In less than a month, the iPhone 17 Pro rumors will pay off — or not — when Apple takes the wraps off its iPhone 17 models. While the entire lineup will get a big revamp this year, the iPhone 17 Pro should still be the star of the show.
Leaks and rumors already revealed quite a lot about the iPhone 17 Pro, giving us a solid idea of what’s in store. Here’s a quick refresher of what to expect.
iPhone 17 Pro rumor roundup
Ever since Apple introduced the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max models in 2019, these high-end models have delivered heavyweight hardware that sets them apart from the “regular” iPhone. And the iPhone 17 Pro is shaping up to be one of Apple’s biggest Pro upgrades in years.
Rumors point to a fresh design, a base storage bump to 256GB, a more powerful A19 Pro chip, and possibly a new antireflective display coating. Camera upgrades, improved battery life, and new AI-powered Apple Intelligence features are also in the cards.
While nothing is official yet, leaks paint a clear picture of a phone that will set a new standard for the Pro lineup when it debuts (likely on September 8).
Table of contents: iPhone 17 Pro rumor roundup
- A new design
- Antireflective display
- A19 Pro chip with more RAM
- Pro-level camera will get even better
- A higher price tag
A new design
Photo: Sonny Dickson
Apple has stuck with nearly the same rear camera design since 2019, but this year, it might be planning a major overhaul, giving the iconic camera island a fresh new look. Plus, it could use a two-tone color scheme for the rear of the device, which might make the camera island stand out even more.
Leaked CAD renders and prototypes indicate a wider camera island that stretches horizontally across the top half of the device, with the flash and LiDAR sensor located on the extreme right. Apart from a visual refresh, this might free up internal space, enabling Apple to use bigger camera sensors.
Another rumor claims Apple will adopt a new LIPO display technology to slim down the iPhone 17 Pro bezels.
The design changes will extend to the build quality as well, with Apple reportedly switching from titanium to aluminum. It’s unclear why the company plans to make this change, but it should benefit its bottom line.
Plus, it should enable the iPhone 17 Pro to come in more exciting colors. One leak points to the 2025 flagship iPhones coming in a dark blue and a bold orange shade, alongside the usual black, gray and silver options.
As for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, it might get chunkier and heavier this year. The switch to aluminium should keep its weight in check, but not everyone might be a fan of the added thickness. On the plus side, it should enable Apple to fit in a bigger battery for longer runtime.
Antireflective display on iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max?
Photo: Rajesh Pandey/Cult of Mac
Apple might give the iPhone 17 Pro displays a big upgrade: antireflective cover glass.
However, the rumor mill remains split on whether Apple will proceed due to yield problems. The company reportedly ran into scaling problems due to the complexity involved with the antireflective glass coating. But a July report said the company resolved the production problems and will use antireflective cover glass on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
Samsung is currently the only company using an antireflective cover glass on its flagship phones. The tech helps reduce reflections by a claimed 75%, improving readability. Apple offers a similar nano-texture cover glass as an optional upgrade for the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and Pro Display XDR.
Even if the iPhone 17 Pro uses the same OLED panel as its predecessor, the antireflective cover glass alone would bring a big usability upgrade.
A19 Pro chip with more RAM
Apple debuts a new A-series chip with every flagship iPhone release. This year’s iPhone 17 Pro won’t be any different. The iPhone 17 Pro should feature an A19 Pro chip, which could be fabricated on TSMC’s cutting-edge 2nm node. If that happens, expect the new iPhone chip to deliver impressive performance and efficiency gains. A smaller fabrication node enables a more tightly packed and denser chip, helping improve both performance and efficiency.
Besides the 2nm chip, Apple might bump up the amount of RAM on its Pro models to 12GB. That should help with on-device processing of AI tasks, especially in the future. For comparison, the iPhone 16 lineup ships with 8GB RAM as standard. A 4GB increase in RAM should lead to a substantial improvement in multitasking and background task management.
Apple also might exclusively equip the iPhone 17 Pro Max with vapor chamber cooling. That would help differentiate the smaller Pro from the bigger Pro Max, while also boosting the latter’s cooling capabilities under load.
Pro-level camera could get even better
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Apple upgraded the iPhone 16 Pro’s telephoto shooter to a 5x 12MP sensor while bumping the Ultra Wide camera’s resolution to 48MP. Initial rumors surrounding the iPhone 17 Pro indicated a minor camera hardware upgrade, bumping the 5x shooter’s resolution from 12MP to 48MP. But a wild leak from July suggests an even bigger change might be on the cards: an 8x zoom camera.
Apple supposedly will use an upgraded telephoto lens on the iPhone 17 Pro to enable 8x optical zoom. The lens will apparently move, enabling continuous optical zoom at different focal lengths. (Huawei’s recently unveiled Pura 80 Ultra uses similar technology. It features two periscope zoom sensors and a moving lens to offer up to 9.4x optical zoom.)
If this happens, it would give the iPhone 17 Pro lineup a big advantage over Android flagships, as most of them feature a 5x shooter. And the upgrades don’t stop there. Even the front camera could get a 24MP resolution boost.
The new iPhone Pros also might get a second Camera Control. The button would sit on the top edge and provide quick access to the camera settings.
Alongside the hardware upgrades, the iPhone 17 Pro reportedly will focus on delivering superior video and audio quality. It will do this by leveraging its powerful ISP and software enhancements. Apple might even bring 5K or higher video recording support, as all rear cameras would sport a 48MP resolution.
These camera improvements reportedly will come alongside a new Pro camera app with advanced manual controls.
A higher price tag for iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max
All signs point to the iPhone 17 Pro lineup getting a price bump this year. Besides higher component costs, Apple must juggle higher tariffs. Even though Apple secured some tariff exemptions from the U.S. government, the iPhone maker’s not completely off the hook.
Given the supply-chain uncertainty, leaks suggest a higher starting price for the iPhone 17 Pro. Instead of $999, the phone might get a $50 bump and retail for $1,049.
While this would be a bummer, U.S. carriers should provide attractive trade-in deals and offer to soften the blow. On a positive note, the price increase might come with a jump in base storage. Apple supposedly will ditch the 128GB starting option for good. Instead, the iPhone 17 Pro could ship with 256GB storage as standard — the same as its Pro Max sibling.
It’s unclear whether the iPhone 17 Pro Max will see a price increase. Its starting price could remain at $1,199.
Apple likely will limit the base storage upgrade to the Pro model, with the Air and regular iPhone 17 expected to start at 128GB.
iPhone 17 Pro rumors: Biggest bumps in years
If all the leaks hold true, the iPhone 17 Pro lineup should stand out as Apple’s most exciting Pro models in years. All that’s left is to see how many of the rumored upgrades make it to the final product.
