The iPhone 17 Pro cameras could get a huge upgrade

By Patrick Hearn Published October 21, 2024

iPhone 16 Pro Max in Desert Titanium. — Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends

The iPhone 16 is barely out but we’ve already heard quite a few rumors about the iPhone 17. For one, we know it’s going to lack an iconic model. It’s highly likely Apple is discontinuing the Plus series, instead opting for a base iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. There’s also a new, debut phone in the works that’s been called the iPhone 17 Air or the Slim — you get no prizes for guessing what its selling point will be.

There’s potentially a bigger upgrade coming, though. The iPhone 17 is rumored to have a much higher-resolution front camera than the iPhone 16 does. Currently, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max both have a 12-megapixel front camera, but the iPhone 17 Pro might potentially double that with a 24MP front camera, according to tipster Jeff Pu and GSMArena.

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In addition, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will receive a 48MP telephoto lens, giving them the ability to zoom in dramatically farther than the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max’s 12MP telephoto lens. The higher-tier models will also run on the A19 Pro chip, have 12GB of RAM, and a faster refresh rate for its display.

Apple Intelligence Summaries on an iPhone 16 Pro — Notification Summaries in Apple Intelligence on the iPhone 16 series Nirave Gondhia / Digital Trends

The estimated release date for the iPhone 17 is around September of next year, but this is based on the limited information we have and Apple’s history of launches. The phone isn’t “confirmed,” but we all know it’s coming. That said, this early in the development process, things could change significantly before release.

The iPhone 16 is a powerhouse of a device, especially with Apple Intelligence on the way. The iPhone 17 is likely to be even better as the team refines how to integrate Intelligence into your day-to-day phone use.

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