While we usually wait till telephones are literally launched to check them, Apple’s subsequent iPhone fashions are so extremely anticipated that we’ll make an exception. We’re basing our comparisons on essentially the most credible rumors of what is coming within the iPhone 17 collection, together with a possible super-thin iPhone 17 Air, to provide readers an early sense of how the brand new collection of telephones might look. Last 12 months’s iPhone 16 collection added a handful of upgrades over its predecessors, most notably the brand new Camera Control key. While the fundamental iPhone 16 and Plus fashions acquired a brand new ultrawide digital camera and greater battery, as is typical with Apple’s telephones, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max acquired the lion’s share of the enhancements with upgraded rear cameras, professional video recording modes and thinner bezels. Last 12 months’s iPhone upgrades are a template for what we count on within the iPhone 17 — here is how we anticipate these comparisons to shake out. The iPhone 16 Pro Max led the road. James Martin/CNETiPhone 17 lineup value comparabilityApple will maintain its iPhone 17 launch occasion on Sept. 9, with the tagline “Awe dropping” — and since its cutesy mantras normally trace at merchandise being launched, there’s loads of hypothesis going round as to its that means. The iPhone at all times goes on sale the Friday of the week after it is introduced, which must be Friday, Sept. 12, although Apple might at all times change it.The iPhone 17 costs are up within the air, primarily as a result of tariffs. Increased prices of imports imply Apple might elevate iPhone value tags, with Jefferies analyst Edison Lee predicting a $50 value hike throughout the lineup except for the bottom iPhone 17 mannequin. If that is the case, then anticipated US beginning costs may very well be as follows:iPhone 17: $829 — Rumors recommend the baseline iPhone 17 will not get as aggressive of tariff hikes, however market fluctuations might bump the value up barely.iPhone 17 Air: $979 — If the iPhone 17 Air is slotted into the lineup the place the iPhone 16 Plus was priced (because the costlier normal mannequin), and with the rumored tariff hikes, its value might creep to almost 4 figures.iPhone 17 Pro: $1,049 — Rumors recommend the smaller Pro mannequin might get a small value hike to begin at $50 above final 12 months’s iPhone 16 Pro.iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,249 — Likewise, the higher-spec iPhone 17 Pro Max might get the identical $50 value hike. The iPhone 17 Pro might include new finishes and colours. Zain bin Awais/CNETiPhone 17 lineups’ design and show modifications, comparediPhone 17: Camera bump redesign — Rumors recommend that the square-shaped digital camera bump from prior years will give approach to a vertical pill-shaped ovoid with the same old two cameras (most important and ultrawide). iPhone 17 Air: Thinner, single-camera — Leaked CAD renders recommend the brand new, skinny mannequin will take the place of the iPhone 16 Plus because the bigger non-Pro mannequin, however might differ in solely a single most important rear digital camera. Unlike the usual iPhone 17, the CAD suggests this can have a horizontal digital camera bump.iPhone 17 Pro: Larger horizontal digital camera bump — Rumors recommend the smaller Pro mannequin will not have any massive modifications except for its rear cameras, which will likely be of their similar offset three-lens triangle configuration however with a large horizontal bump that extends the width of the telephone.iPhone 17 Pro Max: Same bigger horizontal digital camera bump — Likewise, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could differ from final 12 months’s mannequin in a digital camera bump that extends horizontally throughout your complete rear width of the telephone.The greatest change we count on 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 can be a thinner mannequin of the iPhone line, akin to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which might concentrate on a slimmer, lighter physique which may have diminished 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 telephone can be larger than the usual mannequin is much from sure.We’ve additionally heard rumors that the iPhone 17 line might swap from the sq. digital camera block it is used for years to extra of a pill-shaped digital camera bar that runs throughout the width of the telephone’s physique. Leaker Majin Bu posted a leaked picture and CAD renders on X that present a in a different way formed digital camera setup for every telephone. And case-maker Dbrand is preselling an iPhone 17 Pro Tank case that exhibits off the broader digital camera bump as effectively.iPhone 17 Lineup CAD pic.twitter.com/xednTkpJnq— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) February 23, 2025
