The iPhone 16 may not be available yet, but it is not surprising that plans are already being made for its successor, the iPhone 17

Since the model is more than a year away, it is not surprising that rumors are thin on the ground But there is still enough encouragement for buyers to wonder if they should hold out for another 12 months before upgrading

Here's what we know so far about the iPhone 17:

With the iPhone, it's fairly easy to guess the release date For over a decade, all numbered iPhones have been released in September (with the exception of the iPhone 12, which was delayed a month due to COVID-19) In other words, it is extremely likely that the iPhone 17 will be announced in September 2025 and released about a week later

Pricing is much more difficult to pinpoint Partly because we don't know if Apple will raise the price of the iPhone 16 this year, but also because it is difficult to predict market conditions in 2025 It seems quite likely that the basic iPhone 17 will be priced at least $799, just as the current iPhone 15 MSRP is

There is also talk of the iPhone 17 Slim replacing the “Plus” model We will discuss that later, but now one more detail about the price: it will be expensive One report suggests it could be higher than the $1,199 Pro Max model

The iPhone 17 Slim, as it is called, is rumored to be a new thinner version of the iPhone; Bloomberg's well-connected reporter Mark Gurman believes this is part of a plan to create “a new class of Apple device that should be the thinnest and lightest product in the entire tech industry should be the thinnest and lightest product in the entire tech industry

The iPhone 17 Slim will apparently feature a 66-inch display and could feature a redesign reminiscent of the iPhone X's 2018 shakeup of the iPhone lineup when it eliminated the home button and introduced a notch The talk of aluminum instead of titanium is a bit worrisome, though, given the rumored price tag

For the iPhone 17 Slim, analyst Jeff Pu claims that there will be no iPhone 17 Plus, which is unfortunate given the Slim's rumored high price, but not entirely unexpected

Beyond the Slim, the iPhone 17 does not appear to be much different in terms of appearance According to analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 17 will still be a 61-inch device and will not be 02 inches larger like this year's Pro model; Pu claims that the Dynamic Island will shrink on the iPhone 17 Pro, but the regular model stated that it will remain the same

However, despite the similar look, two things may change for the better: first, the basic iPhone 17 may benefit from a 120Hz ProMotion display for the first time, allowing for smoother performance and up to 120fps gameplay, and second, the iPhone 17 Pro may be able to use the same display for the first time in the future This means that smoother performance and up to 120fps gameplay may be possible The planned LTPO OLED panel would be able to drop down to 1Hz on the always-on display, similar to the Pro model

Second, the screen itself may be a bit more rugged: according to Weibo leaker Instant Digital, the iPhone 17's panel will be “made of an ultra-hard AR (anti-reflective) layer,” making it “more scratch-resistant than you might think The days of needing a screen protector may soon be over

Apple's A-series chips offer some of the best performance in smartphones and are by no means inferior, but the A19 chipset, which may be used in the iPhone 17 series, could be a big leap forward Possibly, higher transistor densities will improve performance and efficiency

Higher efficiency means lower power consumption, which in turn means better battery life In this regard, Apple is said to be making a change with the iPhone 17 series, manufacturing its own batteries for the first time The goal is said to be to offer “significantly improved performance compared to existing ones,” which sounds very promising

However, efficiency improvements on the regular iPhone 17 may be limited Apple may reserve its latest chipset for the Pro model, while the base iPhone 17 may stay with the A18 adopted this year Analyst Jeff Pu hedged his bets, saying it could be one or the other He added that the phone will come with 8GB of RAM

The Pro Max model is said to have three 48MP cameras, but nothing has yet been revealed about the regular iPhone 17's rear camera array That could be because there is no change from the iPhone 16's expected 48MP primary lens and 12MP ultra-wide, or it could be because nothing has been leaked yet We will know in due time

One thing that has been leaked is word of an upgraded front-facing selfie camera Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts a 24MP selfie camera for the iPhone 17, which would be a significant improvement over the 12MP TrueDepth Cam present since the iPhone 11 Pro Max

Overall, the iPhone 17 is going to be a serious upgrade - especially if the 120Hz ProMotion display is realized

One of the reasons everything sounds so impressive is that we are currently comparing it to the iPhone 15 We'll have to see if it's that much of a step up when the iPhone 16 arrives this September