iPhone 17: Specs, colors, release date, and everything else we know

Macworld

In just a couple of months, Apple will unveil the iPhone 17. But you don’t need to wait to find out what it’s all about. Rumors, leaks, and info started to circulate months before the iPhone 16 was even formally announced, and there isn’t much we don’t know by now. Here’s everything we know about Apple’s new iPhones so far—and be sure to check back until the big event in September.

Updated August 5: A report states that Apple could be having its fall iPhone event on September 9..

iPhone 17 release date: When is the next iPhone coming out?

Here’s something we do know: The new iPhone lineup is almost always announced at an Apple Event in September—usually on a Tuesday in the second week of September, to be specific. So we would expect the iPhone 17 line to be announced on or around September 9, 2025. Here’s when the most recent models were released:

iPhone 15: September 12, 2023
iPhone 14: Sepember 7, 2022
iPhone 13: Sepember 14, 2021
iPhone 12: October 13, 2020 (delayed due to Covid)

Historically, preorders for the iPhone begin on the Friday after the announcement, and the phones ship a week later. On occasion, some specific models may ship a couple of weeks later than others due to production issues. So expect pre-orders around September 12 and on sale from September 19.

@macworld.com
iPhone 17 rumor roundup #apple #iphone #fyp
♬ original sound – Macworld – Macworld

According to “internal information from German mobile phone providers” posted by iphone-ticker-de, Apple is reportedly gearing up to unveil the new iPhones at an event on Tuesday, September 9.

iPhone 17: Price

We haven’t yet heard if the iPhone 17 line will cost the same as the iPhone 16 line. Most rumors suggest the “Plus” model will be replaced by the new super-slim “Air” model, which will take over its price in the lineup as well:

iPhone 17: 6.27-inch LTPO display, A19/8GB/128GB ($799)
iPhone 17 Air: 6.65-inch LTPO display, A19/8GB/128GB ($899)
iPhone 17 Pro: 6.27-inch LTPO display, A19 Pro/12GB/256GB ($1,099)
iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.86-inch LTPO display, A19 Pro/12GB/256GB ($1,199)

This would mean a significant upward shift in overall iPhone pricing, with the Pro model jumping up $100 and a new model replacing the Plus with a price of $100 more than the Pro Max.

Now that Apple has introduced the iPhone 16e there may also be an iPhone 17e joining the lineup in September 2025, although we don’t know if it will be updated in September 2025, or if that model won’t arrive until spring 2026. The price is likely to be $599 for the iPhone 17e, unless Apple introduces an iPhone 17e in place of the iPhone 15, with a price of $699, in which case the iPhone 16e could remain in the lineup with its $599 price tag.

iPhone 17: Colors

We’ve heard a lot of rumors of the iPhone 17 colors over the past few months. Now we have independent confirmation from internal documents that list the Pantone colors of the various models.

iPhone 17

Black (same as iPhone 16)
White (same as iPhone 16)
Steel Gray (Pantone 18-4005-TPG)
Green (Pantone 2282 U)
Purple (Pantone 530 U)
Light Blue (Pantone 658 U)

iPhone 17 Air

Black (same as iPhone 16)
White (brighter/colder than the iPhone 16)
Light Blue (Pantone 657 U)
Light Gold (Pantone 11-0604 TPG Gardenia)

Foundry

iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max

Black (same as iPhone 16 Pro)
White (same as iPhone 16 Pro)
Gray (similar to Natural Titanium)
Dark Blue (Pantone 19-4025 TPG Mood Indigo)
Orange (Pantone 1501243 TCX Papaya)

Foundry

iPhone 17 Air: New slimmer ‘iPhone 17 Air’ model

Several analysts have reported that the existing Plus model will be replaced by a new “Slim” model with a larger screen size and a much thinner body.

The much slimmer size will come at the expense of battery capacity, as there just isn’t room for a battery as thick as you find in other iPhones. Leaker yeux1122 has said the battery capacity is to be around 2,800mAh, which is more than 20% less than the battery in any iPhone 16 model.

According to Korea’s Sisa Journal in January 2025, the so-called iPhone 17 Air will be 6.25mm thick and cost in the same price range as the iPhone 16 Plus (starting at $899 U.S.). A medium post from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the “thinnest part” of the new ultra-slim iPhone is just 5.5mm thick, but it’s difficult to know what that means without more context.

The camera bump, according to Weibo leaker Ice Universe, will be 4.0mm thick, bringing the total phone thickness to 9.5mm at the camera. Additionally, a report from Majin Bu in July claims the selfie cam will shift from the right side of the Face ID sensors to the left.

We’re unsure if the iPhone 17 Air will have the A19 or A19 Pro (reports vary), but it is expected to have only a single 48 megapixel rear camera and the new 24 megapixel front camera that all iPhone 17 models will get.

An episode of the YouTube channel Unboxed Therapy featured a “dummy model” version of the phone from a third-party supplier. It’s our best look yet at the overall size and thin design.

