We’re now only a few days out from the next big Apple event – and that means the arrival of the iPhone 17 line.
We don’t know for certain that the iPhone 17 will arrive on Tuesday (9 September) of course, because Apple never reveals anything beforehand – but we can be about 99.99% confident that the 17 in all its guises will debut on that day.
The smart money this year suggests we’ll get a standard iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Plus, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max – though we could also see an iPhone 17 Air instead of one of those models.
And if the rumors are to be believed, the Pro models at least should offer notable upgrades compared to the past few generations of iPhone launches, where Apple’s smartphones have become somewhat iterative. That said, additions such as the Dynamic Island, Action Button, and Camera Control have still combined to make for some of the most consistent entries in our best phones list.
I’ve been covering Apple events and iPhones for years, so I’ll be your guide over the next few days as we count down to the big day. Below, you’ll find a rundown of the tipped specs and features for the upcoming iPhones and live reporting of all the last-minute leaks and rumors, in addition to analysis from TechRadar’s many phones experts.
So, on with the show…
iPhone 17: cut to the chase
- On September 9 at the Apple event, expect to see the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Plus, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
- These could be joined by an iPhone 17 Air, which is tipped to be a super-slim phone with a 6.7-inch display; it could replace the iPhone 17 Plus.
- The standard iPhone will likely get a new chip, probably the A19, and may finally get a 120Hz display. Expect new colors, but not a radically different design.
- The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could have more significant upgrades, from the A19 Bionic and a vapor chamber cooling system, to a new telephoto camera, and a new rear camera design, as well as a new display.
- Expect new Apple Intelligence features to launch with the phones.
- Prices will likely start at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 for the standard iPhones, and $999 / £999 / AU$1,849 for the Pro models.
- Expect pre-orders to open on Friday, September 12, and a full release on September 19.
- Here’s how to watch Apple’s ‘Awe dropping’ event on September 9.
iPhone 17: what you need to know
Here’s a rundown of the key iPhone 17 features we expect to see from the family of phones on September 9, based on the latest rumors and claimed leaks.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: design and display
Going by the rumors and tips so far, you can expect the iPhone 17 and 17 Plus to look a lot like their iPhone 16 predecessors.
There are rumors of an aluminum frame for all four next-gen iPhones, but I’m not buying that; it would mean a departure from the titanium chassis found on the Pro iPhones.
One big change could come in the form of a vertical rear-camera module for the iPhone 17, much like that on the Samsung Galaxy S25. This could reduce the rear footprint of the module, but would be a departure from a style Apple has used for years.
Dummy units that also touted this design have a slim horizontal pill-shaped camera module for the so-called iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to have the same screen size as the iPhone 16 Plus but to be a lot slimmer.
In direct contrast, the rear-camera module for the iPhone 17 Pro models is tipped to be rectangular and to span the width of the phones’ bodies, with the idea that such a module could hold an upgraded camera system. A suite of other dummy units, renders, and rumors have lent weight to this, so I’m inclined to believe it’s got some legitimacy.
On the display side, the tipsters have claimed all four phones will have 120Hz displays, which I’d welcome – a 60Hz display feels ludicrous in 2025, even on the standard iPhones.
For the Pro phones, one rumor claims the screens will use a new technology that “improves battery efficiency, maximizes display durability, and enhances overall performance compared to existing display technologies.”
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: Cameras
A credible and repeated rumor that there’ll be a new 24MP front-facing camera for every iPhone 17 model has been doing the rounds, but wider camera upgrades for the standard iPhone 17 don’t look likely.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Air might just have one rear camera, although there’s some debate here, with another tipster claiming the iPhone 17 Air will have a 48MP main camera and a 12MP front-facing one.
It’s likely to be business as usual for iPhone 17 on the camera side, though Apple may have improved the sensor a little and will likely improve image signal processing to get more out of a main and ultra-wide camera combo.
On the iPhone 17 Pro side, things look a little more interesting, with both models tipped to get a 48-megapixel telephoto camera. One tipster also claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a mechanical aperture, allowing you to adjust the depth of field of your photos on the fly; that might explain the expected camera module design change.
One left-field rumor has Apple testing a 200MP sensor, though there’s no indication that this would be included on the iPhone 17 Pro range.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: price and release date
I’ll keep this simple based on rumors and my own experience of covering iPhones.
The standard iPhone 17 is expected to start at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399.
The iPhone 17 Plus / iPhone 17 Air could start at $899 / £899 / AU$1,599.
The iPhone 17 Pro will likely start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,849.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely start at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149.
There’s a rumor that due to tariffs, all the new iPhones could be some $50 more expensive than their respective predecessors. I’m of two minds as to whether Apple will mess with an established price cadence this year.
Expect pre-orders for all the iPhones to open on Friday, September 12, and a full release on September 19.
And be prepared for a range of storage options from 128GB to 1TB, and a mix of colors, including a punchy orange for the Pro phones.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro rumored specs
You can expect the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max to have similar key specifications to the iPhone 16 specs.
The iPhone 17 Air could mix things up and have a thickness measuring between 5.0mm and 6.0mm, but so far there haven’t been a lot of leaks to tease out the dimensions of the rumored slim phone.
Other key specs of the new iPhones will likely include an A19 chip for the standard and Plus/Air models, bringing in improved performance and efficiency, and likely snappier responses from AI tools, along with improved image signal processing.
On the Pro phone side, that chip is tipped to be the A19 Pro, which will surely bring in the same upgrades but with more clout on the gaming side. The latter point is given more weight by the fact that vapor chamber cooling is expected for the iPhone 17 Pro models, which could enable the chipset to deliver peak performance for extended times; this would be ideal for some of the more demanding iOS games.
There’s also a rumor that the iPhone 17 Pro will get 12GB of RAM, which would be an upgrade on the 8GB that the current Pro phones have, and which could enable faster responses from Apple Intelligence tools.