17 Pro when the phone ships, and it delivers a new Liquid Glass design that takes its cues from Apple's visionOS software.

In addition to the new look, there are the usual round of updates to existing apps, along with the addition of a new Games app that organizes all your mobile gaming activity in one place.

Apple Intelligence features aren't getting the kind of hype they did a year ago, but Apple is adding to the suite of AI tools on its phones. You'll get live translation tools for phone calls, FaceTime sessions and text messaging, and Apple is adding call screening features as well. Visual Intelligence will now be able to look up information that's captured on your iPhone screen, too.

iPhone 17 Pro: outlook

If most of these iPhone 17 Pro rumors pan out, it doesn't sound like Apple is going to stop lavishing attention on its Pro models. Potential camera improvements and a new design lead the changes we've heard about so far, and other potential improvements could emerge in the months between now and the launch of the new Apple phones.

All eyes figure to be on the iPhone 17 Pro's price and what impact tariffs may have on the cost of upgrading your phone in the fall. While that issue remains as unsettled as ever, mounting evidence suggests this fall's iPhone could cost more than ever.

With an iPhone launch event looming, we'll soon have a better idea if the iPhone 17 Pro has what it takes to be a best phone contender.

More from Tom's Guide

• Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote will be the most important one in years — here's why
• iPhone 17 Pro Max rumors — everything we know so far
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