Was interested in one of the 17 series but seeing as they keep making the damn things bigger I may stick with my 15 pro for another year or two…
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17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17
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Unless Apple surprises with an Ultra model with surprise features, I am eyeing the rumored 17 Air, especially if the Air has AoD and Promotion. The two only reasons I have a Pro model.
My fear is that Apple will be Apple and give us Promotion on the 17/17 Air but only refresh down to 10hz like the 13 Pros, and not the 1Hz refresh of the 14 Pro models and up.
My fear is that Apple will be Apple and give us Promotion on the 17/17 Air but only refresh down to 10hz like the 13 Pros, and not the 1Hz refresh of the 14 Pro models and up.
17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17 implies that the aluminum frame would be a reason to wait for the iPhone 17. Makes no sense to me.
This article may have 17 reasons to wait for the 17, but there are 18 reasons to wait for the 18.. and 19 reasons to wait for the 19… and… the iPhone 100 will be great!
I betcha there will be fewer reasons to wait for the 18 series over the 17 series... except for maybe the foldable if you are willing to drop that much coin. The 17 series is likely getting a lot of big upgrades like the RAM that probably won't be updated again in the 18 series. The 18 series might get a small incremental camera upgrade over the 17, but probably not as significant as the 17's camera system upgrade over the 16.
Absolutely zero reason to upgrade; just the usual camera/video minor improvement fluff that 99% of the world cares little about - I am still perfectly happy with my XR.
All I want is a scratch resistant display. They've gone on about shatter resistance for years. That's not my problem. My, and everyone else's problem is that if I just look at this thing wrong it scratches.
I don't have many expectations from iPhone 17. I look forward to what Apple will bring to the MacBook this year. As far as iPhone 17 is concerned, I am happy to use iPhone 16 Pro. I don't think there will be many advanced features to wait for!
Buy a screen protector like the rest of the world does.
I prefer aluminum for its looks and haptics, so that would hypothetically be a reason for me.
For all the adds Apple ran with giant TITANIUM emblazoned all over the copy, moving back to glass and aluminum would seem like a downgrade. I don't see this as a reason to "upgrade".
Don't know if I see the Apple Wi-Fi 7 chip as a an "upgrade". I hope I'm not holding it wrong.
The camera upgrades are usually the best thing going these days as far as upgrades, and if anything drove me to upgrade, it would be the better camera. I'm a casual photographer taking pictures of family, friends, vacations, and pets (my phone is full of cat pictures. Like a ridiculous amount of cat pictures). But having the best camera now means the best pictures to look at years from now. I look at digital pictures I took in the early 2000's and they're downright awful. I like the "future proofing" of taking the highest resolution digital pictures today (within the realm of practicality) I can.
It may seem like standard everyday stuff to people these days, but back in my day (when I tied an onion to my belt, as it was the style at the time. Does anyone have 5 bumblebees for a quarter? Nickles had pictures of bumblebees on them) You had to sit down and look at pictures in an album. I was recently in the hospital for major surgery and it was nice to have all my pictures in my phone and that was a real comfort.
The "new thermal design" is total vaporware until it's in front of my fat face. It has been for years. We hear this rumor year after year after year. I suppose I'm a bit of a cynic, but I just don't see it.
I dunno, bring back Space Gray? That might work.
Don't know if I see the Apple Wi-Fi 7 chip as a an "upgrade". I hope I'm not holding it wrong.
The camera upgrades are usually the best thing going these days as far as upgrades, and if anything drove me to upgrade, it would be the better camera. I'm a casual photographer taking pictures of family, friends, vacations, and pets (my phone is full of cat pictures. Like a ridiculous amount of cat pictures). But having the best camera now means the best pictures to look at years from now. I look at digital pictures I took in the early 2000's and they're downright awful. I like the "future proofing" of taking the highest resolution digital pictures today (within the realm of practicality) I can.
