As Apple's September 9 event is just around the corner, we're live blogging all the latest news and rumors, such as how an iPhone 17 Pro leak points to a brighter screen and better battery life, as well as our own expert analysis from myself, Roland Moore Colyer and longstanding tech journalist and Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff.
Phones will likely dominate this Apple event, with the smart money this year suggests we'll get a standard iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Plus, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max – though we could also see an iPhone 17 Air instead of one of those models.
And if the rumors are to be believed, the Pro models at least should offer notable upgrades compared to the past few generations of iPhone launches, where Apple's smartphones have become somewhat iterative. That said, additions such as the Dynamic Island, Action Button, and Camera Control have still combined to make for some of the most consistent entries in our best phones list.
I've been covering Apple events and iPhones for years, so I'll be your guide over the next few days as we count down to the big day. Below, you'll find a rundown of the tipped specs and features for the upcoming iPhones and live reporting of all the last-minute leaks and rumors, in addition to analysis from TechRadar's many phones experts.
So, let's get into it…
iPhone 17: cut to the chase
- On September 9 at the Apple event, expect to see the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Plus, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
- These could be joined by an iPhone 17 Air, which is tipped to be a super-slim phone with a 6.7-inch display; it could replace the iPhone 17 Plus.
- The standard iPhone will likely get a new chip, probably the A19, and may finally get a 120Hz display. Expect new colors, but not a radically different design.
- The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max could have more significant upgrades, from the A19 Bionic and a vapor chamber cooling system, to a new telephoto camera, and a new rear camera design, as well as a new display.
- Expect new Apple Intelligence features to launch with the phones.
- Prices will likely start at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 for the standard iPhones, and $999 / £999 / AU$1,849 for the Pro models.
- Expect pre-orders to open on Friday, September 12, and a full release on September 19.
- Here's how to watch Apple's 'Awe dropping' event on September 9.
iPhone 17: what you need to know
Here's a rundown of the key iPhone 17 features we expect to see from the family of phones on September 9, based on the latest rumors and claimed leaks.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: design and display
Going by the rumors and tips so far, you can expect the iPhone 17 and 17 Plus to look a lot like their iPhone 16 predecessors.
There are rumors of an aluminum frame for all four next-gen iPhones, but I'm not buying that; it would mean a departure from the titanium chassis found on the Pro iPhones.
One big change could come in the form of a vertical rear-camera module for the iPhone 17, much like that on the Samsung Galaxy S25. This could reduce the rear footprint of the module, but would be a departure from a style Apple has used for years.
Dummy units that also touted this design have a slim horizontal pill-shaped camera module for the so-called iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to have the same screen size as the iPhone 16 Plus but to be a lot slimmer.
In direct contrast, the rear-camera module for the iPhone 17 Pro models is tipped to be rectangular and to span the width of the phones' bodies, with the idea that such a module could hold an upgraded camera system. A suite of other dummy units, renders, and rumors have lent weight to this, so I'm inclined to believe it's got some legitimacy.
On the display side, the tipsters have claimed all four phones will have 120Hz displays, which I'd welcome – a 60Hz display feels ludicrous in 2025, even on the standard iPhones.
For the Pro phones, one rumor claims the screens will use a new technology that "improves battery efficiency, maximizes display durability, and enhances overall performance compared to existing display technologies.”
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: Cameras
A credible and repeated rumor that there'll be a new 24MP front-facing camera for every iPhone 17 model has been doing the rounds, but wider camera upgrades for the standard iPhone 17 don't look likely.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Air might just have one rear camera, although there's some debate here, with another tipster claiming the iPhone 17 Air will have a 48MP main camera and a 12MP front-facing one.
It's likely to be business as usual for iPhone 17 on the camera side, though Apple may have improved the sensor a little and will likely improve image signal processing to get more out of a main and ultra-wide camera combo.
On the iPhone 17 Pro side, things look a little more interesting, with both models tipped to get a 48-megapixel telephoto camera. One tipster also claims that the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a mechanical aperture, allowing you to adjust the depth of field of your photos on the fly; that might explain the expected camera module design change.
One left-field rumor has Apple testing a 200MP sensor, though there's no indication that this would be included on the iPhone 17 Pro range.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro: price and release date
I'll keep this simple based on rumors and my own experience of covering iPhones.
The standard iPhone 17 is expected to start at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399.
The iPhone 17 Plus / iPhone 17 Air could start at $899 / £899 / AU$1,599.
The iPhone 17 Pro will likely start at $999 / £999 / AU$1,849.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely start at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149.
