iPhone 17 dummies again expose Apple's most divisive design change in years

From the image, it is clear that the standard iPhone 17 isn’t changing much from the iPhone 16. Meanwhile, the Air model is expected to have just one rear camera, much like the recently launched iPhone 16e. Its slimmer, edge-to-edge camera housing stretches across the back horizontally and honestly, it gives off some serious Google Pixel vibes.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max might feature a new edge-to-edge housing design, too. Both models are expected to still feature triple-camera setups, but the new housings come in different sizes and shapes.

This major design shift has been pretty controversial – some are excited to see Apple finally trying something new, while others are scratching their heads, wondering what is going on. Personally, I’m not sold on this new look, but let’s see if it actually ends up happening.

At the end of the day, all these leaks – whether they are images, renders, or dummy units – aren’t official. So, there is always a chance that the final iPhone 17 design could end up looking completely different.

Now, aside from the looks, we already have some details on what might be changing under the hood, too. For starters, the iPhone 17 front camera might be getting its first real upgrade in years, with a new 24 MP sensor replacing the 12 MP camera seen on previous models.

And speaking of cameras, the iPhone 17 Pro camera rumor points to significant changes, too. Apple refreshed the ultrawide camera on the iPhone 16 Pro, but this time, the focus seems to be on telephoto. Word is that the current 12 MP telephoto camera is getting replaced with a 48 MP periscope camera. If that turns out to be true, 8K video recording could finally be coming to the Pro models.

Under the hood, the Pro versions are also expected to pack the new A19 Pro chip and 12GB of RAM, likely to handle more advanced Apple Intelligence features.

The iPhone 17 series is expected to drop this fall, likely in September. That means we’ve got a while to go and you can bet leaks will keep flooding in as the release date gets closer.

So far, it looks like the next iPhone could be a solid upgrade from the current model – though there is still some debate about whether the design changes are a step forward or a misstep. As for everything else, I think it is pretty much a given that things will keep improving as tech continues to evolve.