Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely dates. Like the iPhone 16 series, this year’s lineup is expected to include four models – but with a twist. The Plus device is being replaced with an all-new ultra-thin model, while the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are set to feature new rear camera designs.
To bring you up to speed, we’ve summarized below the biggest iPhone 17 rumors we’ve covered so far here on MacRumors. For more details, follow the links, or dive into our dedicated device roundups using the tags at the bottom of this article.
1. All-New iPhone 17 Air
Apple is preparing to shake up the iPhone lineup with an ultra-thin model currently referred to as the iPhone 17 Air. While that name isn’t official, what is clear from multiple reports is that it is expected to measure just 5.5mm thick (not including the camera bump), making it the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever made. The device will replace the iPhone 17 Plus in this year’s lineup altogether. Apple is positioning this model around its design – sleek, minimal, and unlike anything else in the range. It won’t match the iPhone 17 Pro models in horsepower or cutting-edge features, but its standout look could make it the most talked-about iPhone of 2025.
2. Display Size Changes
Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup will include four iPhones, and two of those are going to have all-new display sizes. The iPhone 17 will feature a larger 6.27-inch display, which will make it the same size as the current iPhone 16 Pro display. The ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have a 6.6-inch display, which means it will be larger than the iPhone 17 but smaller than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
3. Rear Camera Layout
Viewed from the rear, the standard iPhone 17 will look a lot like the current iPhone 16, with two vertical rear cameras positioned in a pill-shaped camera bump. However, the iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to feature a new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, with the bar spanning the back of the iPhone, Google Pixel-style. Despite the change, the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to retain a triangular lens arrangement within the bar.
4. Faster Displays
Apple intends to expand ProMotion to all iPhone 17 models, allowing the devices to ramp up to a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and video. Previously, only “Pro” models in Apple’s iPhone lineup have had the feature. Notably, ProMotion would also enable the display on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 “Air” to ramp down to a more power-efficient refresh rate as low as 1Hz, allowing for an always-on display that can show the Lock Screen’s clock, widgets, notifications, and wallpaper even when the device is locked.
5. Chassis Material Changes
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple’s highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames. This year, however, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature aluminum frames, with a glass section on the back of the devices to preserve MagSafe and Qi wireless charging support. The base iPhone 17 is also expected to have aluminum, while the all-new iPhone 17 Air is said to be the sole model to feature a titanium chassis.
6. New Wi-Fi 7 Chip
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are said to be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip for the first time. Wi-Fi 7 support would allow the devices to send and receive data over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands simultaneously with a supported router, resulting in faster Wi-Fi speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity.
7. Rear Camera Enhancements
The iPhone 17 Pro models will have a new 48-megapixel Telephoto lens. The upgraded Telephoto will make the premium devices the first iPhones to have a rear camera system composed entirely of 48-megapixel lenses, allowing them to capture even more photographic detail. The new 48MP sensor should also allow for digital cropping to simulate longer focal lengths, offering less quality loss than normal digital zoom. The all-new iPhone 17 Air will have a single-lens 48-megapixel rear camera. We are not aware of any changes to base iPhone 17’s dual-lens camera system with a Wide camera and an Ultra Wide camera.
8. Selfie Camera
All iPhone models coming in 2025 are rumored to have an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, which is an improvement over the 12-megapixel front-facing camera in the iPhone 16 models. The camera will notably improve image quality, and allow for more cropping in without a loss of quality. The camera is also said to have a six-element lens, up from a five-element lens, which should also slightly enhance image quality.
9. Anti-Reflective Display
The iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to feature a new scratch resistant anti-reflective display layer, but the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air models are expected to miss out. Current iPhone models have a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating and a Ceramic Shield, but Apple hasn’t focused on anti-reflectivity for the iPhone display like it has for iPad and Mac displays. It’s supposedly more scratch resistant than the current Ceramic Shield, so the iPhone 17 models that use it may be able to better hold up to wear and tear.
10. Increased RAM
The iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone 17 Air are expected to include 12GB RAM, an improvement over the 8GB RAM in the current high-end iPhone 16 models. Rumors suggest the standard iPhone 17 will remain at 8GB RAM like its predecessor. Any increase in RAM should result in improved multitasking on the iPhone, as well as provide additional resources for Apple Intelligence features that require large-language models to be resident in memory.
11. Dynamic Island Changes
One rumor suggests Apple’s iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, although the rumor lacks specific details. It was initially rumored that the iPhone 17 Pro Max might have a smaller Dynamic Island area compared to earlier iPhone models, but it was later reported that such a change might not be happening until the iPhone 18 Pro models. Another source has claimed that any reduction in the size of the Dynamic Island will come to all iPhone 17 models. If so, it will be the first change since the feature was introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro models in 2022.
12. Faster Processors
The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air are expected to feature Apple’s new A19 chip, while the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will get the A19 Pro chip. Both of those chips are said to be manufactured with TSMC’s third-generation 3nm process, known as N3P. Compared to earlier versions of 3nm chips, the N3P chips offer increased performance efficiency and increased transistor density.
13. Improved Thermal Performance
The iPhone 17 lineup will feature a vapor chamber heatsink to improve thermal performance, according to one report. Vapor chamber technology is already used in many high-end Android devices. Vapor chambers work by spreading heat evenly across a larger surface area, preventing thermal throttling and maintaining consistent performance, which is particularly beneficial in slim devices. The report claims that every model in the iPhone 17 series will adopt the improved thermal heat spreader.
14. New Video Recording Features
According to one rumor, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will allow users to record video with the front and rear cameras simultaneously, which would be useful for content creators. Some apps on the App Store, such as Snapchat, enable this capability, but this leak suggests it will be a built-in Camera app feature. Apple has also allegedly tested 8K video recording for the iPhone 17 Pro models, which would allow videographers to record using the Ultra Wide camera and then crop in 50% and still achieve 4K resolution.
15. Faster Wireless Charging
Apple’s iPhone 17 models are likely to support up to 25W wireless charging using a variety of third-party MagSafe charging accessories, thanks to compatibility with the next-generation Qi 2.2 wireless charging standard. Currently, iPhones featuring MagSafe use Qi 2, the Wireless Power Consortium’s (WPC) widely supported second-generation charging standard. With third-party chargers, Qi 2 maxes out at 15W – although iPhone 16 models do support upgraded 25W MagSafe charging using an official 30W Apple charger. That limitation is likely to change with the iPhone 17 models, which are expected to support Qi 2.2.
16. New Colors Lineup
The base iPhone 17 model is rumored to be coming in six colors, comprised of the existing Black and White colors, and four new ones: Steel Gray, Green, Purple, and Light Blue. The all-new iPhone 17 Air is said to be coming in Black, White, Light Blue, and Light Gold. As for the iPhone 17 Pro models, Black, White (or Liquid Glass?), and Gray are said to be accompanied by new Dark Blue and Orange colors.