The launch of the iPhone 17 series is only weeks away. According to sources, Apple’s iPhone 17 event is scheduled for September 9. Following the traditional pre-order schedule, iPhone-17 pre-orders are expected to start on September 12, with shipping of the devices scheduled for the 19th. If you’re on the lookout for the latest Apple release or simply interested, below is a list of 20 speculated features being integrated into the iPhone 17 devices.
1. iPhone 17 “Air”
Citing “The Information,” Apple is planning to release a new version of the iPhone 17, which would come with a “considerably sleeker” look. The predicted name “iPhone 17 Air” will also come with a major redesign, such as the rear camera being a single lens situated on a horizontal camera strip towards the top of the phone, with a slimmer Dynamic Island. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 17 Air would likely feature a slimmer profile of 5.5mm at its thinnest.
Speculations indicate that the device may feature a 6.6-inch display and could be situated in place of the Plus model in Apple’s lineup. Additional features said to be included are the chassis made of aluminum, the A19 chip, Apple’s C1 modem, an Action button, a Camera Control button, and a 24MP front-facing camera. For more information, refer to our iPhone 17 Air rumor roundup.
2. New All-Aluminum Design
All iPhone 17 Models
According to Apple, reports are suggesting that the iPhone 17 lineup will feature an all-aluminum design, with plans to unify all devices within a single material. For the iPhone 17 Pro, it will be the first time aluminum frames will be used on high-end devices, which have not been used since Apple started differentiating Pro and non-Pro models. For the last few years, older devices like the iPhone SE and iPhone 16 have used aluminum frames, while the premium models featured stainless steel frames until the iPhone 15 Pro, which made a significant design change, introducing a titanium chassis. This change in materials for the iPhone 17 lineup signifies a more cohesive strategy in terms of design, suggesting that aluminum frames will be used throughout the lineup.
3. Redesigned Camera Taking Center Stage
This year’s iPhone 17 Pro models will undergo a significant redesign at the rear camera module. As per recent updates, Apple seems to be shifting from the recognizable square camera bump to a more distinctive design, to an aluminum camera bar that spans the width of the device. The camera color will blend in with the device color. The regular iPhone 17 will not feature the redesign of the camera module.
Rumors suggest that the rear of the device will be a combination of glass and aluminum. The top half of the back will be aluminum, which will feature a new camera bump, the first of its kind constructed in aluminum as opposed to the 3D glass Apple usually opts for. The glass in the bottom half serves the functionality of enabling Wi-Fi charging. Apple has been using the glass back design since the iPhone 8 and iPhone X in 2017, with the exception of iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 5C; earlier iPhone models had Aluminum rear.
4. Changesesterday New Display Sizes
Last year, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max received new updates with their displays getting new size boosts. The displays now have dimensions of 6.27 and 6.86 inches, where previously they were 6.12 and 6.69 inches. Apple is expected to increase the standard iPhone 17 to 6.27 inches, alongside the “iPhone 17 Plus”, which, for the sake of description, we will call “iPhone 17 Air”, which will most likely change the dimensions of the display entirely.
5. ProMotion 120Hz – Display Siempre Activado
Se espera que Apple integre ProMotion a todos los modelos de iPhone en 2025, dando a todos los modelos la posibilidad de usar el refresco en 120Hz en el scroll y en el video. Solo los modelos “Pro” de la linea de iPhones de Apple contaban con la característica. ProMotion permitiría que la pantalla del iPhone 17 y del iPhone 17 “Air” pueda bajar a una tasa de refresco de 1Hz, aprovisionando así un modo de pantalla siempre activa con el “Always on Display” mostrando el reloj, widgets, notificaciones y el fondo de pantalla. Más recientemente, una fuente ha discutido que los modelos no-Pro no recibirán ProMotion, argumentando que estos vendrán con pantallas de 120Hz fijas para diferenciarse.
6. Apple-Designed Wi-Fi 7 Chip
With Apple’s new iPhone 17 models, the company plans to release the Pro and Pro Max versions in 2025, which would be the company’s first Wi-Fi 7-equipped devices. This would be the first time Apple would be using its own Wi-Fi 7 chip. Wi-Fi 7 would allow the broadening of the Pro models’ capabilities to communicate with the supported router to maneuver data transfers across the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands all at the same time. This would provide faster speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity. Besides the efficiency gain with Apple’s design, it would also allow Apple to further reduce its dependence on suppliers. Currently, Broadcom provides a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip for iPhones.
7. 48MP Telephoto Lens
The Telephoto lens would also be upgraded to 48 megapixels and will be aimed at the Vision Pro, although it is yet unclear how it will work with the Vision Pro. This would also allow the iPhone 17 Pro to be the first iPhone to come with a rear camera system that is fully equipped with 48-megapixel lenses, granting it the capability to enhance photographic detail.
8. 8x Optical Zoom
As reported, the telephoto lens on the iPhone 17 Pro models will be receiving an upgrade with features like an 8x optical zoom, which previously was 5x on the iPhone 16 Pro models. It seems the lens can move, therefore, achieving optical zoom at different focal lengths, which could be one of the reasons for the expected increase in the camera bump. Also, the placement of the moving parts could be in the middle of the camera bump, where the lens is, and the LED flash, rear mic, LiDAR Scanner.
9. 8K Video Recording
Rumor has it that Apple was working on 8K video recording functionality for the iPhone 16 Pro models. However, this feature is yet to be released. iPhone 17 Pro models will likely support 8K video recording since they are anticipated to feature fully 48-megapixel rear cameras. Competitor smartphones like Samsung with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google with the Pixel 9 Pro (via AI upscaling) already feature 8K video recording, so there is a market for this on the iPhone.
Even though 8K video recording isn’t widely used by content creators right now, there are still use cases for it. For example, shooting 8K would allow videographers to record using the Ultra Wide camera and then crop in 50% and still achieve 4K resolution. Notably, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in February reported that Apple plans to emphasize the iPhone-17 Pro’s improved video recording capabilities when it unveils the device later this year, so it’s quite possible that 8K video recording will be one of the capabilities that Apple will tout when the new lineup launches.
10. 24MP Selfie Camera
All iPhone 17 Models
The iPhone 17 lineup will feature a 24-megapixel front-facing camera with a six-element lens, according to one rumor. The iPhone 14 and 15 feature a 12-megapixel front-facing camera with five plastic lens elements, and last year’s iPhone 16 lineup features the same hardware. The upgraded resolution to 24 megapixels on the iPhone-17 will allow photos to maintain their quality even when cropped or zoomed in, while the larger number of pixels will capture finer details. The upgrade to a six-element lens should also slightly enhance image quality. Source
