iPhone 17 rumors — everything we know so far

With the iPhone 16e now on sale and and an iOS 26 developer preview ready to download, our attention for the next big iPhone launch can turn to the iPhone 17. Apple's annual fall iPhone launch may still be months away, but that's not stopping the steady stream of rumors telling us what to expect from this year's phones.

And those rumors predict big changes for the iPhone this fall. Apple's standard iPhone 17 is in line to get some long-awaited improvements, and we're expecting camera upgrades for the Pro models. Meanwhile, the fall could bring an entirely new iPhone to the mix — a thinner model that replaces the Plus-sized iPhone Apple has offered the past three years.

Here’s what we know so far about the iPhone 17 based on some of the early rumors surrounding this year's upcoming phones.

iPhone 17 cheat sheet: The biggest rumors

• Four new models are expected — a standard iPhone 17, two iPhone 17 Pro models and a new iPhone 17 Air
• Prices are in flux due to Trump administration tariff policies
• The iPhone 17 is tipped to get a fast-refreshing display
• The iPhone 17 display could expand to match the Pro model's 6.3-inch panel
• The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could get a 48MP telephoto lens
• The Pro models may also sport a redesigned camera array
• The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be an ultra-thin iPhone model

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 release date will fall in September, with an event happening within the first two weeks of the month.

The iPhone 16 certainly fit that pattern, with Apple holding an event on September 9, 2024. The four new models hit stores on September 20. And Mark Gurman, a man with a lot of knowledge of Apple's secrets, believes a date between September 8 and 12 is the most likely launch date for the iPhone 17.

The price of the iPhone 17 is far harder to pin down this far in advance, especially with tariffs pushed by the Trump administration potentially throwing the prices of tech into flux. And now President Trump is specifically threatening Apple with a 25% tariff unless it moves iPhone production to the U.S. — something that's very unlikely to happen.

Apple didn't raise prices on its last iPhone models, with the iPhone 16 starting at $799 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max topping the lineup at $1,199. The iPhone 16e released this spring wasn't so lucky — at $599, it costs $179 more than the iPhone SE model it replaces, though the 16e does include support for Apple Intelligence features.

Unfortunately, the first iPhone flagship price hike in eight years could be coming later this year, according to one analyst. And now the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is mulling over price hikes for its new phones.

There’s talk of an iPhone 17 Air replacing the Plus model, which reliable leaker Ice Universe claims to be coming this year alongside the other models. We'll discuss that in greater depth below, but opinion on price is divided, with some suggesting it could cost more than the $1,199 Pro Max models while other reports point to the iPhone 16 Plus' $899 price as a guide.

iPhone 17 rumored specs

iPhone 17 Air joins the lineup

The iPhone 17 Air — previously thought to be called the iPhone 17 Slim — will supposedly offer iPhone fans a new, thinner version of Apple's smartphone. 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 iOS 26 beta also contains a wallpaper that seemingly confirms the existence of an iPhone 17 Air, fueling further speculation that the device will ship this fall.

The iPhone 17 Air will apparently sport a 6.6-inch or 6.7-inch display and a full-length camera bar with a single lens. That screen is supposed to be OLED with a resolution of 1,290 x 2,796 — slightly smaller than the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to be.

The phone may also 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.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the iPhone 17 Air will prioritize being thin above all else, to the point where the phone may only have a single main camera lens. The latest rumors suggest that the phone could be as little as 5.5mm thick, though the camera bump may push the top part of the phone up to 9.5mm.

Apple debuted a new C1 5G modem with the iPhone 16e, and that will apparently come to the iPhone 17 Air, but no other iPhone 17 models. But all iPhone 17s should receive new Wi-Fi 7 modems, also made by Apple. Still, with rumors pointing to a 2,800 mAh battery for the Air, the new phone could struggle to provide comparable battery life to the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup.

When the iPhone 17 Air debuts, it will have a rival waiting for it. The Galaxy S25 Edge is now available in stores, and the $1.099 phone is just 5.8mm thin at its thinnest point. Read our Galaxy S25 Edge vs. iPhone 17 Air for an early look at how the two models could compare.

iPhone 17: Design and display

Beyond the Air, the iPhone 17 may not change all that much in terms of its overall look. While some initial reports claimed the standard model would still feature a 6.1-inch screen, a subsequent report now suggests the iPhone 17 will match the 6.3-inch panel Apple uses on its smallest Pro model

There's been a lot of debate about the Dynamic Island feature — specifically the idea that a new "metalens" for Face ID would make the Dynamic Island smaller. Originally, rumors suggested that would only happen on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but now Jeff Pu believes the metalens feature will come to all iPhone 17 models.

