Usually, we wait till telephones are launched to check them, however Apple’s subsequent iPhone fashions are so eagerly awaited that we’ll make an exception. We’re basing our comparisons on probably the most credible rumors of what is coming within the iPhone 17 sequence, together with a possible superthin iPhone 17 Air, to present readers an early sense of how the brand new sequence of telephones might look. Final 12 months’s iPhone 16 sequence added a handful of upgrades on its predecessors, most notably the brand new Digicam Management key. Whereas the essential iPhone 16 and Plus fashions obtained a brand new ultrawide digicam and greater battery, as is typical with Apple’s telephones, the iPhone 16 Professional and Professional Max obtained the lion’s share of the enhancements with upgraded rear cameras, professional video recording modes and thinner bezels. Final 12 months’s iPhone upgrades are a template for what we anticipate within the iPhone 17 — here is how we anticipate these comparisons to shake out. The iPhone 16 Professional Max led the road. James Martin/CNETiPhone 17 value and launch dateApple historically holds its iPhone bulletins the primary Tuesday in September after Labor Day. This 12 months, that might be the primary Tuesday of the month (Sept. 2), so we would anticipate the reveal occasion on the subsequent day, Sept. 3, or the next Tuesday, Sept. 9. Quite a lot of rumors level to Sept. 9 being the day Apple holds its fall occasion.The iPhone all the time goes on sale the Friday of the week after it is introduced. Relying on which day it is introduced, that might imply the iPhone 17 launch date could be both Friday, Sept. 12 or 19.The iPhone 17 costs are up within the air, primarily because of tariffs. Elevated prices of imports imply Apple might elevate iPhone value tags, with Jefferies analyst Edison Lee predicting a $50 value hike throughout the lineup. If that is the case, then anticipated US beginning costs could possibly be as follows:iPhone 17: $829iPhone 17 Air: $979iPhone 17 Professional: $1,049iPhone 17 Professional Max: $1,249 The iPhone 16 launched the Digicam Management button. James Martin/CNETDesign and displayThe greatest change we anticipate within the iPhone 17’s design is in a single mannequin doubtlessly added to the lineup: the iPhone 17 Air. Following loads of rumors, the Air could be a thinner mannequin of the iPhone line akin to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which might deal with a thinner, lighter physique which may have decreased battery life as a consequence. CNET Senior Reporter Abrar Al-Heeti discovered that with the S25 Edge. The Air might take the place of the bigger Plus mannequin within the iPhone 17 lineup, although whether or not meaning the thinner cellphone can also be larger than the usual mannequin is way from sure.We have additionally heard rumors that the iPhone 17 line might swap from the sq. digicam block it is used for years to extra of a pill-shaped digicam bar that runs throughout the width of the cellphone’s physique. Leaker Majin Bu posted a leaked picture and CAD renders on X that present a in another way formed digicam setup for every cellphone. And case-maker Dbrand is preselling an iPhone 17 Professional Tank case that exhibits off the broader digicam bump as properly.iPhone 17 Lineup CAD pic.twitter.com/xednTkpJnq— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) February 23, 2025
A Bloomberg report in April affirmed that aside from the digicam block, the iPhone 17 lineup will look very similar to final 12 months’s telephones, not less than so far as rumors go, with the usual iPhone 17, Professional and Professional Max fashions largely unchanged from their iPhone 16 predecessors. Assuming Apple is not altering the sizes of the smartphones, anticipate the iPhone 17 to have a 6.1-inch show, the iPhone 17 Professional to get a 6.3-inch display screen and the iPhone 17 Professional Max a 6.9-inch show. The iPhone 17 Air’s dimension is unsure, however Apple does generally tend to retain cellphone sizes for years (simply take a look at the iPhone SE line utilizing the identical show dimensions because the iPhone 6), so if the brand new skinny cellphone has the identical dimensions because the iPhone 16 Plus, it might have a 6.7-inch show.One other show rumor means that Apple will shut a function hole between the baseline and professional fashions by making all telephones have a most 120Hz refresh price (prior lineups have stored the cheaper telephones at 60Hz). It could possibly be final we have seen of this sq. digicam setup. James Martin/CNETCamerasWhile the digicam bump could also be altering in design, it isn’t clear how a lot the precise cameras themselves will change from final 12 months’s iPhone 16 lineup. We anticipate the same old function hole to separate the iPhone 17 technology, with the usual iPhone 17 having two cameras (48-megapixel fundamental and 12-megapixel ultrawide) whereas the Professional and Professional Max fashions bump the ultrawide to 48 megapixels and in addition embrace a 3rd telephoto digicam (presumably the 12-megapixel with 5x optical zoom inherited from final 12 months’s iPhones). One of many wildest rumors is that the 17 Professional and Professional Max can have 8x telephoto cameras. The report comes from MacRumors and mentions the lens having shifting components for steady optical zoom at varied focal lengths (suppose Sony Xperia 1 V).Rumors counsel the fourth mannequin — probably the iPhone 17 Air — will solely have one digicam, which might seemingly be a 48-megapixel fundamental shooter just like the iPhone 16E. That will set it aside from final 12 months’s iPhone 16 Plus, which had the identical two cameras as the usual iPhone 16.The one different important digicam rumor means that the front-facing shooters on all of the telephones shall be upgrading to 24-megapixel cameras, up from 12 megapixels on final 12 months’s telephones. The iPhone 17 line will run iOS 26. James Martin/CNETSpecs and softwareAs is typical with the function hole between customary and professional fashions, rumors counsel the iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max (in addition to the Air) will get the most recent A19 chip, whereas the common iPhone 17 will get the identical A18 chip that powered final 12 months’s iPhone 16.It is unclear if the brand new telephones will get one other tech development — Apple’s C1 chip, the internally developed 5G modem that debuted within the iPhone 16E launched earlier this 12 months. Presumably, the corporate will need to deliver it to the brand new iPhone 17 lineup, however we have not heard rumors suggesting so.Whereas Apple by no means explicitly says how a lot RAM its iPhones pack, most telephones require 8GB of RAM to make use of AI options — and given Apple Intelligence debuted on the iPhone 16 lineup, it is closely suspected that these units got 8GB of RAM. Presumably, the iPhone 17 sequence can have the identical quantity. There’s additionally no motive to imagine Apple will change up its storage choices. The usual iPhone 17 will seemingly be provided in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB tiers, whereas the iPhone 17 Professional ought to have these and a 1TB model. The iPhone 17 Professional Max will seemingly solely have 256GB, 512GB and 1TB choices.The batteries of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Professional aren’t anticipated to vary, although a leak suggests the iPhone 17 Professional Max might increase its capability to five,000 mAh, up from the 4,685 mAh on the iPhone 16 Professional Max. The large query would be the dimension of the iPhone 17 Air’s battery, which is able to virtually certainly be smaller as a result of thinner physique; by comparability, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge solely has a 3,900 mAh capability.All iPhones will virtually certainly launch with iOS 26, the subsequent model of Apple’s iPhone software program that was renamed to align with the 12 months following its launch. Watch this: Hey, Apple: Steal These S25 Edge Options for a Skinny iPhone
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