Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you plan to skip next year's iPhone 16, or if you're just plain curious, here are five rumored features that we are expecting to arrive in time for its successor, the iPhone 17 series, which is likely to be released in September 2025.
1. Larger Standard Devices
iPhone 17 & iPhone 17 Plus
Next year's iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are rumored to be getting bigger display sizes, going from 6.12- and 6.69-inches to 6.27- and 6.86-inches, respectively. With the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus in 2025, Apple is expected to also bring the larger 6.27- and 6.86-inch display sizes to its two standard iPhone models. As a result, expect the entire iPhone 17 lineup to use a taller aspect ratio of 19.6:9, suggesting the devices will be slightly taller, rather than wider.
2. 120Hz ProMotion (Always-on Display)
iPhone 17 & iPhone 17 Plus
Apple intends to expand ProMotion to its standard models in 2025, allowing them to ramp up to a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and video content when necessary. Notably, ProMotion would also enable the display on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Plus to ramp down to a more power-efficient refresh rate as low as 1Hz, allowing for an always-on display that can show the Lock Screen's clock, widgets, notifications, and wallpaper even when the device is locked.
3. Under-Display Face ID
iPhone 17 Pro & iPhone 17 Pro Max
The iPhone 17 Pro is expected to be the first iPhone to feature under-panel Face ID technology. The only external indication of the under-display Face ID technology will likely be a circular cutout for the front-facing camera. This will probably be Apple's last premium model to include a circular cutout for the front-facing camera. Apple is then expected adopt under-display cameras in 2027's "Pro" iPhone models for a true "all-screen" appearance.
4. Apple-Designed Wi-Fi 7 Chip
iPhone 17 Pro & iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple's premium models are expected to be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip for the first time. Wi-Fi 7 support would allow the "Pro" models to send and receive data over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands simultaneously with a supported router, resulting in faster Wi-Fi speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity. The Wi-Fi chip would also allow Apple to further reduce its dependance on external suppliers like Broadcom, which currently supplies Apple with a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip for iPhones.
5. 48MP Telephoto Lens
iPhone 17 Pro Max
An upgraded 48-megapixel Telephoto lens on Apple's largest premium device is expected to be optimized for use with Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset, set to be released in the U.S. in early 2024. (The current iPhone 15 Pro models feature 48-megapixel main, 12-megapixel ultra wide, and 12-megapixel telephoto lenses.) That would make 2025's "Pro Max" the first iPhone to have a rear camera system composed entirely of 48-megapixel lenses, making it capable of capturing even more photographic detail.
Top Rated Comments
You should never hold out for features in a phone. Just upgrade when your current device is no longer able to do what you actually need it to do on a day-to-day basis (not a rare one-off basis). It's a much smarter choice financially and environmentally.
Realistically your next phone should be the 18 or 19. Possibly the 20 if you replace the battery in a couple years. No one 'needs' to upgrade more frequently. People just get caught in the hype.
As an owner of both iPad and laptop, the phone fits the purpose for those times when I am without the other devices. I just want it to be small and manageable. Not some thing that tries to be some kind of acceptable compromise in all categories. I don't want to do my taxes or watch movies on it.
I don't wish for them to NOT offer bigger phones for those who prefer it. Just that with the entire lineup of different iphones it'd be great if at least one remained "small".
Why why why? Our pockets can accommodate wider, but they cannot accommodate taller!
The 60hz displays of non-Pro iPhone models look downright pedestrian compared to some decent entry level Androids.