There's a rumor that due to tariffs, all the new iPhones could be some $50 more expensive than their respective predecessors. I'm of two minds as to whether Apple will mess with an established price cadence this year.
Expect pre-orders for all the iPhones to open on Friday, September 12, and a full release on September 19.
And be prepared for a range of storage options from 128GB to 1TB, and a mix of colors, including a punchy orange for the Pro phones.
iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro rumored specs
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 |
You can expect the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max to have similar key specifications to the iPhone 16 specs.
The iPhone 17 Air could mix things up and have a thickness measuring between 5.0mm and 6.0mm, but so far there haven't been a lot of leaks to tease out the dimensions of the rumored slim phone.
Other key specs of the new iPhones will likely include an A19 chip for the standard and Plus/Air models, bringing in improved performance and efficiency, and likely snappier responses from AI tools, along with improved image signal processing.
On the Pro phone side, that chip is tipped to be the A19 Pro, which will surely bring in the same upgrades but with more clout on the gaming side. The latter point is given more weight by the fact that vapor chamber cooling is expected for the iPhone 17 Pro models, which could enable the chipset to deliver peak performance for extended times; this would be ideal for some of the more demanding iOS games.
There's also a rumor that the iPhone 17 Pro will get 12GB of RAM, which would be an upgrade on the 8GB that the current Pro phones have, and which could enable faster responses from Apple Intelligence tools.
Can you trust these rumors?
In general, a lot of the key rumors and tips I've included in this article have more than a whiff of legitimacy to them, and I'm also leaning on my wealth of experience to filter out the more esoteric tips from those that have more weight to them.
In the live updates below you'll find more analysis of these; some quick and fast, others more nuanced.
Live updates
Hello and welcome to our iPhone 17 rumors live blog.
Good morning or afternoon, or evening, wherever you are. I'm Roland Moore-Colyer, Managing Editor of Mobile Computing at TechRadar, and I'll be your host for the next few days as we count down the days to the big Apple event.
iPhone 17 Pro Max papped already?
So let's kick things off with a nice and fresh rumor: the iPhone 17 Pro Max has seemingly been caught on camera – and it could cost less than expected.
A short video reportedly showed an iPhone 17 Pro Max retail unit and it's look like the new rectangular rear-camera module will be a new design feature of the next-generation Pro iPhones. Hopefully, this'll means the phones will also hold upgraded cameras.
But this was from a post on Weibo and it's hard to verify the veracity of such stuff, Yet, this does back-up the desing touted in other rumors and dummy units. So I reckon there's some weight to this.
From that rumor report there's more stuff to chew over.
Seen by 9to5Mac, a research note from JPMorgan has the firm expecting the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Max to have the same prices as their predecessors.
So that would mean a starting price of $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 for the iPhone 17, and of $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max. These are only US prices however but we hope other nations will follow such a cadence and not come with a price hike over the previous generation of iPhones.
Among the rumors, there's also a hit that the iPhone 17 Air could be the only model to lack a SIM card slot in the EU.
While eschewing physical SIM cards maybe common in the US, it's not the done thing in Europe yet. But perhaps Apple could forge the path for an eSIM future on both sides of the Atlantic.
Get set for iOS 26
With the iPhone 17 family, we should see the full debut of iOS 26, with its new Liquid Glass material design.
In preparation for this, Apple has released what's sure to be the final iOS 26 beta to developer testers ahead of its event on September 9. So from that I can glean we could get the full rollout of iOS 26 rather soon after the next-generation iPhones get shown off. I'm looking forward to trying it on my iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Max attack
Speaking of my iPhone 16 Pro Max, it's become a phone i've really enjoyed using, so it's hard for me to see myself upgrading from it other than for work purposes. While I do prefer a slightly smaller phone, this iPhone has been a wonderful device to use for the past year-ish.
I've loved the cameras, performance, desing, toughness and more. So it's hard to see what Apple can bring to the table to tempt me over.
That being said, the idea of a 48-megapixel improved telephoto camera and a form of adjustable aperture for the cameras system, definitely has my attention I'm a big fan of telephoto cameras as I do like a nicely zoomed shot.
More power and a more efficient battery management, likely facilitated by the rumored A19 Pro chip would also be appreciated.
As is the tipped vapor chamber upgrade for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro. This should keep a high-performing iPhone cooler than ever before, which is handy for mobile gamers and people who rely on sustained 5G connectivity.
