Apple’s update to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could bring more than just a camera bump change. Here’s what the rumor mill has said could be on the way for the premium models.
Apple is expected, as usual, to introduce a new line of iPhones in September, forming part of its usual fall product catalog refresh. For 2025, that will mean the introduction of the iPhone 17 generation.
Just like in previous years, expectations are for Apple to bring out multiple models, including a premium Pro tier, consisting of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Also, as normal, there are many rumors circulating about what Apple will be bringing out in its product launches at that time. With the Pro line introducing the newest features, they draw a lot of attention from the rumor mill.
What follows is a summarization of what rumor merchants, leakers, and analysts think will be on the way this fall for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
iPhone 17 Pro displays
As usual, there are expectations that Apple will bring out two different models in its Pro lineup. While similar in specification, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will largely differ in size, and other areas where physicality changes specifications.
The current-gen iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have screens measuring 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches respectively. The Pro has a Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2,622 by 1,206, while the Pro Max goes up to 2,868 by 1,320 pixels.
So far, it seems that the display sizes won’t necessarily change in the iPhone 17 generation. But that doesn’t mean other factors will remain static.
The Dynamic Island could end up smaller on the new models
For a start, a rumor in February claimed that the iPhone 17 series will use the same Samsung M14 OLED panel material set for all models, both Pro and non-Pro. This, it turns out, is the same material mix as used in the iPhone 16 Pro models.
This isn’t the only claim of display homogeneity, as in December, a Weibo leaker claimed that all iPhone 17 models will get ProMotion support. This is a somewhat unusual claim to make, as ProMotion has traditionally been a Pro-only feature, helping to differentiate between the two iPhone tiers.
That display could also be better in other ways for the iPhone 17 generation. Another Weibo leak in March 2024 insisted that the glass on the front will be even harder than before, making it more scratch resistant.
When it comes to Dynamic Island, the hardware feature aided by UI camouflage, there is a difference in opinion on if it will change this year. In January, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that there shouldn’t be any change to the size of the Dynamic Island at all.
Weibo leakers, however, said in February that the Dynamic Island could shrink down in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. By using a “metal meta-lens” to integrate the receiver and transmitter in the TrueDepth camera array, this would reduce the apertures down by one to save space, shrinking the element.
The iPhone 16 Pro generation uses a titanium chassis with a glass front and back, while the non-Pro uses aluminum and glass. This may not be the case for the iPhone 17 Pro.
In November, a report said that Apple was going to change the design up from the glass sandwich and a titanium filling, to using an aluminum frame. The change could mean a change in weight for end users to manage.
The change won’t necessarily just affect the sandwich filling. The same report added that the rear could use a “part-aluminum, part-glass design,” instead of an all-glass back.
iPhone 17 Pro camera bumps
An oddity of the rumors this time is an increased focus on the camera bump on the back of the device. Something that may also explain the rumors about material changes.
Early rumors from December via Weibo introduced the idea of Apple bringing in a new design of camera bump. Rather than a square, Apple could instead use a bar, that stretches across the back of the device, spreading the cameras out in a row.
A second camera bump interpretation – Image Credit: Jon Prosser/Asher Dipprey
By February 14, Jon Prosser posted a video insisting that the larger bump will happen, but while it does stretch across the back, the three cameras will stay in their left-hand triangular arrangement. The flash and LiDAR elements would be on the right-hand side.
This was then backed up by renders from a case manufacturer shared by Sonny Dickson. The images used the same general wide bump design, albeit slightly obscured by a transparent case.
Supposed CAD renders of the iPhone 17 lineup then emerged in February via serial leaker Majin Bu. This had the Pro models using the wide bump and left-side camera triangle arrangement, alongside a largely untouched iPhone 17 and what could be the iPhone 17 Slim.
Barely a few days later, Sonny Dickson followed up with more renders, again showing the Pro models with the wide bump motif.
AppleInsider’s own renders of the new potential bump on the iPhone 17 Pro range
The change to a much wider bump could have many different design reasons, and one of them could be the challenge of making an extremely thin device with better cameras. Space is at a premium inside an iPhone, and a wider camera bump generates a fair amount that could be used for better camera sensors and other tech, without impacting other hardware too much.
It’s also entirely plausible that the seeming empty space on the camera bar-bump could be used in other ways. For example, the Xiaomi Mi 11 had a small display in the camera bar, which could be used for notifications and other elements.
iPhone 17 Pro cameras
With the inclusion of a massive camera bump, you’d expect there to be massive changes to the cameras themselves. If the rumor mill is right, it’s not going to be a seismic change in tech.
At the rear, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have 48-megapixel Fusion and Ultra Wide cameras, as well as a Telephoto using a 12MP sensor and the Tetraprism lens system.
A July 2024 claim from TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the Tetraprism lens on the Pro Max will be improved to gain on both zoom and picture quality. Part of this would include switching the Telephoto sensor to a 48-megapixel version.
Months later, on January 10, Weibo leaker “Digital Chat Station” said all three cameras on the Pro models will be 48MP in resolution.
There are expectations of a higher-resolution Telephoto sensor for the iPhone 17 Pro
While not massively earth-shattering at the back, the front could give some users a bit of a surprise.
An August 24 claim from Haitong Securities analyst Jeff Pu said the 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera array would be improved to a 24-megapixel version. Furthermore, the lens system will be improved from a five-element to a six-element version.
This claim was later doubled down on by Digital Chat Station in January, reiterating the resolution change.
Apple may also make more of a push to capture the video market, by stressing improvements to video recording during its presentation. According to Mark Gurman on February 23, this will be an attempt to tempt vloggers and content creators to use the iPhone instead of standalone cameras.
iPhone 17 Pro A19 and memory
A new year introduces a new chip line, and for 2025, that should be no different. Following the A18 and A18 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro line should use the A19 family of chips, and possibly the A19 Pro.
In July 2024, TSMC was reportedly starting the trial production of the A19, using a 2-nanometer fabrication process. This would be the first time the process was used for a commercial product by the Apple chip partner.
The A19 is practically guaranteed for the next iPhone generation.
TSMC had previously announced it would be making 2-nanometer chips by 2025 all the way back in 2022. Apple could end up using the process for the next generation again, with an enhanced form potentially arriving in the iPhone 18 Pro.
Analyst Jeff Pu reckoned in May 2024 that the iPhone 17 Pro line would get 12GB of memory to play with. By August, Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Pro Max would get 12GB and the other models, including the non-Max Pro, would have 8GB.
Pu reiterated his double-device 12GB claim in February 2025.
iPhone 17 Pro cooling
To go with the new chip process, Apple could potentially add a better cooling system into the mix. At least, for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Going back to January 2021, Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple had considered the use of vapor chamber thermal systems for use in an iPhone. By August 2024, Kuo believed Apple was looking to add more exclusive features to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, including vapor chamber cooling.
Vapor chambers use liquid inside a contained system, which is heated at a source, with the liquid evaporating and spreading throughout the chamber. This spreads the heat around, reducing the thermals around the heat source, which in this case would be the chip die.
The vapor condenses, returning to a wick structure and circulated to the heat source again. To consumers, this would result in a chip that stays cooler for longer, because thermal management shifts heat away from the chip quickly.
Whether it will be a Pro Max-only feature remains to be seen. In January, a report claimed that all of the iPhone 17 range will use the technique.
While it is possible for Apple to do so for the entire iPhone 17 range, it seems more plausible for the technique to be used on the Pro models alone, or even just the Pro Max. A disadvantage of the system is that it requires a bit more space to function, and the Pro model’s camera bump rumor may give just enough room for it to be a reality.
