The iPhone 17 Will Be Here Soon, but When? Possible Release Dates Coming Into Focus

If you're looking at your current iPhone and pondering whether to upgrade to a new model, now is a fraught time. Do you stick with it for another year? Or do the rumors include features you're itching to try? But most important is the question: When will iPhone 17 models be released?

Once the rumored iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, Pro and Pro Max are revealed, we'll be able to confirm speculation about colors, display, cameras and more. We'll also learn how much the new iPhone will cost, which is also still up in the air, thanks in part to looming tariffs.

Based on previous releases, the new iPhone will be announced in September, but the exact dates for the announcement, preorder and release are still the subject of speculation.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Possible iPhone announcement date

One recent leak points to Apple holding the iPhone 17 event on Sept. 9. German site iPhone-Ticker claims that it gained access to internal documents from a local carrier, and even though the sourcing cannot be confirmed, that release date lines up with existing rumors and expert opinion.

We've sifted through the whispers, analysis and guesses so you can make a date to get your hands on the new iPhone.

Read more: Should You Buy an iPhone 16 or Wait for the iPhone 17?

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When will the iPhone 17 be released?

For nearly a decade, Apple has announced its new iPhone lineup in early September. The only exception was in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when the release was pushed back to Oct. 23 for the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, and Nov. 13 for the iPhone 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max.

In his Power On newsletter on July 13, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the announcement should come on Sept. 9 or 10.

The supposed leak reported on by iPhone-Ticker lines up with expert opinion, so you might want to mark your calendar for Sept. 9 if you want to catch the new iPhone event.

We cannot verify these dates because we don't have access to the internal documents iPhone-Ticker is sourcing. But if these leaks are true, they suggest that preorders for the iPhone 17 will begin on Sept. 12, with a Sept. 19 release. 

Here's a chart for the release dates of previous iPhone models:

Here's a chart for the potential dates based on past schedules. These are not official dates from Apple: 

Will all of the new iPhones be released in the fall?

Based on last year's release, Apple may release everything in the fall except its least expensive option -- this year, the iPhone 16E. The iPhone 16E was released in February, and Apple is widely expected to follow the same format for the rumored iPhone 17.

That would mean the iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Air and the iPhone 17 base model -- if that's the lineup -- would be released in September. The iPhone 17E -- if it exists -- would be released in February.

Apple's future iPhone release dates

Apple is expected to change its release format with the rumored iPhone 18. Reports suggest that Apple will only release higher-end models in fall 2026 -- iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, Air and a rumored new foldable iPhone -- and release the rest of the line in winter 2027.

Why does Apple split iPhone release dates?

By pushing its top-of-the-line Pro and Pro Max models in September, Apple can capture much of the holiday shopping season. Releasing the more basic models in the winter allows a second crest of excitement, but diehard fans and holiday shoppers will have already spent their money on the pricier models in the fall.