Apple iPhone 17: Surprising Design Changes Emerge In New Leak

According to new reports, next year’s iPhone 17 range could look very different compared to current models.

December 14 Update below: A new report claims Apple’s iPhone 17 Air is real and is already in the early stages of production

Leaked iPhone 17 Images Appear Online

A recent Weibo post by the well-known tipster Digital Chat Station revealed that at least one iPhone 17 model could adopt a radical new case design next year with a horizontal pill-shaped camera bump at the rear. Interestingly, the design looks remarkably similar to Google’s current Pixel 9 range, aside from its higher placement, almost flush with the top of the phone.

According to the report, “Judging from the supply chain materials, the iPhone 17 series (slim) has indeed changed to this design. The details of the lens arrangement are unknown. The module is this kind of strip runway.” (machine translated).

Although the leaker doesn’t claim to know the arrangement of the individual camera lenses within the camera island, a leaked image shows a row of three camera lenses. This configuration contradicts earlier leaks, which suggested that the rumored iPhone 17 Air (or iPhone 17 Slim) would feature just a single rear camera lens rather than three.

A Second Leaked Image Is Posted

However, another Weibo user posted a photo purportedly showing the internal aluminum frame from an unnamed iPhone 17 device later that day, revealing the same horizontal camera bar.

This horizontal camera bar cutout extends almost to the edges of the case and protrudes slightly from the rear, suggesting a camera island design very similar to Google’s current Pixel 9 range.

However, the leaker states (again, machine translated from Chinese), “The frame of the new iPhone in the supply chain is indeed like this, with the ultra-wide-angle camera placed in the middle, giving space to the front-facing structured light.”

If the design does indeed incorporate an ultra-wide camera placed between two others, then at least one iPhone 17 model with multiple rear cameras will also adopt this new horizontal layout.

A Significant Design Shift

A horizontal camera bar would represent a marked departure from current iPhone designs, which feature a triangular camera layout in “Pro” models and a vertical camera bar in standard iPhone 16 editions. While any potential benefits to photography remain unknown, this horizontal camera island design would shift the lenses away from any greasy fingertips while providing a convenient ledge to steady the phone. It would also prevent wobble when using the phone on a table or other flat surface.

Furthermore, this instantly recognizable new design would ensure that no one mistakes your new iPhone 17 for last year’s model. On the other hand, they may well think you’ve jumped ship and bought a Google Pixel. For that reason, I would be surprised if Apple were to encourage such confusion by opting for a design that is too similar to Google’s.

While Digital Chat Station has a strong track record regarding smartphone leaks, there’s still a long time to wait before the iPhone 17’s expected launch in September 2025, and nothing can be considered confirmed at this stage.

December 14 Update:

Apple’s iPhone Air Confirmed In New Leak

Work on the iPhone 17 Air is already underway, according to a Digitimes report claiming that Apple’s super-slim smartphone has entered the New Product Introduction (NPI) process at maker Foxconn.

While this confirms Apple’s plans to make the new slim iPhone 17 model, it doesn’t provide much information on how far along the iPhone 17 Air’s development process might be. The NPI process can cover everything from exploring initial ideas and refining basic concepts to eventual manufacture and product launch, which means the product isn’t yet guaranteed to make it to production.

Slimming down the iPhone as much as possible could pave the way for future foldable Devices from Apple, which rely heavily on thin components to avoid becoming unwieldy when folded.

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