TECH

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: What does Apple have in store for its 2025 flagships?

The Apple iPhone 17 launch event is less than a week away, although the ever-so-restless rumor mill has already provided us with plenty of juicy details regarding the yet-to-be announced products. While the iPhone 17 Pro is expected to feature a truly massive redesign, the vanilla iPhone 17 will have to settle for a vastly improved display and new colors.

Apple iPhone launch season is just around the corner, and around 70% of current iPhone users are expecting to upgrade to the iPhone 17 that is set to see the light of day next week. Over the past few months, we have witnessed a plethora of leaks and rumors surrounding the upcoming iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro smartphones, granting us a relatively decent idea of what to expect from Apple's upcoming flagships.

For those who have been out of the loop, here is what we can expect from the Cupertino giant's next-generation smartphones.

Design - All eyes on the Pro...Of course, there is no doubt that the design is one of the hottest topics during almost any launch cycle. Smartphone design has remained very stable in the past few years, with the two biggest players - Apple and Samsung - repeatedly opting to play it safe and utilize traditional designs that their respective fanbases are used to.

This time around, however, the iPhone 17 Pro lineup is expected to witness a staggering redesign, perhaps the largest since the iPhone 11 Pro. The back of the iPhone Pro has remained almost identical since the iPhone 11 Pro, except for having grown in size every single year. The iPhone 17 Pro is widely expected to shake things up, opting for a massive camera bump which spans the entire width of the smartphone. The triple camera layout is here to stay, however, although the flash, mic, and LiDAR sensors relocated to the opposite end of the camera bump.

Surprisingly, the iPhone 17 Pro is also expected to make the switch to aluminium, instead of premium materials such as stainless steel or titanium, which is quite shocking to say the least. Traditionally, Apple has always treated premium materials as a selling point for its "Pro" iPhones. The Apple logo will also have to move around a bit, shifting downwards in response to the ginormous camera bump.

The iPhone 17, on the other hand, is not expected to feature any major design updates at all, unfortunately. A larger 6.3-inch display is expected, which is the same size as the iPhone 16 Pro as well as the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro. In terms of colors, the following are expected for the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro.

-iPhone 17: Black, white, steel gray, silver, green, purple, light blue

-iPhone 17 Pro: Black, gray, silver, dark blue, and an Orange-ish colorway

Camera - Good news for selfie enthusiasts...The vanilla iPhone 17, as well as the iPhone 17 Pro variants are expected to feature a massively improved 24 MP front camera. Moreover, the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro lineups have also been rumored to retain dual and triple-cameras on the rear. The vanilla iPhone 17 will feature wide and ultra-wide shooters, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro lineup will feature a wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto shooters.

All three of the iPhone 17 Pro's rear cameras are tipped to boast 48 MP sensors. 8K video recording, variable aperture, as well as dual-video shooting (front and rear) are also on the cards for the Pro iPhones.

Display and Performance - No surprises here...As mentioned previously, the iPhone 17 is rumored to feature a larger 6.3-inch display. Perhaps most importantly, the vanilla iPhone 17 is finally expected to sport a ProMotion display that can ramp up to 120 Hz - a feature which vanilla iPhone enthusiasts have been awaiting for over 6 years now. In fact, the iPhone 17 is tipped to utilize the same panel as the iPhone 16 Pro, which should allow for a much better viewing experience.

The iPhone 17 Pro is also rumored to feature a new coating which will reduce reflections and make the screen more durable. 

Unsurprisingly, the entire lineup is also expected to make the jump to Apple's upcoming A19 family of SoCs. The iPhone 17 Pro models will get the full-fat A19 Pro chip paired with 12 GB of memory, whereas the vanilla iPhone 17 will sport the standard A19 chip paired with just 8 GB of memory. Built on TSMC's N3P process, the A19 family is expected to bring the usual performance and efficiency improvements which we have come to expect.

The iPhone 17 Pro lineup is expected to utilize a vapor chamber cooling setup, which is certainly a welcome addition for iPhone gaming enthusiasts. The vanilla iPhone 17 is unlikely to receive the same treatment.

In terms of batteries, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to boast capacity of around 5,000 mAh, roughly 6.7% higher than the current iPhone 16 Pro Max. The Pro variants are also rumored to gain a reverse wireless charging feature, which is good news for AirPods owners. Speaking of wireless charging, the iPhone 17 variants are also rumored to support up to the 25W Qi 2.2 standard.

Pricing...The iPhone 17 lineup's pricing is unlikely to witness any major changes, except for a possible $50 price bump due to the ongoing tariff wars. The iPhone 17 is therefore expected to arrive at a price of $849 onwards. The iPhone 17 Air, which we will cover in a separate article, will take the place of the iPhone Plus, and the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will command their usual price tags with a $50 bump, if the recent rumors are anything to go by.

All said, with less than a week remaining till Apple's "Awe Dropping" event, iPhone aficionados will not have much more waiting to do before the Cupertino giant reveals what it has in store for us.

mundophone