Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:
- Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a stainless steel frame. The back of the devices will supposedly have a new "part-aluminum, part-glass" design.
- Rectangular camera bump: iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to have a large rectangular camera bump with rounded corners. Apple apparently plans to stick with a triangular arrangement for the rear camera lenses.
- Sky Blue finish: Like the latest MacBook Air, the iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to be available in a Sky Blue color.
- Larger battery: The iPhone 17 Pro Max is rumored to have a slightly thicker design that allows for a larger battery.
- A19 Pro chip: iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to use Apple's next-generation A19 Pro chip, which will reportedly be manufactured with TSMC's newer third-generation 3nm process. Like usual, expect modest year-over-year performance gains and power efficiency improvements compared to the current iPhones.
- Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to get a Wi-Fi 7 chip designed by Apple rather than Broadcom.
- 24-megapixel front camera: All four iPhone 17 models are said to feature an upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing camera, whereas all iPhone 16 models are equipped with a 12-megapixel front-facing camera.
- 48-megapixel rear Telephoto camera: An upgraded 48-megapixel Telephoto camera is rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, up from the 12-megapixel Telephoto camera on iPhone 16 Pro models.
- Dual video recording: According to Jon Prosser, of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will allow users to record video with the front and rear cameras simultaneously in the Camera app.
- 8K video recording: Apple allegedly tested 8K video recording on the iPhone 16 Pro models, but such functionality is still not available. With the iPhone 17 Pro models expected to have entirely 48-megapixel rear cameras, perhaps 8K video recording will debut on those devices.
- 12GB of RAM: iPhone 17 Pro models, and even the iPhone 17 Air, are rumored to have 12GB of RAM. This upgrade should help to improve the performance of Apple Intelligence and multitasking. All four iPhone 16 models have 8GB of RAM.
- Improved cooling: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to feature internal design changes that result in better heat dissipation. A vapor chamber cooling system has been rumored for the Pro models specifically.
Update
A leaker known as Majin Bu this week shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the iPhone 17 Pro's rumored vapor chamber cooling system.
Many high-end Android smartphones are equipped with a vapor chamber, which is a thin, sealed metal chamber containing a small amount of liquid. When a smartphone heats up, the liquid turns to vapor and dissipates across the chamber's surface area. Eventually, the vapor cools down and condenses, allowing for the process to repeat. In the iPhone 17 Pro models, this system would help to move heat away from the A19 Pro chip.
Check out our iPhone 17 Pro roundup to learn more.
