iPhone 17 rumors: Catch up on specs, cameras, colors, and release date

It’s September, which means it’s new iPhone season.

Apple’s annual flagship launch extravaganza is just a few days away, so we should probably stop, catch our breath, and review what we know so far. As always, there have been plenty of leaks and rumors surrounding the iPhone 17 launch over the past year. Some of them will undoubtedly be true, while others seem pretty sketchy. That’s just how these launches go.

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Let’s not waste any more time. Here is everything we know, everything we think we know, and everything we know we don’t know about the iPhone 17 so far.

What iPhone 17 models will we get?

First up, let’s establish exactly which iPhones we’re expecting in September:

• iPhone 17

• iPhone 17 Pro

• iPhone 17 Pro Max

• iPhone 17 Air

Naturally, there will be a base iPhone 17 model. That’s a given, as predictable as the sun setting at night. All indications point to the iPhone 17 getting Pro and Pro Max models, as well, which would be in line with previous Apple mobile releases from the past few years. It would be a real shock if Apple pivoted away from that.

That said, that doesn’t mean this year is bereft of surprises or big changes. Numerous leaks and rumors point to an ultra-thin model, potentially called the iPhone 17 Air. The Air could replace the Plus model that used to grace the iPhone lineup for the past few years, so instead of getting a bigger version of the base model, we’ll get something that has an identity of its own.

We don’t know exactly how big the Air will be, but leaks suggest it will measure in somewhere between 5 and 6mm of thickness. That would make it Apple’s slimmest iPhone yet, putting it in competition with the recently released Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, a 5.8mm thick device.

iPhone 17 release date

The rumors were correct: Apple’s big reveal will happen on Tuesday, Sept. 9., starting at 10:00 Pacific time.

9to5Mac also pointed out that Apple always places the official release date of each new iPhone on the Friday of the week after the launch event, so keep an eye on Friday, Sept. 19 for the phone’s official release date.

Over at Forbes, reporter David Phelan predicts the new iOS 26 update will officially arrive on Monday, Sept. 15 or Tuesday, Sept. 16.

iPhone 17 lineup: The specs

Obviously, we won’t see the full spec sheet for these phones until the second week of September, so none of this is certain. But we have a rough idea of what to expect from these phones.

Let’s start with the displays. Prolific leaker Ice Universe (via 9to5Mac) reported all the way back in July 2024 that these would be the approximate display sizes for each new iPhone:

Perhaps the most exciting rumor that’s emerged about these new phones is that both the iPhone 17 and 17 Air will reportedly feature 120Hz displays, per MacRumors. Apple has frustratingly limited high refresh rates to its Pro phones for a few years now, even as budget Android phones like the Pixel 9a have had that feature for years. This would be a massive upgrade for Apple and would make the base and Air models even more appealing.

It’s also expected that the new iPhones will have new A19 chips inside them. As in previous years, the base model will likely have a regular A19 chip, while the Pro and Pro Max models will have a more powerful A19 Pro chip powering them. Leaker Fixed focus digital on Weibo suggested the Air model will have a slightly downgraded version of the A19 Pro chip instead of a base A19, potentially giving it some additional juice over the base iPhone 17.

What about the cameras?

Credit: Zain bin Awais / Mashable

Again, we won’t know the full, precise camera specs for the new iPhones until September, but there are some leaks to go off of for now.

Perhaps the biggest potential development this year is a selfie cam upgrade for the new iPhones. It sounds like they’ll have 24MP selfie lenses, up from 12MP on previous models. We’ll have to wait and see how that actually manifests in practice, but hey, a larger number is nice.

It also sounds like the Pro models will have a trio of 48MP lenses this time. Last year, the telephoto lens was only 12MP, so that could potentially be a big step up. One last thing to note is that the Air model will supposedly only have one rear camera, similar to the old iPhone SE and iPhone 16e models. No ultra-wide or telephoto shots for Air users, unfortunately.

The iPhone 17 colors

Leaker Sonny Dixon recently posted some photos of iPhone 17 dummy models that purported to show the color options for this year’s new models.

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Perhaps the most striking one is a new orange color for the Pro models, which is definitely eye-catching, if nothing else. The Pro models also appear to have regular black, white, and dark blue options for people who want something a little less exciting.

Weirdly, the base model and Air seem to have less exciting color options this year than the Pro phones. In the photos, the base model appears in black, white, light blue, and pink. The Air, meanwhile, comes in black, white, beige, and light blue.

What about the iPhone Fold?

The as-yet-unnamed foldable iPhone, which tech reporters simply call the iPhone Fold, is rumored to be ready to enter production soon, but not for a 2025 release date. The most recent rumors point to a 2026 launch for Apple’s long-awaited foldable phone, which will reportedly be made with Samsung display technology.

So, unless Apple has a huge surprise up its sleeve, we won’t see a foldable iPhone until the launch of the iPhone 18 in 2026.

As for the specs, the iPhone Fold is shaping up to be exactly what you thought it’d be: An iPhone that transforms into a sort of an iPad mini. As of Aug. 25, the latest rumors say the iPhone Fold will have four cameras. In addition, leakers say it will have Touch ID instead of Face ID, and no SIM card.

Apple iOS 26: How will it change the way we use the iPhone?

Apple shared this prevew of Liquid Glass earlier this year.
Credit: Apple

Here’s something we do know a lot about: Apple’s iOS 26. It’s not officially out yet for the wider public, as it’s scheduled to launch alongside new iPhones in September, but we’ve tried and tested a number of different beta versions, both developer and public ones.

One thing is certain: Apple didn’t change the naming scheme by accident. It’s the nineteenth major release of Apple’s mobile platform, and as it follows iOS 18, it should logically be called iOS 19. But Apple decided to switch to naming its iOS releases by year, and since this one covers a big chunk of 2026, it was thus named iOS 26.

There’s more to it, though. Apple’s iOS 26 brings a number of major changes to the platform, including the new, Liquid Glass design, a big overhaul of the Photos app, and various Apple Intelligence updates, including Live Translation and a smarter Siri. It’s not a radical departure from the previous iOS (Apple doesn’t really do radical departures), but it is a very notable upgrade.

Currently, iOS 26 is in its beta 7 iteration, meaning it’s quite mature and likely very similar to what we’ll see when the final version launches in September. Still, we’ll be on the lookout for any new features and upgrades once that happens.

What else could we get at the Apple event in September?

In addition to the iPhone 17, we fully expect Apple to drop new versions of the AirPods Pro and Apple Watch. But there could also be some surprises in store, as Apple is reportedly working on a new HomePod and Apple TV devices for 2025 as well. Finally, expect a ton of announcements related to Apple Intelligence, the name for Apple’s artificial intelligence features.