Gassed up
Let me ponder that vapor chamber tidbit a little more... I think it might low-key be a heck of an upgrade for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max.
Not only can my iPhone 16 Pro Max get a little hot under the collar when gaming or using 5G, so a vapor chamber cooling system could help alleviate that, I think it could also extract more performance out of an A-series chipset.
Better cooling means less had that can hamper the performance of a chip's CPU and GPU over time, say extended gaming sessions. And so being able to push a chip harder and for longer could see Apple extract more power for more advanced games.
Cupertino's crew has already seen the porting of Sniper Elite 4, Death Stranding and Hitman World of Assassination on to iOS, so I think unlocking more power could further open up the path for more console-grade games on iPhone.
Though I should say there's plenty of great, and less-demanding games on Apple Arcade, which I do rather enjoy taking for a spin.
Hz so good
Moving on from the iPhone 17 Pro, and there's a rumor or two that the iPhone 17 will have a 120Hz display.
That's got Phones Editor Axel Metz a little intrigued. Over to him:
"Back in February 2024, I wrote that 120Hz refresh rates make Apple’s best iPhones worth the money. But if the base iPhone 17 is due to get this formerly Pro-exclusive feature, I may well recommend this cheaper model over the pricier Pro models this year.
"To be clear: the iPhone 17 isn’t tipped to get ProMotion specifically, which allows iPhone screens to dial all the way down to 1Hz (enabling features like the Always-On display). But it is tipped to get a static 120Hz display, which is by far the more important feature of the two."
Mr Metz's opinion is one I can get behind. I think the standard iPhones is great but the 60Hz display feels almost heinous in 2025.
If Apple ditches it for a 60Hz to 120Hz display then I could see myself not needing to go Pro.
Iterative upgrades
Putting aside the 120Hz display, it's not looking like the iPhone 17 will bring a huge clutch of upgrades to the table.
A new rear-camera desing could streamline the phone a little. And a new A19 chip could offer a decent boost in power, but I'm not convinced it'll be a big upgrade over the iPhone 16 series.
Still, Staff Writer Jamie Richards has 4 ways the iPhone 17 can improve on the iPhone 16, which based on some rumors means the iPhone 17 could be a bigger upgrade than first meets the eye.
I'd be curious to see how the standard iphone will evolve over Apple's tipped three-year plan.
"Fresh rumors suggest Apple has committed to a new three-year plan for the iPhone, with three radical new designs set to join or replace parts of the current flagship lineup," Jamie Richards reportes.
"This comes from Mark Gurman, Bloomberg’s resident Apple correspondent and the tech industry’s most trusted Apple tipster, who shared some details of the rumored changes to the iPhone line-up."
Just want to flag this rumor for a little color to the blog: New iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max leaks show off internals, a camera upgrade – and a SIM slot.
Speeding up
Bit of a left-field tidbit, but it looks like Apple CarPlay Ultra will come to more affordable cars in the near-future.
CarPlay Ultra better stitches together car infotainment unit with Apple's car-meets-phone interface. So I'd be curious to see if CarPlay Ultra could benefit from a boost in power the iPhone 17 family could bring to the table.
Building off the back of that thought, I'd be keen for the powerd-up iPhones to further acts as device that can better interact with other devices one uses in daily life.
Of course, that'll likely need Apple to let more things into its walled garden, but I do think that's a distinct possibility.
Time for an upgrade?
While I spoke earlier about upgrading from an iPhone 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 17 family will more likely appeal to people looking to upgrade from older Apple phones.
So here's freelancer Paul Hatton with why 3 rumored features could see him upgrade to the iPhone 17 from an iPhone 12.
I should add that I 100% don't think you should buy an iPhone until Apple has announced its new phones.
Holding fire until then means you could either pick up the new iPhone if they appeal to you, or get an older iPhone at a discount price. So even if you're due an upgrade, patience will likely do you wonders.
On the subject of price drops, I have an analysis based on my time writing about iPhones on whether the iPhone 16's price drop when the iPhone 17 launches.
Right, it's getting late in the evening for me in the UK, so I'll leave you for a bit with some thoughts from Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff, who isn't short on what he'd like to see from the next-generation iPhones and the Apple event.
Over to Ulanoff:
Apple's iPhone 17 Air could be the star, but may not be the highlight
Rumors have been swirling around an ultra-thin iPhone (the iPhone 17 Air) for almost a year, but in that time, Samsung released the 5.8mm thick Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and then the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which, unfolded, is just 4.2mm thick!
