We’re halfway to the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. Here are the most compelling rumors so far that may push you to upgrade.
September is iPhone season. This year, rumors say we’ll see iPhone 17, iPhone 17 “Air,” iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Rumors have been swirling fast this year about the upcoming models. With many pro-level features trickling down and redesigns in the works, it’s going to be an interesting cycle.
Of everything we’ve heard, these are the rumors that been most compelling.
This new change may finally put an end to the constant feedback Apple faces every year. The base model phones will no longer be capped at 60Hz.
Apple will be bringing ProMotion to all iPhone 17 models with the ability to adjust the refresh rate on the fly, up to 120Hz.
The comments come every time we talk about or review base models. Many are indignant that a phone would ship with 60Hz in modern times.
We’ve long maintained your average user does not care about this. They don’t know their refresh rate, let alone get fired up at how low it is.
We still stand by that sentiment.
But what this does, is allow those who do care about this to get on a more affordable device. And that’s certainly a win.
48MP telephoto
Apple is finally getting around to upgrading that third camera on iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Completing the trio of shooters.
The new pro-level phones will have three 48MP cameras
All three rear-facing cameras will be 48MP. Right now, only the ultra wide and wide lenses are 48MP while the tele lens is 12MP.
This means not only will we get higher resolution zoom shots, but we could get more digital zoom at the same time. You’ll be able to crop in and still have a usable image.
It’s not going to be 100X zoom that are on some Android devices, but this will be more practical and increase the look of all telephoto shots.
All-new Air model
One of the biggest ways Apple will spur upgrades is with a whole new device. Speculatively named the iPhone 17 “Air” or iPhone 17 “Slim.”
This phone will replace the existing Plus model, as it’s the lowest performing model of the lineup with reportedly only 8% of iPhone 16 sales.
A mockup of the iPhone 17 Air
Apple will hope to woo customers with a more affordable price point than the Pro duo in a new super-slim design.
Recently, Samsung revealed its prototype Galaxy S25 Edge. While not official, it seems to be roughly 5.8mm thick.
The iPhone 16 Pro (left) and the rumored thickness of the iPhone 17 Air (right)
There’s been plenty of speculation on how thick the iPhone 17 Air will be, but the latest say Apple may be targeting a thickness of 5.5mm.
Comparably, the iPhone 16 Pro is 8.25mm. 5.5mm would shave off more than a third of this.
Before everyone assumes “Bendgate 2.0” is coming, Apple tests these things. It knows what people are saying and will be amply prepared.
Sure, it will be guaranteed to bend with enough force, but the new design and middle-of-the-road price tag will probably make it incredibly popular.
Upgraded cooling system
Before you skip past the new cooling system, hear us out. It’s much more important than its boring name implies.
It’s no secret that iPhones get very warm, which impacts everything from performance to battery life. Apple finally got serious about this with the iPhone 16 lineup, which does stay cooler than previous models.
But the iPhone 17 will go even further with a vapor cooling chamber. These are liquid-filled blocks inside the device that replace a traditional heatsink
How vapor cooling chambers work. Source: Celsia Inc.
When heated, the liquid evaporates and moves around the chamber as vapor, spreading the heat around. That vapor condenses down to a cooler liquid, which returns to a wick structure to be heated again at the source.
If your phone runs cooler, it will charge faster, battery will last longer, it will keep higher sustained performance, and high-end games will maintaining better performance and higher frame rates.
A new thermal system doesn’t sound like something fun, but — holy smokes — does it have a lot of implications in use.
A19 chipset
Speaking of performance, we’ll also have Apple’s latest silicon – the A19 and A19 Pro.
By the sounds of it, the iPhone 17 and 17 Air will use the A19 while the A19 Pro will be yet again reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Playing Assassin’s Creed on iPhone 16 Pro
Early on, it seemed the A19 chips would rely on a new 2nm process. But yields aren’t up to snuff yet, meaning it may not yet be feasible for Apple to use.
Even if Apple doesn’t move to 2nm in 2025, the new processors are always one of the reasons to upgrade.
They include so many crucial elements of the phone from the Thunderbolt controller for the Pro phones, to the Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence, to the ISP for picture quality.
It includes the memory too, which will increase to 12GB on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, sticking with 8GB for the others.
Rest assured, Apple will make a big deal about the upgraded performance of the whole iPhone 17 lineup. If you have an older phone, faster may be what you’re looking for.
Always-on display
Backtracking, we need to revisit that new universal ProMotion display. Everyone talks about the higher 120Hz refresh rate, but equally important is the lower frame rates.
This is what enables your phone to save battery life and to even support the always-on display. You’ll finally be able to see your battery, widgets, and more while your phone is in its “off” state, just like the Pro phones.
StandBy mode can be always on for all phones
Even better – StandBy mode will now always be on. Right now, users put their phones in StandBy mode only to have it automatically shut off after a few moments.
The only way for it to stay on is for the phone to have an always-on display. And the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 air will get that.
Redesigned Pro models
Early on, the purported iPhone 17 Air gave us pause. It was going to have this big redesign, but would be priced below the Pro phones.
We’d be surprised if Apple reinvigorated the budget models without also giving some sort of new design to the Pro phones too.
Majin Bu shares a rumored redesign coming to the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro
According to Ming Chi Kuo, and the sometimes reliable Majin Bu, Apple may be doing just that.
The two pro-level phones will get a new aesthetic that has a primarily glass back with a metal camera bump on the top. That camera bump will also run the full width of the phone, rather than be left-aligned.
This will help visually distinguish them from older models and will be the first change to the back of the iPhone since the iPhone X era.
There’s been much debate on how this will look, how the cameras will be oriented, but the rumor seems to be catching on as we inch towards release.
New front-facing camera
Finally, Apple is also finally ready to upgrade the front-facing camera on all four models. Apple used to use a 7MP camera until the iPhone 11 when it finally moved to a 12MP sensor.
But that was the last real upgrade. Now they will all reportedly have 24MP sensors, doubling the resolution.
The selfie camera will be getting a long-awaited upgrade
Selfies are really important for users. We have many treasured photos ourselves of our partners and kids that while heartwarming, are technically bad photos.
They always suffer in low light and 12MP isn’t much when the other cameras are all going to be at 48MP. We also love how this won’t be gatekept behind the Pro models.
More “Pro” for less
We’re going to have vapor cooling, promotion, A19 chip, better front-facing camera, and an always-on display for the non-pro phones. That is going to make them a lot more compelling to users.
While many will still be excited for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Air, the inclusion of all these “pro” features and the iPhone 17 Air, we may see more people upgrade than usual for the lower-cost devices.
Stay tuned to find out how things come together.