It may seem like standard everyday stuff to people these days, but back in my day (when I tied an onion to my belt, as it was the style at the time. Does anyone have 5 bumblebees for a quarter? Nickles had pictures of bumblebees on them) You had to sit down and look at pictures in an album. I was recently in the hospital for major surgery and it was nice to have all my pictures in my phone and that was a real comfort.
The "new thermal design" is total vaporware until it's in front of my fat face. It has been for years. We hear this rumor year after year after year. I suppose I'm a bit of a cynic, but I just don't see it.
I dunno, bring back Space Gray? That might work.
Yeah, that was much better a couple of years ago. I think the OG SE was the most scratch-resistant phone I ever had. With increasing display sizes, they started to prioritize shatter-resistance over scratch-resistance.
The problem is physics… if you make the glass hard so it doesn’t scratch it shatters more easily and vice versa.
Personally if the leaked shells we’ve seen represent how the phone actually looks then the new Pro is too fat and ugly to even think about. Apples inability to do more than iterate on Ive’s old designs (or worse) lately is embarrassing. Cook’s lack of style has never been more glaring. The Air would be intriguing because they’ve been making the Pros too thick and heavy but the ugly camera bar and lower specs don’t inspire. So I guess wait until the 20th anniversary iPhone that will get a 2nm chipset and maybe they’ll find a decent design team by then. Or beg Jony to do one last phone for old times sake.
With that subpar C1 modem chip, I think I’ll pass and just wait for the 18. 🤷♂️
Coming up on 3 years with the 14 pro max. I could hang on to it but 3 years is about what I wait to upgrade. From the leaks not thrilled with the extended camera bar but hope its related to camera quality in some way.
I don't use an ipad or apple watch so I usually just get the best I can get with the mobile device (17 pro max).
I don't use an ipad or apple watch so I usually just get the best I can get with the mobile device (17 pro max).
Honestly, none of these new features are really necessary or provide any new ways of using a smart phone that would benefit most people that own and iPhone 12 and up. As long as my 12 pro doesn't stop working all together I plan to keep till 19 - 20 as well. I do miss face ID as that broke about a year ago but a battery replacement in the next little bit should get me there.
If they weren't so expensive I'd upgrade more often but $1700+ to buy a new pro iPhone in my country is a lot. Especially if it isn't changing my experience much.
All iPhones will return to aluminum frames — just in time for tariffs to explode the price of aluminum!
The camera is one the most popular functions on a smartphone, and consequently camera upgrades are one of the biggest reasons people upgrade.
My 12 Pro Max camera is definitely OK, but the newer phones are significantly better. The 17 Pro Max should be even better.
Same old reasons every single year. It’s tiring now and boring.
I swear I have heard about that vapor chamber cooling for four years now and it never shows up
They already did the improved thermal thing with the 16-series. And you can tell. The betas did not get as hot on the 16s as they did on the 15s. Further improvement would be nice, of course, but you can't sell the same feature as new every year.
Aluminum is a downgrade. Weight savings, but they are going to add weight back in with larger battery. The 15 was the lightest phone in a long time and we are now going heavier again. So now we have to lose durability too because everyone is going to complain that the phone is too heavy.
Larger battery is only an upgrade if it is also a silcon carbide battery. More mAh is not enough.
More RAM is nice, but Apple needs to actually do something with it. Apple Intelligence isn't it. Give me split-screen multitasking on my phone. I have had this on Android since 2016. It's time, Apple.
Really the only thing I am excited about is it getting the Apple version of the screen from the S25 Ultra (anti-reflective and scratch-resistant).
Aluminum is a downgrade. Weight savings, but they are going to add weight back in with larger battery. The 15 was the lightest phone in a long time and we are now going heavier again. So now we have to lose durability too because everyone is going to complain that the phone is too heavy.
Larger battery is only an upgrade if it is also a silcon carbide battery. More mAh is not enough.
More RAM is nice, but Apple needs to actually do something with it. Apple Intelligence isn't it. Give me split-screen multitasking on my phone. I have had this on Android since 2016. It's time, Apple.
