Apple is gearing up to unveil its next-generation iPhones this fall, and as usual, the rumor mill is already in full swing. While the usual minor performance improvements and design tweaks are expected, this year’s iPhone 17 lineup is also expected to bring more meaningful changes than we’ve seen in a while, including some stunning features we’ve never seen before.
Of course, some of these changes may be limited to certain models, and Apple often keeps a few surprises under wraps until launch day. None of this is guaranteed to happen. But if these rumors are true, Apple fans will be rushing to upgrade their iPhones this fall.
1. A totally new thermal system
After years of complaints from gamers and power users, Apple may finally be addressing thermal throttling this year. The iPhone 17 Pro is rumored to feature an all-new internal cooling system to better dissipate heat during intense tasks such as video editing.
This technology, which is rumored to be based on a vapor chamber system, will be especially useful for keeping the iPhone cool when running 3D games and AI-based tasks. In other words, creating a Genmoji will no longer melt your phone.
2. An ultra-thin and ultra-light design
While this year’s Pro models will get thicker to accommodate better cameras and batteries, Apple is also rumored to be introducing a brand-new form factor called (possibly) the iPhone 17 Air.
Multiple sources suggest that the 17 Air will be the thinnest iPhone ever released, measuring just 5.5mm at its slenderest point. This will be possible thanks to new engineering processes that make components smaller. Inside, this ultra-slim iPhone will have the same new A19 chip as the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup.
While an ultra-thin phone sounds exciting to many people, it’s worth noting that all this thinness must come with some compromises, such as a smaller battery and only a single camera lens on the back.
3. Significantly sharper selfies (and FaceTime calls)
The iPhone selfie camera hasn’t seen a major resolution bump in years. In fact, the last time Apple improved the front-facing camera at all was on the iPhone 14, which gained a larger sensor than the preceding model, plus auto-focus.
Luckily, that’s all about to change with the launch of the iPhone 17 lineup. Apple reportedly plans to double the front-facing camera’s spec from 12 to 24MP, delivering higher-resolution selfies and clearer FaceTime video calls. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also suggests that the new selfie camera will have a six-element lens (compared to five on the iPhones 15 and 16), which should improve images captured in low light. Perfect for vlogging, should you happen to be a content creator.
Apple
4. New high-performance chips
Apple is expected to continue its recent strategy of using different chips to upsell its more expensive iPhones. That means the regular iPhone 17 models will be powered by the new but workhorse-like A19, while the Pro and Pro Max versions will use the considerably more tempting A19 Pro.
In fact, even the standard models are headed for a serious boost: both new chips will be built on TSMC’s N3P process, which is more efficient and consumes less battery than the N3 and N3E versions from previous years. But the A19 Pro will have a better GPU and 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB. For users, this means even more power to run intensive tasks such as rendering videos, playing 3D games, and running AI tasks locally–which should go nicely with the upgraded cooling system mentioned earlier.
Felipe Esposito / Foundry
5. Homegrown wireless
The latest iPhones already support Wi-Fi 7 and 5G, but Apple wants to make wireless connectivity even better with the iPhone 17. That’s because at least one of the new models, possibly the iPhone 17 Air, will use the same C1 modem as the iPhone 16e.
C1 is Apple’s first 5G modem, and it’s much more energy-efficient than the Qualcomm modems inside the other iPhone models. The new modem could help Apple extend battery life on the ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air despite having less physical battery capacity.
At the same time, analyst Jeff Pu believes that all iPhone 17 models will be equipped with a new Wi-Fi 7 chip designed by Apple, which will also reduce battery consumption compared to current chips.
