It might feel like the iPhone 16 only just launched – probably because we’re still waiting on those long-teased Apple Intelligence features – but the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro are predicted to arrive in less than six months, and the rumour mill isn’t slowing down.
Speculation about the iPhone 17 started well before the iPhone 16 even launched, with early reports pointing to a super slim model dubbed the iPhone 17 Air, which would replace the iPhone 17 Plus – leaks around the upcoming handset have only gathered momentum since.
While some of Apple’s team is still grappling with the fallout from its delayed, artificially intelligent Siri – now set to arrive “in the coming year” – the tech giant is also busy putting the finishing touches on the iPhone 17. But will it live up to the hype? Here’s a round-up of all the latest leaks and rumours surrounding the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and the rumoured iPhone 17 Air.
Apple iPhone 17 release date: When will the new smartphones launch?
Of all the things that are easy to predict about the iPhone 17, the release date is by far the easiest. While Apple’s release strategy has shifted in recent months, its iPhone launches still happen every September like clockwork.
Apple almost always announces its new line of smartphones on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday in the second week of September. To give you an idea, the iPhone 16 was announced on Monday 9 September 2024, the iPhone 15 on Tuesday 5 September 2023, the iPhone 14 on Wednesday 7 September 2022, and the iPhone 13 on Tuesday 14 September 2021.
The newest iPhone is always then available to pre-order on the Friday of that same week, before releasing on general sale a week later. To break it down easy, I’m expecting Apple to unveil the iPhone 17 in the second week of September, probably sometime between 8 and 10 September, with pre-orders going live on Friday 12 September. The iPhone 17 lineup could then be released on Friday 19 September.
Apple iPhone 17 price: How much could the new handsets cost?
Apple iPhone pricing rumours are never all that reliable. Every year, leakers and analysts tell us that the iPhone will be going up in price, but they end up staying the same. Could that change this year?
Once again, an insider claimed on X (formerly Twitter) in December 2024 that iPhone 17 prices would be going up this year. Jong Wook Lee, a senior researcher at Samsung Securities Research Center, claimed that Apple’s iPhone prices were expected to increase last year with the iPhone 16, but they didn’t, leading to profit margins taking a hit, and so the analyst expects prices to rise for the iPhone 17 lineup.
However, the iPhone 17 Air, which is rumoured to replace Apple’s plus-size model, might be cheaper than many expect. According to a report published by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in March, the phone will cost the same price as the iPhone 16 Plus – that’s $899 in the US and £899 in the UK. A welcome rumour if it’s accurate.
I’d take iPhone pricing rumours with a pinch of salt. The iPhone 16 costs £799, the iPhone 16 Plus costs £899, the iPhone 16 Pro costs £999, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max costs £1,199 – the iPhone 17 lineup will likely cost the same.
Apple iPhone 17 design and display
Right now, rumours about the iPhone 17’s design are fairly thin on the ground, so I’d take everything here with a pinch of salt.
At the moment, the rumour gathering the most steam comes from Majin Bu, a leaker with a mixed track record, who claimed in September 2024 that Apple was prototyping an iPhone with the volume button and action button unified into one single button. It would be able to do all of the features of the three buttons in one, potentially in a similar way to how the camera control button works with its swipes and capacitive force gestures.
Another really early rumour from Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu, published in May last year, claimed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro will use a complex aluminium design instead of the titanium frame found on the 16 Pro. The 16 and 16 Plus already use aluminium, but the 16 Pro doesn’t. Pu did suggest the iPhone 17 Pro Max could maintain the titanium frame, however.
It’s a downgrade in materials that I’m hoping won’t come to fruition, but another report published by The Information in September adds credence to the leak and suggests that all four handsets will have an aluminium frame. The report states that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will also boast an aluminium upper back half, while the bottom half will be glass, reportedly because wireless charging doesn’t work with a metal rear.
Again, it would be a big downgrade from the all-glass rear on the iPhone 16 Pro line right now, depending on how it’s implemented. There will also be a larger rectangular camera bump, making the 17 Pro look more like a Google Pixel. In December, a semiconductor insider shared a render of what the new frame could look like on X.
In terms of the display, Jeff Pu claimed in the May 2024 report that the iPhone 17 lineup (with the exception of the iPhone 17 Air) will feature the same dimensions as the iPhone 16. If true, that means the iPhone 17’s display will measure 6.1in, the iPhone 17 Pro will feature the same 6.3in display and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will still measure 6.9in. Pu claims that the iPhone 17 displays will be more scratch-resistant and boast a more anti-reflective coating, however.
One early 2024 rumour from The Elec, a media outlet specialising in Korean electronics, claims that the non-Pro models will receive the Pro’s always-on display for the first time and that they’ll also get ProMotion LPTO technology, giving it a dynamic refresh rate.
But what about the iPhone 17 Air? There are a few design rumours about the alleged new slim-line device.
In March, Gurman claimed the iPhone 17 Air might feature the same camera control button found on the iPhone 16 and that the bezels will be as thin as the iPhone 16 Pro. Gurman also alleges that the iPhone 17 Air will boast a 6.6in display (0.1in smaller than the iPhone 16 Plus), but it could support 120Hz ProMotion and feature the Dynamic Island.
Apple iPhone 17 specs
While there have been a number of reports on the design of the iPhone 17, leaks about the iPhone 17’s specs are still fairly thin on the ground.
I expect the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will get an A19 Pro chipset, while the non-Pro model could get a less powerful A19 chip. According to Gurman, the iPhone 17 Air will house a standard A19 chip instead of an A19 Pro chip, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the non-Pro iPhone 17 follows suit. The insider also claims that the iPhone 17 Air will feature a C1 modem, and it won’t have a physical SIM card slot (no matter where you are in the world). It will be interesting to see if the iPhone 17 Pro line-up bumps the RAM up to 12GB for the Apple Intelligence features or sticks with 8GB like the iPhone 16 Pro.
Apple iPhone 17 camera
In an August 2024 report, Jeff Pu claimed in a research note that all four iPhone 17 models will feature a 24MP front-facing camera – a better lens than the 12MP front-facing camera on the iPhone 16. It’s a rumour made by reliable leaker Ming-Chi Kuo back in January 2024. And in October 2024, Pu added that the iPhone 17 Pro would feature a 48MP telephoto snapper.
In February 2025, Majin Bu showcased more renders of the iPhone 17 lineup, this time of the camera array. In the renders, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max can be seen with a triple camera system placed horizontally across the top. The base iPhone 17 will stick to its two vertical cameras, and the iPhone 17 Air will feature just one single camera. Mark Gurman claimed in March 2025 that this will be a 48MP camera on the iPhone 17 Air.
Apple iPhone 17 battery life
While you might think that a thinner iPhone 17 Air would mean a worse battery life, Mark Gurman claims that the battery life in the iPhone 17 Air will be “on par with current iPhones”, presumably the entry-level iPhone 16.
This will be achieved, he says, thanks to some hardware and software optimisations, including the use of Apple’s C1 modem – found in the iPhone 16e – a higher-density battery and the removal of an ultrawide camera providing more room inside the phone for something bigger.
The verdict: Apple iPhone 17 rumours
With rumours pointing to a slimmer iPhone 17 Air, design tweaks across the line-up and potential upgrades like a 48MP front camera and ProMotion trickling down to non-Pro models, the iPhone 17 could mark one of the more exciting updates in years – if the leaks hold true.
Pricing looks set to stay the same, but the move back to aluminium on the Pro models might feel like a step down, and the rumoured design change could be quite controversial. And, of course, Apple’s delayed Intelligence features still hang in the balance.
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