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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.
2025-09-03T14:06:27.364Z
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.
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."
2025-09-03T13:27:59.150Z
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.
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.
2025-09-03T13:12:25.237Z
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.
2025-09-03T13:10:30.462Z
More power and a more efficient battery management, likely facilitated by the rumored A19 Pro chip would also be appreciated.
2025-09-03T13:09:38.707Z
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.
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.
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.
2025-09-03T12:54:00.917Z
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.
2025-09-03T12:48:59.523Z
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.
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.
2025-09-03T12:36:36.236Z
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.
2025-09-02T18:41:24.033Z
Hello and welcome to our iPhone 17 rumors live blog.