Some leakers believe Apple will change up the back design by expanding the camera block sideways — at least on the Pro models. Dummy models and Leaked case designs allegedly for the iPhone 17 Pro models give us a sense of what that could look like.

A hands-on video with what appears to be an iPhone 17 Pro Max dummy unit suggests that phone could be thicker than the current Pro Max — around 8.7mm thick compared to 8.25mm for the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The standard iPhone 17 could be in line for one of the bigger additions — a 120Hz ProMotion display for smoother performance and up to 120fps gameplay. The claim, backed up by a late December 2024 supply chain report, would mean the iPhone 17 would finally have a refresh rate on par with Apple's Pro models — and practically ever other flagship handset. The planned LTPO OLED panels will be able to drop to 1Hz with the always-on display, just like the Pro models.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman — who has a good track record with iPhone forecasts — is the latest to say that the iPhone 17 will feature a ProMotion display, which is how Apple brands screens with fast refresh rates. Korean publication ETNews also reports that all iPhone 17 models will get 120Hz displays this year.

However, at least one leaker expects the iPhone 17 screen not to match the panel on the Pro models, even though it will support a 120Hz refresh rate. That may suggest the display won't match the Pro model's power efficiency or brightness, but it strikes us as a very vague claim.

Early leaks claimed Apple would equip the Pro models with a new display that was more scratch-resistant and offered anti-glare technology. But recent reports have suggested that improvement is being scrapped due to production issues.

Another thing that's unclear 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 color rumors are only beginning to emerge, with an early report suggesting that lavender will join black and gray among the color options. We'd expect a few more hues to be a part of the iPhone 17 options, while the Pro models will likely feature different, more textured colors.

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. Now it looks a 2nm chip is set for the iPhone 18 Pro in 2026 instead.

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.

We should note that at least one analyst says the standard iPhone 17 model will continue to use the A18 chipset found in the current iPhone 16 models. Apple tried that a few years ago with the iPhone 14, though the chipset powering that phone at least offered an upgraded GPU.

At least there's some good news on the performance front. A report claims every iPhone 17 model will adopt vapor chamber technology designed to keep the new models from overheating. The new setup would replace the standard heat syncs used by current iPhones and address problem that past models have had with getting too hot and suffering from performance dips as a result. Subsequent reports have suggested this feature is slated for the Pro models only, though, with leaked pictures showing off that vapor chamber feature.

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, allegedly 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.

On the charging front, the iPhone 17 lineup could be in for a boost in charging speeds. Regulatory filings for the MagSafe chargers show support for the Qi 2.2 wireless charging standard that will bring support for faster charging — they could be in place by the time the iPhone 17 models ship.

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.

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.

One potential caveat to that 48MP telephoto lens rumor, though — it could come at the expense of the iPhone 17 Pro's zoom capabilities. A report claims that an upgrade to a 48MP sensor is in the works for both the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, but that the new lens would only support a 3.5x optical zoom and not the 5x zoom found on the current models.

The iPhone 17 Air, on the other hand, looks to only have one camera, with the main lens pulling double-duty to offer optical quality zooms as the main camera on the iPhone 16 does. You wonder how people will receive that, given the premium shoppers place on cameras when choosing a phone.

As for new camera features, Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech claims the iPhone 17 Pro models will offer dual video recording, which would let you capture video from the front and rear cameras simultaneously. The feature would also come in handy on FaceTime calls, letting you film yourself with your TrueDepth camera while also letting other people see video captured by your phone's rear camera.

iPhone 17: Software

It's a pretty safe bet that the iPhone 17 models will debut with Apple's newly revealed phone software, iOS 26. (Yes, Apple is going with years instead of version numbers, which is why this update isn't being called iOS 19.) As expected, the biggest focus is on a new Liquid Glass redesign that's being applied to all of Apple's software.

While Apple Intelligence isn't as much of a focus in this year's update, there are some AI-powered improvements including new call screening features in the Phone app, support for live translations and Visual Intelligence improvement that lets you search the contents of your iPhone screen. Improvements to Siri may not surface until 2026, though.

iPhone 17: Outlook

All in all, it sounds like the iPhone 17 will be a serious upgrade — especially if the 120Hz ProMotion display and performance upgrades come to pass.

The iPhone 16 phones released last 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 Air to the mix.