iPhone 17 Rumors and Leaks: Cameras, Release Date, Colors
We're just a few short months away from getting our hands on the rumored iPhone 17 Pro, along with the rest of the new iPhone lineup.
With Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference just days away, the latest rumors for the iPhone 17 Pro tout better video capabilities and improved battery technology. There's even talk that audio clarity could get a boost, which we'll get to in a bit.
And lest we forget, President Donald Trump's tariffs still loom large amid the anticipation of the rumored iPhone 17. Each day brings more uncertainty about how much tariffs could raise the price of an iPhone, including a 25% tariff that Trump targeted at Apple after it announced US iPhone manufacturing would move to India -- not the US -- to avoid Chinese tariffs.
We're tracking all the biggest leaks and rumors about the iPhone 17 Pro and spilling what we've heard so far.
Watch this: iPhone SE 4 vs. iPhone 17 Air Rumors: Does Size Matter Over Cost?
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iPhone 17 Pro release date: When is the next iPhone coming out?
Over the last several years, Apple has consistently announced its new phones in the first half of September. This will likely be the case with the full iPhone 17 lineup, with the exception of the iPhone 17E, which could arrive in early 2026, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and a report from The Information.
The iPhone 17 lineup may be the last to follow this fall-release model. Starting with the iPhone 18, Apple will reportedly split its phone releases so that lower-cost iPhones launch in the first half of the year and the higher-end Pro models become available later in the year. But that isn't expected to happen until 2026, so you can likely still expect the iPhone 17 Pro to become available this fall.
Preorders for a new iPhone typically begin the Friday after the announcement, with the phone shipping a week later.
iPhone 17 Pro price: Will tariffs increase the cost of the next iPhone?
President Trump has raised, lowered and paused tariffs a dizzying number of times since February, all of which could affect the cost of the iPhone 17 Pro.
Apple, which says it could move much of US iPhone production from China to India, has escaped many of the tariff hikes thanks to a reciprocal tariff exemption list that includes many phones, laptops and other electronics that Apple produces.
However, all the reprieves appear to be temporary, so reciprocal tariffs could still affect prices by the time the iPhone 17 is released.
Trump threatened Apple with a 25% tariff on all iPhones made outside the country in a social media post on May 23. Later that day, he said that all smartphones -- not just iPhones -- would be hit with the 25% tariff by the end of June if they don't move operations to the US.
Regardless of how tariffs play out, Apple plans to raise iPhone prices later this year, The Wall Street Journal reported. Apple apparently plans to ascribe the price increase to better features and design costs so it can avoid pointing the finger at tariffs and incurring the wrath of Trump (like Amazon temporarily did).
CNET Managing Editor Patrick Holland, who's been reviewing phones for CNET since 2016, points out that the iPhone is overdue for a price bump. He noted that Apple has never increased the price for an iPhone Pro ($999) since the iPhone X was first introduced in 2017.
So yes, you should expect to pay more for the iPhone 17, regardless of tariffs.
Read more: Thinking About Buying a New iPhone? Here's Why You Should Wait
New iPhone 17 colors
Rumors of a new color for the iPhone started in April, when Twitter user and leaker Majin Bu (not the Dragon Ball Z character) posted that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could get a sky blue option. The latest MacBook Air models come in sky blue, which could give you some idea of the soft hue we'll see on the iPhone if it goes in the same direction.
For reference, the iPhone 16 and Plus made a splash last year when they debuted pink, teal and ultramarine color options, alongside the standard white and black. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max introduced a new color, desert titanium -- a restrained shade of peach -- alongside the classic natural titanium, white titanium and black titanium options.
The rumored iPhone 17 Pro could get a Sky Blue color treatment.
Jeff Carlson/CNET
iPhone 17 Pro camera bump redesign
The iPhone 17 Pro's camera has been the subject of multiple rumored changes, most notably that Apple could add a horizontal camera bar that spreads across the width of the phone. The front-facing "selfie camera" could also be getting an upgrade.
Back in January, Bu posted a leaked image on X suggesting that the phone could feature a pill-shaped camera bar that looks a lot like the camera bar on Google's Pixel 9 phone.
That raised the question of whether the iPhone 17 Pro would align the three camera lenses in a single row or leave them stacked in a pyramid design, as it did with the iPhone 16 Pro.
In February, Bu posted CAD renders of what could be the iPhone 17 lineup, and Front Page Tech also shared iPhone 17 Pro renders in this video on YouTube:
Both showed horizontal camera bars for the iPhone 17 Pro models that keep the stacked lens layout.
Pu wrote in March that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will feature a 48-megapixel telephoto rear camera, up from 12 megapixels on the iPhone 16 Pro models. That would mean all three cameras on the iPhone 17 Pro models -- Fusion, ultrawide and telephoto -- would be 48 megapixels.
And as for your selfies, analyst Jeff Pu reports that the front-facing camera will be upgraded from 12 megapixels on the iPhone 16 to 24 megapixels on all iPhone 17 models.
Front Page Tech reported in April that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max may also add a built-in video feature that allows you to record with the front and rear cameras simultaneously. The feature would let you overlay a shot of your face over an outward-facing video.
Leaked Specs: iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 17 Pro Max
Specs for the iPhone 17 are more grist for the rumor mill. All of the information in the chart below is based on rumors, leaks and analysis we've gathered about the iPhone 17 base model, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. None of the information in this chart has been confirmed by Apple.
