Apple iPhone 17 Series Will Showcase ‘Design Revamp’, New Report Claims
When Apple releases the iPhone 17 series, we already know it will come with the Liquid Glass software design overhaul announced at WWDC. Now, a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman talks about the hardware and how much of a change it will be.
Apple iPhone 16 Pro: are the iPhones about to get a design revamp?
There have been reports of faster-charging iPhones, good and bad news about display properties and display sizes, a thicker-than-ever iPhone 17 Pro Max, a curious design detail on the iPhone 17 Air, and worries about that phone’s battery life, to name just a few.
But now, industry heavyweight Gurman has more details of what’s coming. In his weekly Power On newsletter, in answer to a question of whether this year’s iPhone is considered a redesign, he answered, “Yes.” So, there we have it. No, wait, there’s more.
“Within Apple, this year’s iPhone lineup is considered an industrial design revamp compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, for instance. That includes the new skinnier iPhone 17 ‘Air’ model, as well as Pro versions with a redesigned back and camera area,” Gurman says. Note the quote marks around “Air,” presumably because Apple hasn’t confirmed such a name and so it’s subject to change.
“From the front, the new phones won’t look much different than recent models,” he adds. Since the phones are almost all-screen with thin bezels, that’s not such a surprise, though Gurman is saying there’s no change to the iPhone’s Dynamic Island, as he refers to this.
“The Pro changes on the rear are certainly noticeable. In any case, these tweaks are just a stepping stone toward next year’s upgrades. That’s when Apple will shrink the Dynamic Island, moving closer to a screen that truly covers the entire front of the phone, and roll out a foldable model. More changes will come in 2027, as I’ve earlier reported, with a Pro model redesign tied to the iPhone’s 20-year anniversary,” he concludes.
There’s a lot of detail there, particularly about the all-screen iPhone coming in more than two years’ time, even if we might have hoped for more concrete information about this fall’s look.
And there’s no mention of whether or not ProMotion will be on the new iPhone 17, or exactly how the camera area will change, though other analysts have consistently reported a wider panel on the phone’s rear. Or will the Pro Max be called the iPhone 17 Ultra? I’ll report back as more information leaks.