We’ve seen rumor after rumor suggesting the iPhone 17 series will usher in substantial redesigns for the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone 17 Air, which seems to be replacing the iPhone 16 Plus as Apple’s enlarged non-pro handset.
The iPhone 17 Pro models have been extensively tipped to get an expanded camera module, planting a large rectangular outline on the rear of the phone but keeping the triangular camera array in place on the left side of the rear panel.
The iPhone 17 Air is technically rumored to kick off a new product line, but its closest current analogue is the iPhone 16 Plus, and compared to that phone there seem to be some major changes on the way. The iPhone 17 Air has repeatedly been rumored to be dropping the iPhone 16 Plus’ ultra-wide camera and housing the single remaining lens in a Google Pixel-style bar.
These designs have been solidified further by a recent supposed dummy unit leak from prominent tipster Sonny Dickson. It’s not official information, but as rumors go these are really quite weighty.
Here’s another look at some iPhone 17 dummies, Notice on the Pro models where the glass will change. pic.twitter.com/lJDc5KXsV9March 20, 2025
There’s been plenty said about the new designs, and as various Reddit threads highlight, not all of it’s been good.
Still, I’m willing to don my online discourse armor and head into the fray by saying something that might be a little controversial: I think the rumored new iPhone designs look great.
Photo focus
The iPhone 16 series showed us that Apple is well aware of the mobile hardware landscape – most every phone you can buy for more than, say, $300 / £300 / AU$500 will give you a great screen, decent build, workable processing power, and access to either the Android or iOS ecosystems.
The difference between cheaper phones and premium flagships is increasingly about offering a more durable build with nicer materials, increased processing power for high-spec gaming and media applications, and – this is the crucial bit – camera quality.
With the iPhone 16 series, Apple showed the world that it’s well aware of just how important camera systems are to a phone’s value and user experience – all four models got the new Camera Control, a new physical button to activate the shutter and other camera features, offering a tactile way to experience mobile photography.
What’s more, the Pro models got a new 48MP ultra-wide camera and the base models had their lenses rearranged to allow for spatial capture. Add in the 48MP main camera brought to the base models with the iPhone 15, and it becomes clear that Apple’s handsets have never been more photo-focused.
With the iPhone 17 Pro tipped to add a 48MP telephoto camera to complete the trio and bring a renewed focus on high-end video recording, it feels natural to me that Apple would continue to add physical emphasis to its camera system. The large, blocky bar shown in iPhone 17 Pro mockups is massive, obvious, and confident, announcing the arrival of a serious camera phone as soon as it exits your pocket.
It’s not like Apple would be alone in selling a phone with such a huge camera housing, either – the recently released Xiaomi 15 Ultra features a ludicrously huge circular camera island, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s rear panel is adorned with enough lenses to make a trypophobic nervous.
Ergonomic extension
If you ask me, the iPhone 17 Air’ thinner camera bar is even easier to accept. Apple’s supposedly upcoming slim phone needs some form of raised housing to fit a high-resolution camera to its rear panel – that’s a consequence of the laws of physics, not design convention.
I think a bar across the back of the iPhone 17 Air would look far better than a mound or bump, which would seem bizarre against such a slim frame.
Furthermore, a bar design means the camera module is less likely to snag on pockets and compartments that may fit the rest of the phone but not the raised camera – in that sense, the new design is actually pretty considerate, and may reduce the risk of the phone being damaged.
Maybe I’m just getting wrapped up in the excitement of a design change – as my TechRadar colleague and UK Phones Editor Axel Metz recently looked into, we’ve been in a period of samey phone design for a few years now. It could be that when the dust settles, the iPhone 17 Pro ends up feeling obstinate and overly showy in its design.
A new direction
That said, there is a point to be made about how the remodelled iPhones fit in the history of Apple handsets.
As TechRadar’s freelance contributor and go-to Apple expert Alex Blake recently pointed out to me, the new designs are antithetical to the vision of the late Steve Jobs and Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive: as Jobs once said, “design is how it works”.
The tenure of Jobs and Ive, who worked together at Apple from 1997 until Jobs passing in 2011, saw Apple release the first few generations of most of its current product portfolio – we’re talking about the heaviest of heavyweights, like the iMac, MacBook, iPad, and iPhone.
As we surely all remember, the name of Apple’s game back then was simplicity – we saw devices get thinner, lighter, more refined with each generation.
After Jobs’ passing, Ive stayed on until 2019, overseeing products like the iPad Pro and iPhone X in the later years of his Apple career. The progression of the iPhone in the years since Ive’s departure demonstrates just how strong his influence was – it’s only really in the 2020s that the iPhone has morphed from a rounded slate with a focus on thinness to a fairly robust, squared-off design.
It’s telling that the iPhone 17 Air could seemingly seek to recapture customers that may have tuned out as top-of-the-line iPhones have got larger and heavier.
I do concede that Jobs and Ive would probably disapprove of just adding material for aesthetic reasons, but whether this is really a problem comes down to what you think gives Apple its juice to begin with.
If Apple speaks to you with its elegant designs and products that phase seamlessly into any room or situation, then, sure, I get why these new camera bars could be an issue.
However, if you’re like me and value Apple more for its commitment to a great user experience and using its clout to direct industry in ways that genuinely benefit the everyday customer, then continuing to emphasise the camera system seems like a decent way to go.
In any case, spec bumps and a new design will likely be more than enough to assure the iPhone 17 series places on our list of the best iPhones. And do let us know what you think about these possible new designs in the comments below.
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jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards)
