iPhone 17 Rumors: Everything We Could See With Apple's Next Flagship Device

The iPhone 16 is still only a few months old, but that doesn’t stop the rumor mill from churning out speculation about Apple’s upcoming devices. There’s already been plenty of buzz about what we could see with the next iPhone, likely called the iPhone 17, next fall, from a slimmer version of the flagship handset to a new screen with a higher refresh rate on the baseline models. 

Here’s what analysts are predicting about the iPhone 17 lineup, which is expected to be announced around September 2025 — but it’s never too early to speculate. 

A slimmer iPhone 

One of the biggest rumors surrounds a possible iPhone “Slim,” a thinner version of Apple’s flagship device that would replace the iPhone Plus option. It could feature a 6.6-inch screen, making it slightly smaller than the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max but still bigger than the baseline model, according to analysts Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo. 

The thinner phone could also feature an aluminum-based frame, Pu and Kuo have each suggested. This wouldn’t be much of a leap, since Apple added a polished aluminum finish to the Apple Watch Series 10. 

To slim down a device, there will need to be hardware tradeoffs, and that may include the phone’s camera. It’s possible this version of the iPhone 17 would only have one main camera, Kuo speculates, doing without the ultrawide and 5x telephoto lenses that have been staples of Apple’s premium iPhones for years. This would place the slim iPhone in the same camp as the $429 iPhone SE when it comes to cameras, as that phone only has one rear lens as well. The good news, though, is that the selfie camera on the iPhone Slim could get a boost; more on that later. 

Watch this: iPhone 17 Rumors: What Analysts Say Apple Is Doing Next

04:06

When it comes to what’s on the inside, the iPhone 17 Slim will likely feature an A18 or A19-branded chip, Pu suggests. This would reportedly match the chip in the baseline iPhone 17. It could also include 8GB of RAM and, potentially, an Apple-developed 5G modem.

What remains to be seen is what battery capacity could look like. A slimmer build typically means less space for the battery and, by extension, potentially a compromise on battery life. Hopefully, that’s not the case here, but we’ll have to see.

A higher refresh rate across the board

Rumor has it all models of the iPhone 17 will feature a 120Hz display, bumping the non-Pro models up from their current 60Hz refresh rate. That could be a welcome change, as the discrepancy between the Pro and non-Pro refresh rate is surprising; when Apple debuted the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus with a 60Hz display, there was a bit of an outcry from folks who expected more in 2024. This rumored update could remedy that.  

Camera upgrades 

It’s not an iPhone release without a camera upgrade. The biggest rumor so far is that the selfie camera on all iPhone 17 models, including the Slim, will be upgraded to 24 megapixels, Pu reports. That’s a decent bump from the current 12-megapixel front-facing camera on the iPhone 16 lineup, though it’s important to remember that more megapixels doesn’t automatically mean better photos. Still, given how much people increasingly rely on their front cameras to snap selfies and record videos for TikTok and Instagram, this is sure to be a welcome advancement. 

Other possible features

While rumor has it the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Slim and iPhone 17 Pro will all have an aluminum design, Pu suggests the iPhone 17 Pro Max will maintain a titanium frame. Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a narrower Dynamic Island, thanks to a smaller Face ID sensor. Dynamic Island on other iPhone 17 models would reportedly stay the same size, Pu says. 

We’ll continue to update this piece as more rumors surface, so be sure to follow along.