While we usually wait till telephones are literally launched to match them, Apple’s subsequent iPhone fashions are so extremely anticipated 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 super-thin iPhone 17 Air, to present readers an early sense of how the brand new sequence of telephones could look. Last yr’s iPhone 16 sequence added a handful of upgrades over its predecessors, most notably the brand new Camera Control key. While the essential iPhone 16 and Plus fashions obtained a brand new ultrawide digital camera and greater battery, as is typical with Apple’s telephones, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max obtained the lion’s share of the enhancements with upgraded rear cameras, professional video recording modes and thinner bezels. Last yr’s iPhone upgrades are a template for what we anticipate within the iPhone 17 — this 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 which means. The iPhone all the time goes on sale the Friday of the week after it is introduced, which ought to be Friday, Sept. 12, although Apple might all the time change it.The iPhone 17 costs are up within the air, primarily attributable to 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 might be as follows:iPhone 17: $829 — Rumors counsel the baseline iPhone 17 will not get as aggressive of tariff hikes, however market fluctuations might bump the worth 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 dearer customary mannequin), and with the rumored tariff hikes, its value might creep to almost 4 figures.iPhone 17 Pro: $1,049 — Rumors counsel the smaller Pro mannequin might get a small value hike to start out at $50 above final yr’s iPhone 16 Pro.iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,249 — Likewise, the higher-spec iPhone 17 Pro Max could 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 counsel that the square-shaped digital camera bump from prior years will give option 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 counsel 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 may have a horizontal digital camera bump.iPhone 17 Pro: Larger horizontal digital camera bump — Rumors counsel the smaller Pro mannequin will not have any large modifications except for its rear cameras, which can 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 yr’s mannequin in a digital camera bump that extends horizontally throughout all the rear width of the telephone.The 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 concentrate on a slimmer, lighter physique that 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 another way formed digital camera setup for every telephone. And case-maker Dbrand is preselling an iPhone 17 Pro Tank case that reveals off the broader digital camera bump as nicely.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 yr’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, anticipate the iPhone 17 to have a 6.1-inch show, the iPhone 17 Pro to get a 6.3-inch display screen 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 take 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 price (prior lineups have stored 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 yr’s iPhone 16. iPhone 17 Air: Single digital camera — CAD renders counsel the iPhone 17 Air can 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 broadly 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 yr’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 maintain its predecessor’s 48-megapixel most important and 48-megapixel ultrawide cameras.We anticipate the same old characteristic hole to separate the iPhone 17 technology, 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 likewise embody a 3rd telephoto digital camera (presumably the 12-megapixel with 5x optical zoom inherited from final yr’s iPhones). One of the wildest rumors is that the 17 Pro and Pro Max can have 8x telephoto cameras. The report comes from MacRumors and mentions the lens having transferring parts for steady optical zoom at varied focal lengths (assume Sony Xperia 1 V).Rumors counsel the fourth mannequin — presumably the iPhone 17 Air — will solely have one digital camera, which might doubtless be a 48-megapixel most important shooter much like the iPhone 16E. That would set it other than final yr’s iPhone 16 Plus, which had the identical two cameras as the usual iPhone 16.The solely different vital digital camera rumor means that the front-facing shooters on all of the telephones can be upgrading to 24-megapixel cameras, up from 12 megapixels on final yr’s telephones. The iPhone 17 line will run iOS 26. James Martin/CNETAll iPhone 17 mannequin specs comparediPhone 17: Same CPU, presumably new modem — Rumors counsel 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, presumably new modem — Intriguingly, rumors counsel the thinner iPhone 17 Air could get the identical A19 chip that is anticipated to be within the Pro fashions out this yr. It might additionally get the C1 modem.iPhone 17 Pro: New CPU, presumably new modem — The iPhone 17 Pro is anticipated to get an improve to a brand new A19 chip, in addition to presumably the C1 modem.iPhone 17 Pro Max: New CPU, larger battery — Similarly, rumors counsel 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 customary and professional fashions, rumors counsel the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max (in addition to the Air) will get the latest A19 chip, whereas the common iPhone 17 will get the identical A18 chip that powered final yr’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 yr. Presumably, the corporate will need to carry it to the brand new iPhone 17 lineup, however we’ve 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 units got 8GB of RAM. Presumably, the iPhone 17 sequence can have the identical quantity. There’s additionally no purpose to imagine Apple will change up its storage choices. The customary iPhone 17 will doubtless be provided 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 doubtless solely have 256GB, 512GB and 1TB choices.The batteries of the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro aren’t anticipated to vary, 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 large query would be the dimension of the iPhone 17 Air’s battery, which is able to nearly absolutely 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 absolutely launch with iOS 26, the subsequent model of Apple’s iPhone software program that was renamed to align with the yr following its launch. Watch this: Hey, Apple: Steal These S25 Edge Features for a Skinny iPhone
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