The iPhone 17 Air is also expected to feature a titanium frame, while the other iPhones will be made of aluminum. This may be due to titanium’s greater resistance to bending, which could be necessary given how thin the phone is.

iPhone 17: Cameras

All iPhone 17 models have been rumored to feature a 24MP front-facing camera. An October 2024 research note from analyst Jeff Pu added that the iPhone 17 Pro would feature a 48MP telephoto camera along with a new 24MP front camera. According to a later report from Majin Bu, the 48MP telephoto camera will have a zoom of 3.5x (85mm), with an optical “crop zoom” mode similar to today’s 48MP wide camera, so you can shoot 12MP 7x (160mm) shots before the digital zoom kicks in.

A report from The Information in July 2024 claims that “at least one” model will feature a mechanical aperture, which would be new for iPhones but has been seen in a handful of Android phones so far.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Air models are expected to feature a new “camera bar” design, where the large rectangular bump holding the rear cameras now stretches across the entire width of the iPhone. The regular iPhone 17 should have its two camera stacked vertically in a narrow bump., similar to the iPhone 16 today.

Sonny Dickson

In late June, Majin Bu posted photos of an iPhone 17 Pro dummy unit and its new camera bar.

Majin Bu/X

According to a new leak from a MacRumors source, the iPhone 17 Pro is expected to have 8x telephoto. That could be a 4x telephoto lens with a 2x “crop zoom” function from a 48 megapixel sensor, similar to what is done with the regular Wide camera today. The leak also says Apple is planning a new Pro camera app for photos and videos, and even that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an additional camera control button on the top edge.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has said Apple wants vloggers and content creators to move to using iPhones instead of standalone cameras, and will do more to emphasize video quality and features in the iPhone 17 line.

iPhone 17: Rumored specs and features

Various rumors suggest that the new iPhones could benefit from the following updates:

Battery

The only rumored battery capacities so far are for the iPhone 17 Air (around 2,800mAh) from yeux1122 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max (around 5,000mAh) from the Weibo account Instant Digital. For the iPhone 17 Pro Max, that’s about 8% more capacity than the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Design and display

The always-on display is supposed to finally be available on the non-Pro models. In addition, some believe that ProMotion will come to the non-Pro models, since the same LPTO technology that enables the always-on display is what makes ProMotion possible, in Apple’s iPhone implementation. If true, it would be the first time Apple has offered ProMotion on a non-Pro device. Others claim that the non-Pro models will get a 120Hz display, but without the variable refresh rate of ProMotion.

Apple is also said to be working with Corning on a new anti-glare and scratch-resistant glass for the iPhone 17 lineup. It was said to have production volume issues that might cause it to miss this year’s iPhones, but the latest rumor says it will be on the iPhone 17 Pro after all.

Dynamic Island

The iPhone 17 Pro Max may have a smaller dynamic island. Rumors have changed back and forth—Jeff Pu said the dynamic island (or rather, the hardware “pill” that the island surrounds) will be smaller in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Then Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said it will be the same size as current models. Then leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo said it will indeed be smaller.

Processor

We don’t know much about what chips will power the iPhone 17 line, but we expect the high-end models will get an A19 Pro, while the non-Pro models may get a standard or cut-back version of the A19, or perhaps a more souped up variant of the A18.

A persistent rumor claims Apple will use a vapor chamber plate to distribute heat in the iPhone 17 Pro models, and leaker Majin Bu has an image of some production parts for it.

Charging

In June, 91mobiles spotted a new MagSafe charger compliant with the Q1 2.2 standard. That could mean that the iPhone 17 will support 50W charging over MagSafe, a massive boost over the current 25W capabilities in the iPhone 16.

RAM

Since Apple bumped every iPhone 16 model to 8GB of RAM due to the demands of Apple Intelligence, rumors have suggested Apple will increase the memory in the iPhone 17 Pro models to 12GB. In a report concerning RAM suppliers, Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple wants the regular iPhone 17 to feature 12GB as well, but supply shortages may be an issue.

Wireless

When it comes to wireless, the cellular modem is likely to still be supplied by Qualcomm; the C1 modem isn’t quite good enough for Apple’s top-tier iPhones yet, and the C2 won’t be ready in time.

Apple has its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip that is expected to appear in the iPhone 17, however.

iPhone 17 software: What is coming in iOS 26?

Apple didn’t reveal anything new about the iPhone 17, but we learned that iOS 26 will bring a lot of exciting new features to all iPhone users. A new Liquid Glass design language uses translucent layers and specular highlights to give all the interface elements a glass-like look that adds depth and realism to the user experience — a look and feel that will consistent across all Apple devices.

Many of the iPhone apps are getting updates as well. The Phone app will feature a Call Screening option for vet incoming calls, and a Hold Assist function to detect hold music and let you know when someone has picked up.

Messages will gain the ability to create polls in group texts for quick and easy consensus-taking on dates to meet or places to eat, and the like. Maps will use AI to make navigation more personalized with preferred routes and previously visited places.

Moreover, a report by Mark Gurman in late June claims that Apple help back some iOS 26 features at WWDC, so there will likely be some new tricks for the iPhone 17.

See our article on how iOS changes everything and what is new in iOS 26 to learn more about these features and many others.

iPhone history

The iPhone 16 range and the iPhone 16e are the current-generation models available from Apple. Below you can find links to our reviews of all iPhone models, including the latest generation. Learn more about all the new Apple products coming this year and when is the next Apple event. You might also want to check out our advice on when is the best time to buy a new iPhone, our iPhone buying guide, and our comparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today.