Last gasp leaks build up hype for meaty iPhone 17 series upgrades

By Nadeem Sarwar Published September 7, 2025

Just a day ahead of Apple’s “Awe Dropping” launch event for the iPhone 17 series, a couple of leaks are claiming to shed some big surprises that Apple has cooked up for its upcoming phones. The details have allegedly been sourced from a Chinese regulatory agency and a Korean telecom carrier, and back up previous rumors.

Apple is keeping the biggest share of upgrades reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro pair, it seems. The flagship models will reportedly ditch their predecessors’ Titanium build in favor of an aluminum chassis. Additionally, they will get a vapor chamber cooling system, as well.

The rear camera hardware now includes a trio of 48-megapixel sensors, and it will enable 8K video capture, as well. This will likely be accompanied by a new camera app with more professional-grade camera controls, while the telephoto camera jumps to an 8x optical zoom range.

It seems the asking price will not be going up, at least in Korea, where the iPhone 17 Pro still starts at the converted equivalent of $999, same as the iPhone 16 Pro. The asking price of the iPhone 17 might also stay close to $799 despite the threat from tariffs.

The battery capacity is one area where Apple is making some positive strides this year, and it seems the switch away from a physical slot to an eSIM is delivering its own benefits, as well.

Here are the leaked battery figures for each model:

The iPhone 17 Air appears to be the weakest outing of the lot, thanks to a single 48-megapixel camera, a small battery, the A19 processor, and 128GB of onboard storage.