The iPhone 17 might keep this existing iPhone 16 Pro spec

By Patrick Hearn Published February 18, 2025

A person holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max. — Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Take a good, long look at the iPhone 16 Pro display, because that’s the same panel Apple is using for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air. This means the iPhone 17 already has a leg up on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which still uses the older M13 panel versus the M14 OLED panel used by the iPhone 16 Pro.

The M14 OLED improves brightness by 30% compared to the M13 panel, according to known leaker Digital Chat Station. He shared the information in a post on Weibo, and though it was sparse on details, the news gives us a better idea of what to expect from Apple’s next generation of phones. If the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air both use the M14 OLED panel, then the Pro and Pro Max models could potentially receive an upgraded panel.

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The choice makes sense. Apple has already hinted at plans to add ProMotion functionality across the entire iPhone 17 family, which will bump refresh rates up to 120Hz and possibly allow for always-on functionality across every device, rather than just the premium models.

A close-up of the cameras on the iPhone 16 Pro. There’s still a lot we don’t know about the iPhone 17. We expect it to get a larger display, closer to the 6.3 inches of the iPhone 16 Pro for the base model and 6.6-inches for the iPhone 17 Air. Of course, we also expect at least the standard generational jump in power, and the handset could come with a much larger battery thanks to recent advances with silicon-carbide technology.

A few prior leaks have given us an idea of what the iPhone 17 Air might look like. Most of the renders show a phone that looks eerily similar to the Pixel 9, with a horizontal camera design versus the iPhone’s traditional square configuration.

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