First iPhone 17 Pro Design Leak Claims Surprising Return to Aluminum, Rectangular Camera Bump, and More

Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max will offer "significant design changes," The Information's Wayne Ma reports.

iphone 16 pro models 1
The two flagship iPhone 17 models will be the first high-end iPhones to feature an aluminum frame since the delineation of the iPhone lineup into Pro and non-Pro models. In recent years, lower-end ‌iPhone‌ models such as the ‌iPhone‌ SE and iPhone 16 have featured aluminum frames. Until the release of the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro, high-end ‌iPhone‌ models featured stainless steel frames. Now, the high-end iPhones feature titanium chassis – a change that was touted as one of the key upgrades of the ‌iPhone‌ 15 Pro. With the introduction of the ‌iPhone 17‌ lineup, Apple is reportedly planning to bring the entire selection of devices back to aluminum.

The rear of the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max will also feature a new part-aluminum, part-glass design. The top half of the back will be made of aluminum and feature a "rectangular camera bump made of aluminum rather than traditional 3D glass," while the bottom half will continue to be made of glass to support wireless charging. Apple introduced a glass back to the ‌iPhone‌ with the ‌iPhone‌ 8 and ‌iPhone‌ X in 2017, but prior to that, every ‌iPhone‌ except the ‌iPhone‌ 3G, ‌iPhone‌ 3GS, and ‌iPhone‌ 5C had an aluminum rear. The new, aluminum camera bump of the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ will also apparently be larger than that of previous models.

The new design will constitute one of the most significant visual changes to the high-end ‌iPhone‌ models in recent years. The Information has an excellent track record for accurate Apple rumors, so the latest report is highly likely to pan out. The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max are expected to launch in the fall of 2025 alongside the ‌iPhone 17‌ and ‌iPhone 17‌ Air.

Related Roundups: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Thursday September 25, 2025 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple smart home hub concept based on rumors This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system. In a report last month, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform ...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Max 80% Charge Limit: One Year Later, Was It Worth It?

Wednesday September 24, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
With the iPhone 15 series, I did an experiment and kept my iPhone's Charge Limit set at 80 percent for an entire year. It provided an interesting look at the impact of charge limits on battery longevity, so I decided to repeat it for the iPhone 16 line. Since September 2024, my iPhone 16 Pro Max has been limited to an 80 percent charge, with no cheating. As of today, my battery's maximum...
iOS 26

Apple Continues to Prepare iOS 26.0.1 With Multiple Bug Fixes Expected

Sunday September 28, 2025 1:30 pm PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The account initially said iOS 26.0.1 would have a build number of 23A350, but they now expect the update to have a build number of 23A355. This suggests that the software update will include more bug fixes or changes than initially...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pro Nears Mass Production, But Four Bigger Upgrades Expected Next Year

Sunday September 28, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next MacBook Pro models will enter mass production soon, according to the latest information shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said he continues to believe the new MacBook Pro models will be released at some point between late 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, meaning they should be available to order by March at the latest. Apple often...
AirPods Pro 3 Newsroom

Apple's 'Back to School' Offer Ends Soon, Now Applies to AirPods Pro 3

Wednesday September 24, 2025 7:20 am PDT by
Apple's annual "Back to School" promotion for students ends soon, so act fast if you want to score free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Until Tuesday, September 30, college students and qualifying educational staff in the U.S. can receive free AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation when they purchase an eligible new Mac or iPad from Apple. This is a $179 value. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iphone 17 ceramic shield

Regular iPhone 17's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Friday September 26, 2025 9:01 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the standard iPhone 17 model's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 27W to 28W with these Apple chargers:29W USB-C Power Adapter 30W USB-C Power Adapter 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter 35W Dual USB-C Port Compact Power Adapter 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max...
Apple More Personal Siri Ad

Apple Responds to U.S. Class Action Lawsuit Over Delayed Siri Features

Friday September 26, 2025 6:57 am PDT by
In March, Apple delayed the launch of its personalized Siri features, and soon after the company was hit with multiple class action lawsuits over the situation. The plaintiffs said they never would have purchased an iPhone 16, or would have paid less, had they known Apple's marketing about the Siri features was false. In the U.S., all of the complaints were consolidated into one class...
maxresdefault

Review: A Week With the iPhone 17 Pro

Friday September 26, 2025 12:51 pm PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 models have been out for a week now, so we thought we'd do a longer-term review of the flagship iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max now that we've been able to spend more time with them. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. MacRumors videographer Dan Barbera has a Silver iPhone 17 Pro and a Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro Max, and despite a lot of concern over...

Top Rated Comments

ProbablyDylan Avatar
11 months ago

That’s fine. A glass and aluminum back can be premium, just look at iPhone 5. It’s lightweight as well.
Not to mention incredibly good looking. iPhone 5/5S/SE was the peak of smartphone design IMO.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
11 months ago

Apple introduced a glass back to the iPhone with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X in 2017, but prior to that, every iPhone except the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 5C had an aluminum rear.
this is all just wrong.
The iPhone 4 and 4S had glass backs, and the 5, 5S and SE1 all had both aluminum and glass on the back.
the 4 and 4S didn't have aluminum as one of its main external materials at all.
Are we really at the point where people who literally write about Apple for a living just... forget the iPhone 4? Literally the most important iPhone next to the original?
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mscice Avatar
11 months ago
Is it just me, or has Apple hit a bit of a creative plateau when it comes to iPhone innovation?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JOLoughlin Avatar
11 months ago
Sounds bogus. If true it's a method to maintain margins. Can’t think of a good reason to do this otherwise. Curious how Apple will tell the story for why aluminum is a better material than titanium for the flagship iPhone.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hoorayforhollywood Avatar
11 months ago
I’ve no expertise, but I wonder if aluminum is easier to put more interesting colours on than titanium?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProbablyDylan Avatar
11 months ago

The top half of the back will be a "rectangular camera bump made of aluminum rather than traditional 3D glass," while the bottom half will continue to be made of glass to support wireless charging.
So it'll look like a Pixel 8?

Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)