iPhone 17 rumors rated – how likely are the biggest predictions?
iPhone 17 rumors have been swirling ever since Apple lifted the lid on the iPhone 16 line last September, but just how many of these design, hardware, and software predictions will become a reality?
Apple’s iPhone 17 launch event is set for September 9, and ahead of the big day, we thought we’d break down five of the biggest rumors relating to the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone 17 Air.
Below each rumor, we’ve shared our expert opinion on whether it’s nailed-on, far-fetched, or somewhere in-between, to give you a better idea of what upgrades to really expect from this year’s iPhone lineup.
New designs
What’s the rumor?
One of the most exciting rumors surrounding the iPhone 17 line concerns the appearance of Apple’s new handsets.
According to reports, the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature large camera blocks running horizontally across their respective rear panels, giving all three phones a Google Pixel 10-style feel.
The standard iPhone 17, meanwhile, will reportedly look almost identical to the iPhone 16, with two rear cameras stacked on top of one another vertically.
How likely is this rumor?
If the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max don’t feature this much-rumored horizontal camera block, I will eat my hat.
This is a claim we’ve been hearing for months now, and given that the square camera housing on the iPhone 16 Pro is starting to feel a little long in the tooth, I can absolutely understand why Apple would want to shake up its flagship iPhone design in this way.
I’m a tad more skeptical (read: confused) about the rumored design of the iPhone 17, which supposedly won’t be any different from that of the iPhone 16. If Apple does indeed mix things up for the Pro models, and throws an entirely new model (the iPhone 17 Air) into the mix, then an unchanged base model risks looking like the ugly duckling. I do, however, think this is the arrangement we’ll ultimately end up with.
Axel Metz, Phones Editor
120Hz displays
What’s the rumor?
Several tipsters have suggested that all four iPhone 17 models will get 120Hz displays, meaning this year’s base iPhone won’t be saddled with the same 60Hz refresh rate that’s been a feature of every non-Pro iPhone since Apple’s 2007 original.
According to some reports, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will continue to use Apple’s adaptive ProMotion display technology (which allows for features like the Always-On display), while the base iPhone 17 and super-slim iPhone 17 Air will get static 120Hz refresh rates. Others, however, hint that ProMotion could come to all iPhone 17 models.
How likely is this rumor?
I never thought I’d see the day when Apple equips its non-Pro models with a 120Hz refresh rate, but the sheer number of sources reporting this rumor makes me confident in its accuracy.
The only real question mark is whether this 120Hz display will be of the static or ProMotion variety. On the one hand, it makes sense that Apple might try and limit the functionality of the non-Pro displays (as a means of boosting the appeal of the Pro models). But on the other hand, ProMotion facilities better battery efficiency (because the refresh rate can be lowered to conserve power), and so the lack of this feature on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air would negatively impact the phones’ battery life.
Given the inevitably slim frame of the iPhone 17 Air, I can’t see Apple sacrificing yet more battery life by equipping that model with a non-ProMotion display. For that reason, I think all iPhone 17 models will get ProMotion displays, or at the very least, all models except for the base iPhone 17 will benefit from the feature.
Axel Metz
A new telephoto camera
What’s the rumor?
Several rumors have suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could receive an upgrade to their respective telephoto cameras. The most widely reported rumor suggests that the telephoto camera’s resolution will be increased from 12MP to 48MP, while others point to a change in zoom range.
Notable tipster Majin Bu previously suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max would be fitted with a 3.5x telephoto camera, down from the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max’s 5x camera. Such a camera would likely be better suited for portrait photography. Bu suggested this change in conjunction with a bump up to 48MP.
And in July, MacRumors reported that an anonymous tipster had contacted the publication to suggest the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could instead launch with an 8x optical zoom camera, with a moving lens that allows for some level of continuous variable zoom. This anonymous tipster made no mention of a 48MP sensor.
How likely is this rumor?
With multiple sources pointing to a 48MP telephoto camera on Apple’s next Pro handsets, I think it’s reasonably likely that we’ll see the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max launch with this upgraded sensor. Apple is already a proven fan of 48MP cameras, as the main and ultra-wide cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are both of this resolution already.
As for a change in optical zoom range, it’s a bit harder to say. Apple fully committed to the 5x lens when it released the iPhone 16 series. When the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max came out the previous year, only the Pro Max got the 5x camera while the smaller Pro kept its 3x camera. This suggests that Apple sees the 5x camera as a straight upgrade.
Furthermore, there doesn’t seem to be a single leading rumor when it comes to a change in zoom. If multiple rumors had pointed to a 3.5x camera or an 8x camera, it might be easier to feel confident either way. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a change in zoom, but it isn’t possible to call either one “likely” at this point.
Jamie Richards, Staff Writer, Mobile computing
Charging speed upgrade
What’s the rumor?
Some sources suggest a modest increase in wired charging capability for the entire iPhone 17 series. All four of the iPhone 16 series models top out at around 30W, and PhoneArena reports that this figure could be increased to 35W for the four upcoming iPhone 17 variants.
Further rumors suggest that this year’s iPhones could get faster wireless charging to the tune of 25W or even 50W, thanks to the incorporation of the Qi 2.2 standard (via MacRumors).
It’s not possible to predict whether Apple will make full use of the Qi 2.2 standard, or indeed produce charging accessories that make full use of any expanded charging capabilities.
How likely is this rumor?
A modest increase in wired charging ability seems like a reasonable expectation. Apple typically keeps things modest when it comes to batteries, both in terms of capacity and charging specs, but with the Google Pixel 10 series and Galaxy S25 series offering up to 45W of power draw depending on model, it’d make sense that Apple would want to avoid being left behind.
As for MagSafe, I think 25W is a lot more likely than 50W. It would be strange for Apple to equip its phones with the components necessary for 50W wireless charging without matching this for wired charging.
Jamie Richards
Vapor cooling chamber
What’s the rumor?
A clutch of tipsters have suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will get vapor chamber cooling systems.
This type of cooling, which you can find in some of the best Android phones, works when coolant liquid contained in a metal chamber turns into a gas as it absorbs heat. This vapor then condenses on the cooler side of the metal surface and dissipates heat via the law of thermodynamics. Usually, such vapor chambers are used to cool a phone’s chipset without taking up a lot of space. You’ll find such cooling in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Apple has yet to adopt this cooling tech, but as it’s now at a level of maturity, Cupertino’s crew looks set to embrace it in the high-performing iPhones.
How likely is this rumor?
Given that rival Android phones use vapor chamber cooling, I think it’s very likely that Apple will use it in the new Pro iPhones.
Apple is almost certainly going to equip the iPhone 17 Pro models with the so-called A19 Pro chip, which is set to have more power than its predecessor and likely more clout to power AI tools and workloads without support from the cloud. That likely means more heat to deal with, so a vapor chamber cooling system would be one way to deal with such heat without making the Pro phones bulkier than their predecessors.
In fact, I’m so confident that this cooling will be used, even if Apple doesn’t make a big show about it, that I’m actually excited about what vapor chamber cooling could mean for gaming and sustained 5G performance on the iPhone 17 Pro.
Roland Moore-Colyer, Managing Editor, Mobile Computing