Of these two phones, the Z Fold is unquestionably thinner but also a much more interesting phone. The S25 Edge is just a thin Galaxy that is otherwise, well, a bit boring (read our review for evidence).
Which brings me to the iPhone 17 Air, which should be the star of Apple's big iPhone 17 launch event, but I worry it could be underwhelming. That is, unless Apple makes it thinner than 4.2mm and adds some extra, unexpected feature. But what could Apple do? You can't fit a decent-sized battery, so battery life won't match the iPhone 17 Pro. It won't have a big telephoto camera because you can't fit that periscope in the itsybitsy space.
What the iPhone 17 Air will have going for it is a super thin and light body and a very big (Plus-sized) screen. Oh, and did I mention that it'll probably be as expensive (if not more so) than the iPhone 17 Pro?
Trade in? Trade up? What's the right timing?
The most common question I get this time of year is, "Do I upgrade or wait until next year?" It's a funny question, but it implies that people think something even bigger is just around the corner (12 months from now), and they could soon be kicking themselves for upgrading too quickly.
Perhaps there's a more rational approach.
There is no good school of thought on when you should trade in your aging iPhone, but a good rule of thumb might be when OS updates are running dry. Apple products do become vintage (roughly 7 years or older) and then obsolete, with no more platform updates. This year, that list includes all the iPhone X phones.
My point is, if you own one of those, or maybe even one a year away from vintage status, like the iPhone 11, you might consider an upgrade.
How to talk AI without talking about Apple Intelligence
By now, we all know that Apple plans to deliver the best bits of Apple Intelligence – like a Siri worth caring about – "in the coming year", which sounds like next year. If that's the case, there won't be any truly exciting Apple Intelligence bits to discuss during the Apple iPhone 17 launch event. On the other hand, how does Apple not talk about artificial intelligence in the Age of AI.
The reality is that Apple did add some Apple Intelligence tweaks in iOS 26 that it could again highlight, like Live Translations and the tweaks to Visual Intelligence, but these are not exciting updates, and none puts Apple on a level playing field with generative AI leaders like OpenAI (a partner) and Google (a partner).
Perhaps this is the moment when Apple unveils a new AI partnership with, for instance, Anthropic. There are rumors that it could integrate Claude AI intelligence into Siri. There's no way that's ready by next week, but a smaller partnership in which you can choose to use Claude AI instead of ChatGPT would be interesting, and this is how you talk about AI without really talking about Apple intelligence.
Beware the fakery
What you see below is not the new iPhone 17 lineup. Sure, there appears to be an iPhone 17 Air and a Pro model with the wider camera array, but watch closely and you'll see the cameras move around the backs of these phones.
These are most like AI-generated fakes (even X's Grok confirmed as much) designed to fool you into believing they're the real thing. Sure, they could be based on real prototypes, but we doubt it.
In this age of AI it is worth remembering that anyone with a AI image generator and a decent prompt can create a fake "iPhone 17" image and even a video.
Trust nothing until the big reveal on September 9 at 1PM ET.
iPhone 17 🔐🌟🔥🤯 pic.twitter.com/XoA9ZGTmyGSeptember 3, 2025
This event desperately needs one more thing
In the runups to these big tech launches, I like to imagine the whole sequence of events, a sort of mental pregame that starts with all the activities before, say, Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage, through the cascade of product unveilings to the end, where, sometimes, Cook reemerges on stage before releasing us to the pell-mell demo room.
When I do that, I often ponder the big question: Will there be "one more thing"? That signature Apple move that started with Steve Jobs and continues to this day with Cook has a pretty storied history.
For those who've never seen it, this is the 'extra" announcement that happens after you think all the Apple product reveals are done. It's been everything from Windows compatibility for iPod to, most recently, Vision Pro in 2023.
It makes sense not to do them every year, since that would make the "one more thing" just another thing that we all expect. However, I think we can agree that Apple needs one more thing this year more than ever. It's not been a super year, what with tariff worries, a President pressing Cook on building the iPhone in the US, and Apple Intelligence disappointments.
I don't know exactly what "one more thing" could be, but I am convinced that Apple needs the electricity such an announcement invariably brings.
Good morning form the UK. Roland Moore-Colyer back again to bring you the latest iPhone 17 rumors and analysis from today, and some wider thoughts on the looming Apple event.
Spying specs
Straight off the bat, I'm looking at our new deep-dive into the iPhone 17 specs.
As you'll see in the static section above, I've added a new specs table for all four predicted iPhone 17 models so check that out.
