The iPhone 17 series is almost here, with Apple set to unveil the iPhone 17 itself along with the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and likely the iPhone 17 Air on September 9. But you don’t have to wait until then to get a good idea of what to expect.
Between leaks, rumors, past form, and my own expert analysis, I’ve pulled together a likely specs list for all four of these phones.
So read on to see which aspects will probably be improved, which won’t, and whether these phones are likely to be worth upgrading to.
iPhone 17 series specs comparison
Below you’ll find a closer look at all the specs I predict these phones will offer, but first, here’s a brief comparison of the key specs you might find with each of these handsets.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | iPhone 17 | iPhone 17 Air | iPhone 17 Pro | iPhone 17 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Display: | 6.1-inch OLED | 6.7-inch OLED | 6.3-inch OLED | 6.9-inch OLED |
Resolution: | 1179 x 2556 | 1290 x 2796 | 1206 x 2622 | 1320 x 2868 |
Refresh rate: | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz |
Chipset: | A19 | A19 Pro | A19 Pro | A19 Pro |
Rear cameras: | 48MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide | 48MP wide | 48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto (5x zoom) | 48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto (5x zoom) |
Front camera: | 24MP | 24MP | 24MP | 24MP |
RAM: | 8GB | 8GB | 12GB | 12GB |
Storage: | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
Battery: | 3,561mAh+ | Under 3,000mAh | 3,582mAh+ | ~5,000mAh |
iPhone 17 specs predictions
As you can see in the specs list above, the iPhone 17 might have a lot in common with the iPhone 16, with leaks pointing to a screen that’s once again 6.1 inches. And if it is the same size I’d expect it would also be the same resolution – meaning 1179 x 2556. However, one widely rumored upgrade the display could get is a 120Hz refresh rate, up from 60Hz on the current model.
We haven’t heard much about the rear cameras, which suggests they will probably be largely unchanged – so expect a 48MP wide and 12MP ultra-wide camera again. However, the front-facing camera has been rumored multiple times to be getting boosted from 12MP to 24MP, so that seems likely.
The chipset should also be improved, with leaks and common sense pointing to an A19 – up from the A18 in the iPhone 16. However, most sources reckon the iPhone 17’s RAM will once again come in at 8GB.
We haven’t heard much about the iPhone 17’s storage, so that’s likely unchanged from the 128GB / 256GB / 512GB capacities of its predecessor, and there’s little news on the battery capacity either, so I’d expect it will be at least 3,561mAh like last year.
However, based on past form there’s a fair chance it could have a bigger battery, especially as Apple might be using a lighter and thinner motherboard, which would leave more space for extra battery capacity.
iPhone 17 Air specs predictions
The iPhone 17 Air would be a completely new model for Apple, so we can’t look at it in terms of upgrades from its predecessor, but its screen at least might be similar to the iPhone 16 Plus’s, with leaks putting it at 6.7 inches. That said, some reports suggest it could instead be 6.6 inches, or somewhere in the middle.
I’m going to guess 6.7 inches though, since that’s what the iPhone 16 Plus has and the iPhone 17 Air is reportedly taking the Plus’s place in the line.
In which case, it would probably also have the same resolution as the iPhone 16 Plus, meaning 1290 x 2796. However, as with the base model it could be boosted to a higher 120Hz refresh rate, going by numerous leaks.
The iPhone 17 Air’s cameras though could be a downgrade, with leaks consistently pointing to the presence of just a single 48MP snapper on the back – this presumably being a compromise necessary to make the phone thin. That could be joined by a 24MP camera on the front, though some leaks suggest it will instead have a 12MP one.
There are conflicting reports over whether the iPhone 17 Air will have an A19 chipset or an A19 Pro – with one less GPU core than the Pro phones. We’ve heard the latter more recently though, so that’s my best guess for now.
There’s also no real agreement on whether the iPhone 17 Air will have 8GB of RAM or 12GB, but given that reports put the price similar to that of the iPhone 16 Plus, I’d guess it will just have 8GB.
That reportedly similar pricing also makes me think storage could be the same as the iPhone 16 Plus, meaning 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB configurations. However the battery will almost certainly be smaller, given that this is set to be a slim phone. In fact, we’ve heard that it could be under 3,000mAh, which seems believable.
iPhone 17 Pro specs predictions
Now we come to the iPhone 17 Pro, and as with the base model there might not be many screen upgrades. In fact, it’s possible that this will have exactly the same display as the iPhone 16 Pro.
Specifically, leaks suggest it has a 6.3-inch 120Hz screen (with that refresh rate not being an upgrade here), and if the size is the same, the resolution probably will be too – so I’m predicting a resolution of 1206 x 2622.
However, the cameras could be in for some upgrades, because along with the same 48MP wide and 48MP ultra-wide cameras as last year, we’ve heard from numerous sources that the telephoto camera could also be 48MP – up from 12MP on the iPhone 16 Pro.
Whether it will still offer 5x optical zoom is less clear, with one source saying it will instead be a 3.5x zoom camera, and another going in the opposite direction and saying it could reach 8x zoom. But as there’s a lack of consensus I’m going to guess it’s still 5x for now.
As with the other phones in the iPhone 17 series, the front camera here is widely rumored to also be getting an upgrade, from 12MP to 24MP.
The iPhone 17 Pro’s chipset will of course also almost certainly be better, with an A19 Pro probably set to replace the current model’s A18 Pro, and several sources also claim that it will have 12GB of RAM – up from 8GB in the iPhone 16 Pro. That said, one source says it will still have 8GB, so it could go either way.
We’ve also heard from numerous sources that the iPhone 17 Pro might start with 256GB of storage, rather than the 128GB of its predecessor. But it’s unlikely to go beyond the current 1TB at the top end.
And finally, the iPhone 17 Pro will presumably have a battery that’s at least as high capacity as the 3,582mAh one in the iPhone 16 Pro. But if anything, it will probably be higher capacity, as Apple often increases the capacity on new models.
iPhone 17 Pro Max specs predictions
The iPhone 17 Pro Max is expected to be the flagship model in the iPhone 17 series. But as with the other phones its screen might not be a major focus, with leaks suggesting that – like the iPhone 16 Pro Max – it will have a 6.9-inch 120Hz display.
We haven’t heard much talk about the resolution, but as with the other models I’d assume it would be the same again if the size remains the same, meaning 1320 x 2868.
Its cameras could be in for the same upgrades as the iPhone 17 Pro’s will reportedly have – meaning a new 48MP telephoto camera in place of its 12MP predecessor, and a new 24MP camera on the front, with the wide and ultra-wide lenses probably remaining at 48MP, like last year.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max’s chipset will also almost certainly be improved, with the consensus being that it will have an A19 Pro chipset, likely paired with 12GB of RAM (up from 8GB in the iPhone 16 Pro Max).
We haven’t heard much about its storage though, so that will likely remain unchanged – with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options.
And the battery is an interesting element because we haven’t heard many rumors about that either, but one suggests that it could reach 5,000mAh, which would be a fairly sizable jump over the 4,685mAh of the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
That’s a bigger increase than Apple usually goes for, but an increase of some amount is likely, and reaching around 5,000mAh certainly doesn’t sound impossible.