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iPhone 17 camera upgrade
On the standard iPhone 17 side there’s not a lot pointing to a major camera upgrade.
The sensor may get changed to a better one, but not on that goes beyond 48 megapixels.
I suspect the camera improvements will come more on the software side and an improvement in image signal processing via an upgraded A-series chip.
iPhone 17 Pro telephoto camera upgrade
A lot of rumors are pointing towards a big telephoto camera upgrade for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The idea is that the telephoto camera will not only get a boost ot 48-megapixels, up from 12MP, but also have a system of moving components that could allow for continuous optical zoom between an as-yet unknown range of focal lengths. Mixed reports have the camera system able to move between 5x and 8x optical zoom without sensor cropping.
I don’t know if I fully buy into that, as I can still see Apple opt for advanced sensors cropping techniques and camera fusion to bring in high-quality zoomed photos even when using a digital zoom.
Check out Jame Richards’ thoughts on the iPhone 17 Pro telephoto camera upgrades.
iPhone 17 Pro could be super-charged for gaming
A spec rumor that’s stood out to me is how the iPhone 17 Pro could come with a vapor chamber.
Let me first note that vapor chamber cooling works by using a liquid-filled metal chamber, where in the coolant changes into a gas as it absorbs heat. This vapor then condenses on a cooler metal side, thereby dissipating heat away from sensitive components like the chipset. It’s a way to better cool CPU and GPU components without taking up much space; you’ll find vapor chamber cooling in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
For the iPhone series this should mean improved cooling that enables the chipset to run art peak performance for longer, And that should be a boon for gaming, especially for some of the more demanding console-quality games you can now get on iOS.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro specs
| 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 |
I’ll be keeping things focused on the iPhone 17 series for a while, so let’s talk specs.
I don’t expect there to be dramatic changes for the iPhone 17 lineup as a whole, but the addition of new chips for both vanillar and Pro phones, should see more performance, more energy efficiency and snappier responses for AI workloads. The rumored 12GB for the Pro phones should also aid in getting quick results from Apple Intelligence.
Recent iPhones have never been slouches when it comes to performance, so I don’t expect the iPhone 17 to be a vast upgrade in raw power over the iPhone 16, but there’s potential for improved gaming performance.
iPhone 17 colors: big, bold pastels
Right then, straight off the bat let’s talk iPhone 17 colors. Freelancer and iPhone expert James Rogerson has a rundown on all the colors will the iPhone 17 series be available in from his predictions and rumors.
it looks like pastel greens, blues, and pink will make a splash for the standard iPhone 17; my eye is on the green one, if the image above is legit.
And the iPhone 17 Pro models look ot have a more muted selection of hues, in grey and blue variants. But there’s a bright orange models to mix things up; not to my taste but pretty bold.
Get ready for the big Apple event
Roland has been covering Apple products for years so is well versed to take you through the run-up to the Apple event on September 9.
Well hello there, I’m Managing Editor of Mobile Computing, Roland Moore-Colyer here to take you through the run-up to the Apple event on September 9;.
I’ve been covering Apple and iPhones for years, alongside the occasional flirt with iPads, Apple Watches and Airpods, so I’m well versed in the way of Cupertino.
Of course, nothing is official here as Apple keeps very tight-lipped over its upcoming products. But there are enough rumors and leaks to chew over and give us a good idea of what to expect.
Hello and welcome to our Apple iPhone 17 event coverage.
