From a new 8X telephoto sensor to a vapour chamber cooling, here are the five biggest iPhone 17 Pro leaks ahead of Apple's 'Awe Dropping' event.
The iPhone 17 Pro's camera island is expected to undergo a major revamp this year
Apple's annual hardware launch event is all set to take place on September 9. This year's keynote has been dubbed ‘Awe Dropping', fueling speculation about the highly anticipated products that are expected to be unveiled. At the heart of the excitement is the Cupertino-based tech giant's next-generation iPhone lineup, ubiquitously known as the iPhone 17 series. While all of the focus is on the new iPhone 17 Air that will arrive as a competitor to the Galaxy S25 Edge in the ultra-slim smartphone space, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are also in line to receive several quality-of-life upgrades.
With the event just a day away, anticipation among tech enthusiasts has reached its annual peak. Here are the five most significant iPhone 17 Pro leaks ahead of Apple's ‘Awe Dropping' event, which shape it up to be an exciting offering.
2025 is expected to be a second consecutive year where Apple upgrades the telephoto cameras on its Pro iPhone models. Following last year's switch to the 5X sensor on the iPhone 16 Pro, a telephoto sensor upgrade for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max is said to be on the cards once again.
As per reports, Apple could offer up to 8X optical zoom on this year's Pro models thanks to a new telephoto sensor, enabling enhanced zoom capabilities. The brand is speculated to bump up the resolution to 48 megapixels, making the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max the first models to sport triple 48-megapixel cameras.
For reference, both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max feature a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, which is capable of shooting in up to 5X zoom.
Another big upgrade expected on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max is said to be in terms of thermal management. Last year, Apple introduced a new graphene-based thermal management system to mitigate heating issues that had plagued the iPhone 15 series. The company is expected to upgrade the thermal system again, with the inclusion of a new vapour chamber.
A vapour chamber generally consists of a vacuum-sealed pipe containing a small amount of liquid, which functions as a passive heat spreader. It disperses heat away from the crucial CPU and GPU components, enabling the handset to deliver a consistent performance and deal with graphics-intensive workloads for an extended period. On the iPhone 17 Pro models, the vapour chamber is expected to accompany the new A19 Pro chip, potentially mitigating heat-related throttling issues.
If leaks are to be believed, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have the biggest battery of any iPhone to date. It is speculated to come with a 5,000mAh battery capacity. While Apple does not officially disclose the battery capacities of its iPhone models, the current flagship — iPhone 16 Pro Max — is reported to have a 4,685mAh battery.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, however, is expected to surpass the 5,000mAh mark. Consequently, the phone's thickness could be bumped up to 8.725mm to accommodate the larger battery pack.
With the iPhone 17 series, Apple is rumoured to transition back to Aluminium from the titanium material that it has used for the last two generations. The iPhone 17 Pro models could feature a redesigned back panel that is half glass, half aluminium. The former is speculated to occupy the bottom half of the purported handsets, housing the new camera island. Meanwhile, the top half will feature glass material, featuring the MagSafe coil for wireless charging.
The camera island is rumoured to have a rectangular shape, spanning the entire top half of the phone, placed horizontally. This would be a major design shift compared to the traditional square-shaped module that debuted with the iPhone 11 Pro models in 2019.
The 48-megapixel telephoto sensor is not the only camera upgrade that is expected this year. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, along with the standard and Air models, are reported to feature a new selfie camera with an upgraded megapixel count. It might be a 24-megapixel sensor, which could be a significant upgrade over the 12-megapixel front-facing camera that has been on all iPhone models in recent years.
Photo Credit: Weibo/ Instant Digital
Reports suggest this sensor could allow for more cropping-in, without losing detail or hampering image quality.
Stay tuned to Gadgets 360 for coverage of the iPhone 17 series launch at Apple's 'Awe Dropping' event tomorrow.
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