Apple's iPhones have never really been about the specs per se. Rather it's about what certain specifications enable the iPhone to do, such as gaming or more advanced AI features.
So while these tipped iPhone 17 specs don't exactly get one phone-nerd synapse tingling, it's very likely that all four next-generation iPhone will have plenty of power to be super-slick and offer snappy smart tools.
As mentioned previously and by Axel Metz, the tipped 120Hz display on the standard iPhone 17 is worthy of our attention.
And as I've said before, the tipped 48-megapixel 5x optical zoom telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, also has my attention.
That's not to say I think the telephoto camera on the iPhone 16 Pro Max isn't good; in fact I think it's great.
But more megapixels combined with smart image processing and some AI tools, could make for a more flexible telephoto camera with more options to crop into shots and so on.
For more, read Jamie Richard's article: The iPhone 17 Pro could get a 48MP telephoto camera, which is way more exciting than it sounds – let me explain.
All of the lights
Ding! Ding! We have a new rumor: the latest iPhone 17 Pro leak points to a brighter screen and better battery life.
Over to freelancer David Nield:
"According to regular tipster Instant Digital (via AppleInsider), we can expect the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max – the most expensive of the four anticipated models – to maintain higher levels of screen brightness for longer periods of time.
"What's more, the phones are said to be better at handling the higher internal temperatures that are typical when playing demanding games. The phones will be more stable in these scenarios, the tipster says, with fewer frame drops."
Rumors of improved battery life is potentially a given for the iPhone 17 series, with new chips often bringing with them improved energy efficiency.
This could be mitigated by a boost in performance, so the energy efficiency evens that out; more power but the same expected battery life.
However, my prediction is Apple will favor a longer battery life this year over pure performance boosts, as the iPhone 16 models already have buckets of power.
I’m now just chewing over other specs upgrades we might see from the iPhone 17 family.
More RAM for the Pro models, likely a boost from 8GB to 12GB could make for a snappier iOS 26 experience, but then I’ve never felt than any version of iOS has ever felt unresponsive. I could say the same for more recent iterations of Android.
There have been a few rumors discussing an aluminium frame for the iPhone 17 models, but I'm not buying that.
I think it would be a backwards step for the Pro iPhones, since I've already touted how good titnaium is on phones. And I just don't see Apple giving up on stainless steel for the standard iPhone.
However, an aluminium chassis on the iPhone 17 Air, if it's legit, would make sense for a thin-and-light phone...
Don't hold out for an iPhone Fold
While a new rumor has surfaced about the so-called iPhone Fold, don't expect to see it on September 9.
In fact, I'd suggest there's no chance of even a tease that Apple is working on a folding iPhone. This is Apple after all, not Samsung...
Of course, there’s always scope for Apple to pull the classic ‘one more thing’…
Usually, Apple waits until new technology is suitably mature before it adopts the tech. That’s likely why we’ve not had a foldable iPhone yet.
But folding display tech now feels at a place where it’s ripe for use on an iOS-based device.
However, the rumors and tips so far all point towards 2026 being the year of a folding iPhone. And my gut tells me Apple will hold a dedicated event to bring in such a new form factor to its phone line-up.
If Apple has any surprises in the hopper, I reckon they could come more on the Apple Intelligence and software side. But I’m prepared to be proven wrong.
Apple could launch an AI search engine to rival ChatGPT
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has reported that Apple has plans to launch its own artificial intelligence-powered web search tool next year. This could see it go into competition with OpenAI and Perplexity AI Inc, especially as that search tool could even be powered by Google.
"The companies reached a formal agreement this week for Apple to evaluate and test a Google-developed AI model to help power the voice assistant," claimed Gurman.
That sounds surprising to me but this follows other reports that Apple was interested in implementing Google's Gemini AI model into Apple Intelligence.
What to expect from the Apple event on September 9
It's worth recapping what to expect on September 9, given all the latest rumors.
We'll surely see four new iPhone models: the standard iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Plus/Air, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. For a specs rundown, do check out our iPhone 17 specs article.
The Apple Watch 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 are also expected, with a suite of upgrades on both the hardware and features side, such a blood oxygen monitoring and perhaps some design tweaks.
And AirPods Pro 3 are expected to shore up the earbuds side, with features that could better link to Apple Intelligence and help track health and fitness.
We can also expect upgrades and features from Apple Intelligence to be showcased, from one revealed at WWDC 2025 to potentially new ones.
For more details check out my Apple event article.
A new iPhone 17 price leak has appeared
Well, I was thinking that we'd not likely see a price hike for the iPhone 17 series, but a report from TrendForce(hat tip to MacRumors), has price increases tipped for the next-gen iPhones.