A Bloomberg report in April affirmed that apart from the digital camera block, the iPhone 17 lineup will look very like final 12 months’s telephones, no less than so far as rumors go, with the usual iPhone 17, Pro and Pro Max fashions largely unchanged from their iPhone 16 predecessors. Assuming Apple is not altering the sizes of the smartphones, count on the iPhone 17 to have a 6.1-inch show, the iPhone 17 Pro to get a 6.3-inch display and the iPhone 17 Pro Max a 6.9-inch show. The iPhone 17 Air’s dimension is unsure, however Apple does generally tend to retain telephone sizes for years (simply have a look at the iPhone SE line utilizing the identical show dimensions because the iPhone 6), so if the brand new skinny telephone has the identical dimensions because the iPhone 16 Plus, it might have a 6.7-inch show.Another show rumor means that Apple will shut a characteristic hole between the baseline and professional fashions by making all telephones have a most 120Hz refresh fee (prior lineups have saved the cheaper telephones at 60Hz). The iPhone 17 Pro might get an oblong digital camera bump. Zain bin Awais/CNETComparing iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max CamerasiPhone 17: No modifications — Rumors have not hinted at something altering within the iPhone 17 from the 48-megapixel most important digital camera and 12-megapixel ultrawide in final 12 months’s iPhone 16. iPhone 17 Air: Single digital camera — CAD renders recommend the iPhone 17 Air could have a single digital camera, presumably the 48-megapixel most important digital camera discovered on the iPhone 16E.iPhone 17 Pro: Improved zoom digital camera — While not extensively corroborated, one rumor suggests the Pro fashions will get an as much as 8x zoom digital camera, up from the 5x telephoto present in final 12 months’s iPhone 16 Pro. It would presumably inherit its predecessor’s 48-megapixel most important and 48-megapixel ultrawide cameras.iPhone 17 Pro Max: Improved zoom digital camera — Likewise, the iPhone 17 Pro Max might get a greater telephoto digital camera and hold its predecessor’s 48-megapixel most important and 48-megapixel ultrawide cameras.We count on the same old characteristic hole to separate the iPhone 17 era, with the usual iPhone 17 having two cameras (48-megapixel most important and 12-megapixel ultrawide) whereas the Pro and Pro Max fashions bump the ultrawide to 48 megapixels and in addition embody a 3rd telephoto digital camera (presumably the 12-megapixel with 5x optical zoom inherited from final 12 months’s iPhones). One of the wildest rumors is that the 17 Pro and Pro Max could have 8x telephoto cameras. The report comes from MacRumors and mentions the lens having shifting components for steady optical zoom at numerous focal lengths (suppose Sony Xperia 1 V).Rumors recommend the fourth mannequin — probably the iPhone 17 Air — will solely have one digital camera, which might probably be a 48-megapixel most important shooter just like the iPhone 16E. That would set it other than final 12 months’s iPhone 16 Plus, which had the identical two cameras as the usual iPhone 16.The solely different important digital camera rumor means that the front-facing shooters on all of the telephones will likely 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/CNETAll iPhone 17 mannequin specs comparediPhone 17: Same CPU, probably new modem — Rumors recommend the brand new iPhone 17 will pack the identical A18 chip as its predecessor, however might get the Apple-made C1, a 5G modem, that debuted on the iPhone 16E.iPhone 17 Air: New CPU, probably new modem — Intriguingly, rumors recommend the thinner iPhone 17 Air might get the identical A19 chip that is anticipated to be within the Pro fashions out this 12 months. It might additionally get the C1 modem.iPhone 17 Pro: New CPU, probably new modem — The iPhone 17 Pro is anticipated to get an improve to a brand new A19 chip, in addition to probably the C1 modem.iPhone 17 Pro Max: New CPU, larger battery — Similarly, rumors recommend the iPhone 17 Pro Max is anticipated to pack an A19 chip and doubtlessly the C1 modem, in addition to a barely bigger battery.As is typical with the characteristic hole between normal and professional fashions, rumors recommend the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro 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’s 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 carry it to the brand new iPhone 17 lineup, however we have not heard rumors suggesting so.While 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 gadgets got 8GB of RAM. Presumably, the iPhone 17 collection could have the identical quantity. There’s additionally no purpose to consider Apple will change up its storage choices. The normal iPhone 17 will probably be supplied in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB tiers, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro ought to have these and a 1TB model. The iPhone 17 Pro Max will probably solely have 256GB, 512GB and 1TB choices.The batteries of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro aren’t anticipated to alter, although a leak suggests the iPhone 17 Pro Max might increase its capability to 5,000 mAh, up from the 4,685 mAh on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The massive query would be the dimension of the iPhone 17 Air’s battery, which is able to nearly 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 nearly certainly launch with iOS 26, the following 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 Features for a Skinny iPhone
04:33