When it comes to the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max cameras, the only major upgrade was the ultrawide; the iPhone 16 Pro lineup went from a 12MP to a 48MP ultrawide shooter with an even higher pixel count. The latest rumors suggest that the iPhone 17 Pro model may get the same camera upgrade.

Analyst Jeff Pu has stated that next year's iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max may get the same telephoto and selfie camera upgrades as the iPhone 16 Pro. Specifically, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a 48 MP telephoto camera and the front camera will be upgraded to a 24 MP selfie camera.

These should be great upgrades, especially for the selfie camera, as Apple has relied on the same 12MP TrueDepth front camera since the iPhone 11 Pro. It could be argued that the time for upgrades is long overdue, so this should be a big leap forward for those who rely on the front camera more than anything else.

I suspect that the photo quality will be greatly improved, especially if Apple intends to apply any of the pixel binning techniques to make zooming more user-friendly without degrading image quality. In addition, we think this would benefit video photography the most, as the upgrade could result in sharper and more detailed video.

Currently, the 12MP TrueDepth camera on the current iPhone 16 Pro model is best at recording 4K 60fps. Given that the front camera is the only way content creators can shoot video and see themselves at the same time, this long-awaited upgrade should keep people around until the iPhone Flip actually arrives.

Another interesting tidbit shared by Pooh is that he believes the iPhone 17 Pro Max, in particular, will have a “much narrower dynamic island” due to the use of a smaller “meta lens” for the Face ID system. This could make the design more seamless, and potentially closer to the look of the best Android phones with pinholes and under-display selfie cameras.

These are some of the biggest upgrades expected for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max; in Pu detail, the displays will remain 6.3“ and 6.9” respectively, and TSMC's 3nm currently used in the iPhone 16 Pro model manufacturing process currently used in the iPhone 16 Pro model will also be included.

Given that rival models like the OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are expected to launch in early 2025, these upgrades are compelling reasons that could make the iPhone 17 Pro model the best around. It is also worth noting that Apple is also said to be launching a slimmer model called the iPhone 17 Air.