An iPhone 17 Pro concept. Source: @asherdipps. We're halfway to the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. Here are the most compelling rumors so far that may push you to upgrade. September is iPhone season. This year, rumors say we'll see iPhone 17, iPhone 17 "Air," iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Rumors have been swirling fast this year about the upcoming models. With many pro-level features trickling down and redesigns in the works, it's going to be an interesting cycle.
Of everything we've heard, these are the rumors that been most compelling. This new change may finally put an end to the constant feedback Apple faces every year. The base model phones will no longer be capped at 60Hz. Apple will be bringing ProMotion to all iPhone 17 models with the ability to adjust the refresh rate on the fly, up to 120Hz. The comments come every time we talk about or review base models. Many are indignant that a phone would ship with 60Hz in modern times.
We've long maintained your average user does not care about this. They don't know their refresh rate, let alone get fired up at how low it is. We still stand by that sentiment. But what this does, is allow those who do care about this to get on a more affordable device. And that's certainly a win. Apple is finally getting around to upgrading that third camera on iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Completing the trio of shooters.
All three rear-facing cameras will be 48MP. Right now, only the ultra wide and wide lenses are 48MP while the tele lens is 12MP. This means not only will we get higher resolution zoom shots, but we could get more digital zoom at the same time. You'll be able to crop in and still have a usable image. It's not going to be 100X zoom that are on some Android devices, but this will be more practical and increase the look of all telephoto shots.
One of the biggest ways Apple will spur upgrades is with a whole new device. Speculatively named the iPhone 17 "Air" or iPhone 17 "Slim.". This phone will replace the existing Plus model, as it's the lowest performing model of the lineup with reportedly only 8% of iPhone 16 sales. Apple will hope to woo customers with a more affordable price point than the Pro duo in a new super-slim design. Recently, Samsung revealed its prototype Galaxy S25 Edge. While not official, it seems to be roughly 5.8mm thick.
There's been plenty of speculation on how thick the iPhone 17 Air will be, but the latest say Apple may be targeting a thickness of 5.5mm. Comparably, the iPhone 16 Pro is 8.25mm. 5.5mm would shave off more than a third of this. Before everyone assumes "Bendgate 2.0" is coming, Apple tests these things. It knows what people are saying and will be amply prepared. Sure, it will be guaranteed to bend with enough force, but the new design and middle-of-the-road price tag will probably make it incredibly popular.
Before you skip past the new cooling system, hear us out. It's much more important than its boring name implies. It's no secret that iPhones get very warm, which impacts everything from performance to battery life. Apple finally got serious about this with the iPhone 16 lineup, which does stay cooler than previous models. But the iPhone 17 will go even further with a vapor cooling chamber. These are liquid-filled blocks inside the device that replace a traditional heatsink.
When heated, the liquid evaporates and moves around the chamber as vapor, spreading the heat around. That vapor condenses down to a cooler liquid, which returns to a wick structure to be heated again at the source. If your phone runs cooler, it will charge faster, battery will last longer, it will keep higher sustained performance, and high-end games will maintaining better performance and higher frame rates.
A new thermal system doesn't sound like something fun, but — holy smokes — does it have a lot of implications in use. Speaking of performance, we'll also have Apple's latest silicon - the A19 and A19 Pro. By the sounds of it, the iPhone 17 and 17 Air will use the A19 while the A19 Pro will be yet again reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Early on, it seemed the A19 chips would rely on a new 2nm process. But yields aren't up to snuff yet, meaning it may not yet be feasible for Apple to use.
Even if Apple doesn't move to 2nm in 2025, the new processors are always one of the reasons to upgrade. They include so many crucial elements of the phone from the Thunderbolt controller for the Pro phones, to the Neural Engine for Apple Intelligence, to the ISP for picture quality. It includes the memory too, which will increase to 12GB on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, sticking with 8GB for the others. Rest assured, Apple will make a big deal about the upgraded performance of the whole iPhone 17 lineup. If you have an older phone, faster may be what you're looking for.