Really the only thing I am excited about is it getting the Apple version of the screen from the S25 Ultra (anti-reflective and scratch-resistant).
Only thing that matters for me is 16GB of ram on the 1TB model. Bring that and I will finally switch to iPhone after a decade of being behind budget phones
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone 16, or if you're just plain curious about what's on the horizon, here are 17 rumored features that we are expecting to arrive in time for Apple's successor lineup, the iPhone 17 series, which is likely to be released around mid-September.
1. iPhone 17 "Air"
iPhone 17 Plus?
Apple plans to launch an all-new iPhone 17 model with a "significantly thinner" design, reports The Information. The device, which could be called "iPhone 17 Air," will feature a "major redesign" that will feature a single rear camera located on a horizontal camera bar running along the top of the device, along with a narrower Dynamic Island, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the iPhone 17 Air will be 5.5mm thick at its thinnest point, which likely means it will have a 5.5mm chassis with a thicker rear camera bump area. The device is rumored to have a 6.6-inch display size, and is likely to replace the Plus model in Apple's lineup. Other reported features include an aluminum chassis, an A19 chip, Apple's C1 modem, an Action button, a Camera Control button, and a 24MP front camera. See our iPhone 17 "Slim" rumor roundup for more.
2. New All-Aluminum Design
All iPhone 17 Models
Apple is reportedly planning to bring all its devices back to aluminum with the iPhone 17 lineup. The two flagship iPhone 17 Pro models will mark the return of aluminum frames to high-end iPhones for the first time since Apple began distinguishing between Pro and non-Pro models. In recent years, aluminum frames have been reserved for lower-end devices like the iPhone SE and iPhone 16, while premium models featured stainless steel frames until the iPhone 15 Pro, which introduced a titanium chassis as a major upgrade. This shift in materials for the iPhone 17 lineup signals a unified approach, with aluminum frames set to return across the entire device range.
3. Significantly Redesigned Camera
iPhone 17 Pro & iPhone 17 Pro Max
This year's iPhone 17 Pro models will have a major redesign, specifically centering around changes to the rear camera module. Apple will move away from the familiar square camera bump to a distinctive aluminum camera bar that spans the device's width, according to recent reports. The camera area will be the same color as the rest of the device. The redesigned camera module is not expected to extend to the regular iPhone 17.
The devices are rumored to feature a new rear design combining aluminum and glass. The top half of the back will be aluminum, incorporating a new camera bump made from aluminum instead of the traditional 3D glass. The bottom half will remain glass to enable wireless charging. While Apple has used a glass back since the iPhone 8 and iPhone X in 2017, earlier iPhone models—except the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 5C—had aluminum rears. Additionally, the aluminum camera bump on the iPhone 17 Pro will reportedly be larger than in previous models, according to The Information.
4. New Display Sizes
iPhone 17 & iPhone 17 Plus
Last year's iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max got bigger display sizes, going from 6.12- and 6.69-inches to 6.27- and 6.86-inches, respectively. For 2025, Apple is also expected to bring the larger 6.27-inch display size to its standard iPhone model, while the equivalent "iPhone 17 Plus" model (provisionally called "iPhone 17 Air") could adopt completely new display dimensions.
5. 120Hz ProMotion (Always-on Display)
iPhone 17 & iPhone 17 Plus
Apple intends to expand ProMotion to all iPhone models in 2025, allowing all models to ramp up to a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and video content when necessary. Previously, only "Pro" models in Apple's iPhone lineup have had the feature. Notably, ProMotion would also enable the display on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 "Air" 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... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: 17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17
Reason 1771 not to get it: it doesn’t fold. The fold might make more sense for some of those use cases.With such a powerful device with performance near the Mac mini, it’s time to merge the desktop with the mobile, would like to see dual boot options, dock the iPhone into a hub for an external display and peripherals and boot up from external drive.