We've heard all kinds of rumors about the iPhone 17 Pro so far, but now it sounds like there may be an extra display upgrade. According to a source speaking to MacRumors, Apple suppliers might have finally figured out how to mass produce anti-reflective glass — and we could see it on some of the 2025 iPhones.
We've heard various leaks about anti-reflective coating on iPhones for a while, including the possibility of it landing on the iPhone 17 series. Last we heard, Apple had killed the feature, in part because of the amount of time needed to coat the glass with the new coating.
Clearly those problems have been figured out. Or at least Apple's able to produce enough anti-glare screens that it can add them to both iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The report claims the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air won't be quite so lucky.
The obvious benefits to this new display is that iPhone 17 Pro should finally be able to handle bright light a lot better. By reducing the glare reflected back at the user, it should allow them to see what's on screen with greater ease — even without the display brightness ramped up.
The obvious benefits to this new display is that iPhone 17 Pro should finally be able to handle bright light a lot better.
Other phone companies employ this kind of technology on their phones, notably Samsung. However Samsung has had issues with the anti-glare coating peeling off after an extended period of time. Hopefully Apple's process doesn't suffer the same issues a year or two down the line.
Past reports also suggest that the new coating may improve the durability of iPhone screens, including improved scratch resistance. Considering how well the current Ceramic Shield technology holds up to damage, that's really quite impressive.
Personally as someone with an iPad that also lacks the anti-glare glass coating, I find that external lights can really ruin the experience. So the sooner all iPhones get the new glass, the better. Sadly the non-Pro models may have to wait a year or two more — as is often the case.
We'll have to wait until September to find out for sure, and the current rumor is that the iPhone 17 series will debut on the week of September 8.
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