iPhone 17 specs: the 5 biggest upgrades we’re expecting so far
Apple’s next flagship phone will look like the iPhone 16, but it will come with some notable improvements
📱 Apple is rumored to release the iPhone 17 later this year
👀 The phone will resemble the iPhone 16, according to reports
🦾 While upgrades won’t be massive, there will be improvements in key areas
✋ Here are the biggest upgrades we expect to see
Apple isn’t going to reinvent the smartphone when the iPhone 17 comes out later this year. However, it could offer some enticing upgrades compared to the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.
While the rumored iPhone 17 Air will get an ultra-thin design and the iPhone 17 Pro a fresh set of cameras, the regular iPhone 17 is said to be more of a spec bump than anything else. It’ll keep the same design we saw on the iPhone 16 with its minimal camera bump, aluminum build, and array of buttons while adding new features that’ll improve the core experience. It isn’t much, but it’s intriguing nonetheless.
Out of all the rumors we’ve been tracking, here are the 5 biggest rumored upgrades that’ll make their way to the iPhone 17, at least so far.
📱 A bigger, faster display
The upgrade I’m personally most excited about is the display. The iPhone 17 is expected to finally gain the same 120Hz ProMotion display technology as Apple’s top-of-the-line phones like the iPhone 16 Pro. This doubles the refresh rate of the current iPhone 16 and will make everything look smoother and more responsive. Other phones in the iPhone 16’s price range have had 120Hz refresh rates for years, so it’s about time that Apple brought it to non-Pro iPhones.
The company is also expected to increase the size of the iPhone 17’s screen. It’s said to go from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches, which isn’t a huge difference but will give you some extra room to work with. It’ll be the same size as other phones like the iPhone 16 Pro and Google’s Pixel 9.
🤖 Better performance for Apple Intelligence
The iPhone 17 is rumored to get Apple’s upcoming A19 processor, which will offer better performance and efficiency than the A18 in last year’s phones. The chip is said to be paired with as much as 12GB of RAM, which will come in handy for all of the Apple Intelligence features Apple has planned for the future. The company’s iOS 19 upgrade is rumored to deliver a lot of the AI features that it’s been working on, including the big Siri AI upgrade with natural language support and generative responses. Whatever type of AI Apple wants to throw at it, it seems the iPhone 17 will be ready for it.
🤳 Improved selfies
If you’re unimpressed with the selfies your current iPhone can take, you might want to upgrade your phone this year. Across the entire iPhone 17 family, Apple is rumored to upgrade the selfie camera from the current 12MP sensor to a new 24MP sensor. This will allow for more detail and light to be captured with each photo, which will help in lower-light situations. It’s unclear if the viewing angle will be widened.
⚡️ Faster charging
Rumor has it that the iPhone 17 will finally get a boost in charging performance. According to the leaks we’ve seen, the device could go from 23W to 35W over USB-C, which should translate to a noticeable speed improvement when you plug your phone in. Wireless charging will likely stick to 15W for another year, but that’s a fine compromise for faster wired charging. I wish Apple would go crazy like some of its competitors and go with 68W or 80W wired charging, but I guess I’ll take what I can get.
🛜 More efficient Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
The iPhone 17 is said to get a new chip: Apple’s first in-house Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip. The silicon will combine both wireless technologies into a single component, allowing for greater control over how much power they need to operate and, in exchange, improve battery life. We saw Apple introduce a similar chip called the C1 on the iPhone 16e, which gave it 5G connectivity with much better efficiency. While the C1 isn’t expected to land on the iPhone 17 (outside of the iPhone 17 Air), the new Wi-Fi chip could deliver similar results.
Our iPhone 17 coverage continues
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Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.