Rumors indicate that the lowest-end iPhone 17 model will have the same overall design as the lowest-end iPhone 16, so what is actually changing this year?
Below, we recap three key features that are coming on the regular iPhone 17, according to sources such as Ross Young, Ming-Chi Kuo, and Jeff Pu.
ProMotion Display
The regular iPhone 17 and the ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" are expected to feature ProMotion, for a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz.
ProMotion has been limited to the Pro models since it debuted on the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max back in 2021.
ProMotion support would result in smoother-looking scrolling and videos, and the technology contributes to longer battery life. It could also pave the way for an always-on display, so long as the refresh rate can ramp down to as low as 1Hz.
Upgraded Front Camera
All four iPhone 17 models are expected to have a 24-megapixel front camera, up from 12 megapixels on all iPhone 16 models.
With a higher 24-megapixel resolution, photos can maintain their quality even when cropped to a greater degree, providing more flexibility in post-processing.
Kuo said the upgraded camera will "significantly improve" image quality.
Apple-Designed Wi-Fi 7 Chip
Apple's first custom-designed Wi-Fi chip is expected to debut in all iPhone 17 models.
The chip is expected to support Wi-Fi 7, which allows for data transmission over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands simultaneously, with a supported router. Benefits include faster Wi-Fi speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity.
The entire iPhone 16 lineup already supports Wi-Fi 7, so the spec is not much of a surprise, but the fact that the chip will be designed by Apple is notable.
A19 Chip
The A19 chip in the regular iPhone 17 is expected to be made with TSMC's newer third-generation 3nm process, which is known as "N3P."
Expect year-over-year performance and power efficiency gains as usual.