Rumored iPhone 17 specs compared iPhone 17 iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 17 Pro Max Release Date First half of September 2025 First half of September 2025 First half of September 2025 Cost (based on iPhone 16 prices) $829 $999 $1,199 Potential price with 25% Apple tariff $1,036 $1,249 $1,499 New color option - Sky Blue Sky Blue Refresh rate 120Hz 120Hz 120Hz Display 6.3-inch 6.3-inch 6.9-inch Rear camera upgrade - 48MP telephoto 48MP telephoto Front camera upgrade 24 megapixels 24 megapixels 24 megapixels Memory (RAM) 12GB 12GB 12GB Battery A18 A19 Pro A19 Pro Frame composition aluminum aluminum aluminum
Audio
Among the latest rumors to surface comes from wccftech, which claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max would get longer earpieces, citing a post on X from @duanrui1205. In theory, that could signal improved audio clarity. CNET got to learn first-hand how Apple tests, calibrates and tunes the audio (and video) on an iPhone. Additional improvements in audio quality could potentially elevate an already impressive feature.
Display
Apple Insider reports that the iPhone 17 could get a larger display than the iPhone 16. DSCC founder and Counterpoint Research VP Ross Young posted on X that the base iPhone 17 will be 6.3 inches, an upgrade from the iPhone 16's 6.1-inch display. In theory, that means the iPhone 17 would have the same screen size as the iPhone 17 Pro.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is rumored to continue with a 6.9-inch display, similar to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
One feature you likely won't see with the new iPhone 17 Pro models is an antireflective display, which Holland called one of the best attributes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. A source told MacRumors that Apple had to scrap plans for a more scratch-resistant display because of scaling issues with the coating process.
Refresh rate
After the backlash over Apple not updating the 60Hz display on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, rumors of a 120Hz display (Pro Motion) on all iPhone 17 models could be welcome news, along with possibly adding the always-on display to the baseline model.
Memory
Apple Intelligence and AI are likely to play more prominent roles with the iPhone 17. To support the new features, all the iPhone 17 models will step up to 12GB of RAM, tipster Digital Chat Station reported in April. Kuo has also suggested this could happen, according to Digital Trends.
Considering that the iPhone 16 lineup had 8GB of RAM across all models, this could be a big upgrade for the iPhone 17.
Frame
There's been plenty of discussion about whether the iPhone 17 Pro will ditch its titanium alloy frame for an aluminum one. The most recent rumors, according to Pu, predict that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all have aluminum frames.
Dynamic Island
Pu predicted in May that all iPhone 17 models will use a new metalens technology for the proximity sensor, which could result in a smaller Face ID sensor and Dynamic Island, according to a report by 9to5Mac. However, Pu's report contradicts Kuo, who said that the iPhone 17's Dynamic Island would remain "largely unchanged" compared to the iPhone 16.
Dimensions
According to a report by 9to5Mac in May, the iPhone 17 Pro Max may be 8.725mm thick, compared with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which clocks in at 8.25mm thick. That larger size could potentially make room for more battery.
In a post on X, Majin Bu showed a video of what looks like a thicker iPhone 17 Pro model, likely basing the design on the iPhone 17 Pro's rumored dimensions:
iPhone 17 battery life
At the beginning of May, Pu said the iPhone 17 Pro could have the A19 Pro chip. By the end of the month, Pu predicted the iPhone 17 base model will have the same A18 chip used in the iPhone 16, MacRumors reported.
The iPhone 17 Air was originally expected to scale back on battery life to make a thinner design possible, although the latest rumor from AppleInsider is that it might use a silicon-anode battery that could help extend the battery life.
Are new iPhone rumors and leaks to be trusted?
Here's the part where I come in and say: Everything's a rumor until Apple officially releases the next iPhone. Rumors and speculation leading up to the iPhone's release are often based on insider knowledge or leaked information from teams working on the iPhone's designs, but those designs are works in progress -- not necessarily the final product.
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She said the two had known each other for about four years and called Means' advice 'transformational,' saying her teachings reversed Niazi's prediabetes and other ailments. 'I am proud to sponsor her newsletter through my company,' Niazi said in an email. While the disclosure requirements are rarely enforced by the FTC, Means should have been informing her readers of any connections regardless of whether she was violating any laws, said Olivier Sylvain, a Fordham Law School professor who was previously a senior adviser to the FTC chair. 'What you want in a surgeon general, presumably, is someone who you trust to talk about tobacco, about social media, about caffeinated alcoholic beverages, things that present problems in public health,' Sylvain said, adding, 'Should there be any doubt about claims you make about products?' Means isn't the first surgeon general nominee whose financial entanglements have raised eyebrows. Jerome Adams, who served as surgeon general from 2017 to 2021, filed federal disclosure forms that showed he invested in several health technology, insurance and pharmaceutical companies before taking the job — among them Pfizer, Mylan and UnitedHealth Group. He also invested in the food and drink giant Nestle. He divested those stocks when he was confirmed for the role and pledged that he and his immediate family would not acquire financial interest in certain industries regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Vivek Murthy, who served as surgeon general twice, under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, made more than $2 million in COVID-19-related speaking and consulting fees from Carnival, Netflix, Estee Lauder and Airbnb between holding those positions. He pledged to recuse himself from matters involving those parties for a period of time. Means has not yet gone through a Senate confirmation hearing and has not yet announced the ethical commitments she will make for the role. Hund said that as influencer marketing becomes more common, it is raising more ethical questions, such as what past influencers who enter government should do to avoid the appearance of a conflict. Other administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, have also promoted companies on social media without disclosing their financial ties. 'This is like a learning moment in the evolution of our democracy,' Hund said. 'Is this a runaway train that we just have to get on and ride, or is this something that we want to go differently?'