The iPhone 17 will apparently start at the same price as the iPhone 16 did, which is $799 for the model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
However, the iPhone 17 Pro is expected to start at $1,199. That's up from $999 / £999 / AU$1,849 of the iPhone 16 Pro. But, the 2025 model is expected to offer 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for starters, rather than 8GB/128GB.
And it looks like that trend will continue with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is expected to start at $1,299, albeit with 12GB of RAM rather than 8GB. So you get more for the money.
What do you want to see from the iPhone 17?
While I keep an eye out for new iPhone 17 and Apple rumors, let me throw this out to you. I want to know what upgrades you'd like to see from the iPhone 17, specifically that standard model.
Some upgrades have been tipped while others are wishful thinking. From my point of view, I'm after 120Hz display and perhaps a better main camera in terms of the photos it outputs rather than a big dose of extra megapixels.
So take a look at the poll below and get voting!
Handing over to our long-standing iPhone expert
As it's the end of the working day for me (Roland Moore-Colyer), I'll be handing this article over to Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff.
A long-standing name in the tech media world, Lance has been covering iPhones and Apple for years so he's got the experience and intellect to bring you nuanced analysis on what to expect from the Apple event on September 9 and what iPhone rumors could hold weight versus the ones that feel like smoke in the wind.
So over to Mr Ulanoff....
Do we still know Apple?
I am, as always, very excited about the upcoming Apple Event. The orchestrated chaos is signature Apple, and it can sometimes feel like what we're seeing up on stage is Apple's essence.
In the company's values, Tim Cook wrote that he believes a company can be a force for good. Sure, Apple is a corporation and its goal is to sell us as many iPhone 17 phones as possible, but I always believed Apple, perhaps because of who started it, is a different sort of company.
It is certainly not one that takes sides or visibly supports one ideology over another. But as we prepare to watch Apple CEO Tim Cook take the Apple awe-dropping event stage, one image is stuck in my mind: Cook carefully unpacking and then constructing a glass and gold-plated gift for US President Donald Trump.
The act coincided with Apple announcing fresh and significant investment in American manufacturing, which is a good thing. But that gift-giving was weird and not very Apple-like. To be honest, it felt like a tacit approval of all of Trump's policies, not just the ones that relate to US business and manufacturing. Doing so may have sent a message Apple never intended and could be a distraction from Apple's core business goal of launching the iPhone 17, new Apple Watch, better AirPods, and whatever other surprises it has in store.
The question Apple might have to answer at its most-watched event of the year is what kind of company it is today, and if it's still the same one Steve Jobs built decades ago.
Can Apple give Home a nod with new gadgets?
Apple essentially ignored smart home technology during its WWDC 2025 keynote address. There were no significant HomeKit updates and certainly no mention of new smart home gadgets.
Apple could, though, use the widely-watched Apple iPhone 17 launch platform to tease, say, a new HomePod, possibly one with a built-in screen that shows more than just undulating colors. Face it, that smart speaker line needs a refresh.
While Apple delivered quite a few software updates to the HomePod Mini (including one this past July), it's done little to update the design or core functionality of the line.
Meanwhile, Apple's smart home ecosystem is still frustratingly opaque. The Home App doesn't make things easier, and the introduction of Matter support a few years back hasn't really improved the situation.
How exciting would it be if Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled a bold new vision for Apple Home? It could start with that new screen-sporting hub and continue with new HomePods and other first-party smart home devices.
Is Apple suddenly the underdog?
This is the time of year when we start to read how Apple has fallen behind the competition, that its once powerful position atop the mobile phone market has eroded.
Maybe Apple is behind in some aspects, like foldables, and, certainly, AI, but it's not suddenly the underdog...because it always has been. By most measures, the iPhone owns just a little over one quarter of the global smartphone market. Android owns the other 72%. Sure, there's no single "Android" phone maker. Instead, we have dozens, but with just a handful (Samsung, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei) dominating the market.
So, from the perspective of hardware, Apple isn't falling behind because it was never ahead. Even so, I think it's fair to say that the perception of Apple as an innovator in the mobile space is changing.
Apple's never been one to lead, but once it enters a market, it always changes the game. But, at least in the case of folding phones, it still has no answer, while Samsung and some other competitors are running away with the flexi-phone game.
And in AI, well, you know the sorry tale there. Apple Intelligence has consistently under-delivered. What can Apple do on Sept. 9 to turn things around?
