iPhone 17 Pro Max leaks and rumours signal divisive new design for Apple’s flagship

Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max is getting a new look, if leaks and rumours are to be believed. In recent weeks, a series of detailed digital blueprints, or CAD files, have surfaced online, with leakers claiming they reveal crucial design elements and components of Apple’s upcoming flagship.

Together, the sources suggest the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 17 Air (a super-slim successor to the Plus) will have a larger, more prominent camera bar on the back. In the case of the Pro models, this housing would contain three lenses. These would be arranged in the current layout or placed horizontally in the vein of Google’s Pixel phones, according to separate leaks.

Notably, this design would give the new iPhone a two-tone look, with the camera bar in a distinct black across all models, regardless of the phone’s colour. While there are big question marks over the accuracy of the leaks, if true, they would mark a significant leap from the latest iPhones. Currently, the iPhone 16 Pro Max features a triple camera setup arranged in a triangular formation within a square-shaped camera bump.

This configuration includes a 48-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. Next to the three cameras are the flash and the LiDAR scanner, which uses lasers for 3D mapping and augmented reality features.

In the horizontal camera design, these sensors are placed further apart from the lenses. The standard iPhone 17 camera, on the other hand, will remain unchanged, while the new iPhone 17 Air will contain a single lens. The Apple fan community has leapt on the info, with YouTubers sharing realistic renders of the purported iPhone 17 family. However, at least one reputable Apple expert has thrown cold water over the claims.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested that a sketch featuring the new camera design was “fake”. Therefore, it’s best to take these leaks with a massive grain of salt. With annual processor upgrades the norm, the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max should pack the next-gen A19 Pro chip, built on a three-nanometre process for faster speeds and better efficiency. Catching up to the Pixel 9, RAM could get a boost to 12GB, up from 8GB in the iPhone 16 Pro.

Plus, it may not get as heated when pushed to the limit, thanks to a vapour chamber heatsink. Meanwhile, the camera system could be bumped up to include a 24MP front camera and a 48MP Telephoto lens – marking the first iPhones with three 48MP lenses.

Apple is also said to be planning another perk for its priciest models: the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max could feature a mechanical aperture on the wide camera for customisable light control, resulting in even better photos. They might also get reverse wireless charging, allowing them to power other Apple devices, like AirPods, and continue to support 35W wired charging speeds. Connectivity could be ramped up with Apple's custom Wi-Fi 7 chip, promising faster speeds and more reliability, alongside Bluetooth 5.3 support.