iPhone 17 is coming, and it is going to be launched after a month! Apple has sold 3 billion iPhones so far – meaning every third person in the world has an iPhone! Now how is this new one, what is the change, and is it worth investing money in it? I have seen 17 big changes, which are going to come in pro and non-pro models. Let’s see what is great, what is useless!
Design: Aluminium Body, New Look
This time Apple is giving aluminium body in both pro and non-pro. Earlier the Pro models used to be made of titanium or stainless steel, but now only aluminium will work. Why? Apple’s titanium experiment was a short-term stunt – it benefited neither the user nor the company. iPhone sales also fell the year before the titanium model was used.
Secondly, aluminium is cheaper – stainless steel $30, titanium $50, but aluminium does the job for just $20-25. Apple says this is for the carbon-neutral goal because it is easy to recycle aluminium. They will shout on stage – “we are saving the environment!” Just like they removed the charger, they also removed titanium.
Benefit? 5G and Wi-Fi 7 signals travel better with aluminium, so it will affect network speed and connectivity. Plus, titanium phones had a discoloration issue – this won’t happen in aluminium. There is a slight change in the design – the new look of the camera module is confirmed, as revealed by a leaked photo. The position of the MagSafe charging coil and the Apple logo will also shift a little down, so that the logo appears in the center of the coil.
There is a lot of talk about Orange/Bronze in colors, but it leaks every year and is not launched. Maybe this time also it will remain only for testing. Still, Purple and standard colors (Black, White, Silver) will be available. Purple seems premium. Let me know in the comments, which color do you want?
Display: Small Notch, Big Game
The size of the Dynamic Island will be small this time – Apple is using meta lens. Normal lenses use a lot of glass, but metal lens does the job with just one glass, so the size of the notch will shrink. ProMotion display (120Hz) will now be available in iPhone 17 and 17 Air as well, but in non-pro it will be fixed 120Hz, while in pro it is 1-120Hz adaptive.
Display size will increase by reducing bezel – iPhone 17’s 6.1-inch to 6.3-inch, and it will increase slightly in Pro models as well. Pro models also have anti-reflective coating, which gives clarity in sunlight, but using tempered glass reduces this benefit a bit. Apple will call it the “best iPhone display ever”!
Camera: Amazing in Portraits
The non-pro iPhone 17 will have a 48MP main camera, which is the sensor of iPhone 16 Pro – bigger size, fast shutter speed. Ultra-wide is the same old 12MP sensor, no change. The telephoto lens in the Pro models will be upgraded from 12MP to 48MP, and the sensor size will also be slightly bigger. There are rumours that 8x zoom will be available, but I think it will remain 5x only – 8x is impractical for portraits. This will make the three lenses (main, ultra-wide, telephoto) of the Pro models 48MP. The front camera will increase from 12MP to 24MP in the entire lineup – details will increase in selfies and video calls.
New feature? 8K video recording will come in Pro models, but it is not of much use. If storage is also needed for 8K, then maybe 2TB variant should also come, only for Pro models. Video quality will be great, but who needs 8K for daily use?
Performance: No shortage in power
A19 Pro chip will be in Pro models and A19 in non-pro, both are made on TSMC’s 3nm process. These will be the most powerful chips in the market, but no app in the App Store uses the full power of A18 Pro, so what is the use of A19 Pro? 12GB RAM will be available in Pro models and 8GB RAM in non-pro, because RAM is needed for AI features. I won’t say much about AI – it doesn’t seem very practical for now, and I don’t know when it will be used in real life. No complaints in performance – gaming, editing, multitasking, everything is smooth.
Battery: Big Battery, but charging same
The Pro Max will get a 5000mAh battery for the first time, because the camera module creates space inside. The thickness will increase from 8.2mm to 8.7mm, but this is fine for such a large battery. All models will have metal casing battery, which was in iPhone 16 Pro – for durability and efficiency. iPhone 17 Air has a smaller battery – 2800mAh – which is not enough for a 6.6-inch display and A19 chip, even with Apple’s optimizations. Charging? Same old 35W, no improvement. Reverse wireless charging may come in Pro models, but will not be used much.
Cooling and Connectivity: New Amazing
The heating issue of iPhone 15 Pro was big, it got fixed a bit in 16 Pro. But the heating can increase due to 8K video recording. This time vapor chamber cooling can come, which will control the heat. Plus, Apple’s own Wi-Fi 7 chip will come in an iPhone for the first time – this will improve network speed and connectivity, and there will be less dependency on third-party like Broadcom.
iPhone 17 Air:
iPhone 17 Air is the year’sABS is the hyped model, will replace the Plus model. Why? Plus models don’t sell – iPhone 14 Plus sold 11%, 15 Plus 9%, and 16 Plus only 10%. 17 Air will have a 6.6-inch AMOLED display, 120Hz, A19 chip, and 5.5mm ultra-thin design. But it will have a titanium frame, so that there isn’t a bendgate like the iPhone 6.
Battery only 2800mAh – not enough for such a big screen. Single speaker is rumored, which will be useless for multimedia, unless Apple does some front-facing sound design. It will have a 48MP main camera, but not ultra-wide. Price? ~$899 (with taxes) in the US, ₹90,000-1 lakh in India – cheaper than Samsung S25 Edge!
| Features | Description |
|---|---|
| Processor | A19 (Non-Pro, Air), A19 Pro (Pro, Pro Max) |
| RAM | 8GB (Non-Pro, Air), 12GB (Pro, Pro Max) |
| Display | 6.3-inch (17, Pro), 6.9-inch (Pro Max), 6.6-inch (Air), AMOLED, 120Hz |
| Camera | 48MP Main + 12MP Ultra-wide (Non-Pro, Air), 48MP Triple (Pro, Pro Max), 24MP Selfie |
| Battery | 5000mAh (Pro Max), 2800mAh (Air), Others ~3500-4000mAh, 35W Charging |
| Operating System | iOS 19 |
| Build | Aluminium (17, Pro, Pro Max), Titanium (Air), IP68 |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi 7 (Apple Chip), Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C 3.0 (Pro) |
Conclusion
There are some changes in the iPhone 17 lineup – smaller notch, bigger display, and bigger battery in Pro Max. But the Air model seems a bit overhyped and impractical. From ₹80,000 to ₹1.4 lakh, these phones are perfect for fashion, but lack some things (like charging speed) in daily use. Launch is expected on 9-11 September 2025. Tell me in the comments – which model will you buy and why?