Apple has confirmed its annual September event will take place on September 9, which means the iPhone 17 series is almost certainly right around the corner. If the latest rumors are true, we’re likely to see full reveals for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Speaking of the latest tip-offs, there’ll be plenty of eyes on the iPhone 17 Pro this year thanks to dozens of redesign rumors: it’s widely expected that the iPhone 17 Pro will bring the biggest visual shakeup to Apple’s mobile lineup since the launch of the iPhone 11.
Meanwhile, the Google Pixel 10 Pro has made waves as one of the most sophisticated Android phones on the market, with the new Pixel Snap magnet system adding support for first-party magnetic accessories and wireless chargers, as well as Apple’s MagSafe range. It’s an impressive play that suggests Google is aiming right at Apple’s user base (as well as the multiple name-drops during the 2025 Made by Google event).
So, with the Pro-level Pixel offering more than ever, how can the iPhone 17 Pro remain on top of the game and overshadow its opponent? Keep reading for our five suggestions.
An upgraded telephoto camera
As we previously reported, one of the bigger iPhone 17 Pro rumors concerns the phone’s telephoto camera.
The rumors describe a possible upgrade that could see the iPhone 16 Pro’s 5x telephoto camera replaced with a variable-zoom lens that tops out at 8x optical zoom.
The iPhone 16 Pro comes with a 12MP telephoto camera that offers 5x optical zoom. In comparison, the Google Pixel 10 Pro uses a 48MP 5x optical telephoto camera that also boasts a slightly larger sensor. Apple’s got some catching up to do.
As well as making the iPhone 17 Pro the flagship with the longest optical zoom camera, such an upgrade could explain the iPhone 17 Pro’s long-rumored ‘camera bar’ design change. An extra-long periscope lens, as well as the machinery needed to provide continuous optical zoom, could certainly take up all that extra space.
And just for reference, like most phones the Google Pixel 10 has no variable optical zoom – the phone boasts digital zoom out to 100x, but that 5x telephoto camera is fixed.
A bigger battery…
iPhones have smaller batteries than their rivals – that’s a known factor, and thanks to Apple’s famously great software optimization, it’s not something that gets in the way of daily use or our recommendations.
The iPhone 16 Pro sports a 3,582mAh battery, compared to the Google Pixel 10 Pro’s 4,870mAh cell – that’s about 35% larger than the iPhone, yet both handsets managed similar battery life in our testing, at about 14 hours for the iPhone and 13 hours and 15 minutes for the Pixel.
This seems like an open goal. The iPhone 16 Pro and Google Pixel 10 Pro are close to the same physical size, so it’s certainly possible for Apple to fit the iPhone 17 Pro with a larger cell.
If the iPhone 16 Pro can get more battery life than its competitors with a smaller cell, it tracks that a larger battery could offer spectacular results.
…with faster charging
Before the release of the Google Pixel 10 series, some rumors pointed to charging upgrades across the board – we had hoped to see 60W power draw come to the new flagships.
Alas, the Pixel 10 Pro got a much smaller bump for its wired charging capabilities, up to 30W from 27W on the Pixel 9 Pro.
Apple doesn’t officially release charging information for any iPhone model, but third-party testing suggests a similar power draw of around 30W.
The iPhone 16 Pro already has faster wireless charging than the Pixel 10 Pro, at 25W and 15W respectively. Increasing wired charging speed would give the iPhone 17 Pro a clear edge.
More RAM
The iPhone 16 Pro comes with 8GB of RAM, which is enough to run iOS 18 smoothly and enable Apple Intelligence, but not a lot compared to even its mid-range rivals.
The Pixel 10 Pro, in comparison, has 16GB of RAM – a healthy amount that encourages multitasking and enthusiastic use of Google’s various Gemini AI tools and features.
Like with battery life, Apple’s solid optimization means that 8GB goes pretty far, but there’s a point at which having more physical RAM is the only way to unlock better performance. I’d like to see the iPhone 17 Pro launch with 16GB of RAM, but 12GB would be sufficient.
Plus, with the Google Pixel 10 Pro offering seven years of OS updates, Apple should be thinking about how the iPhone 17 Pro might fare after the same amount of time, and whether their next flagships will look like a viable long-term investment.
Better AI
So far, we’ve discussed ways that the iPhone 17 Pro can keep the iPhone 16 Pro’s lead over the Google Pixel 10 Pro – but there’s one part of the equation that Google is already well ahead on.
We’re of course talking about AI, which has grown exponentially on the Pixel platform (and other Android phones), while Apple has struggled to get Apple Intelligence properly off the ground.
Admittedly, this has more to do with Apple’s update cadence and software plans than it does a specific model of phone. But with how integrated smartphone hardware and software marketing has become its likely that the iPhone 17 Pro will be positioned as a gateway to Apple’s most advanced AI features.
And in order for this to pay off, the features have to really work. Siri, for example, is long overdue an overhaul, while Google’s Gemini Live has only gotten more responsive.
Keep in mind that much of the above is based on rumors for the time being. What do you want to see from the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro? Let us know in the comments below.
