There’s new information about this year’s iPhone 17 smartphone lineup, all concerning the cameras found on the phones. Depending on opinions, the news could be viewed as a mix of good and bad.
Firstly, leaker Digital Chat Station confirmed an earlier report by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo that said the company plans to make significant camera upgrades on the 2025 iPhone lineup.
All iPhone 17 models are expected to have a front-facing selfie camera with a 24MP/6P lens, an upgrade from the 12MP/5P lens found in the current iPhone 16 models. This upgrade is anticipated to improve image quality and minimize camera distortions.
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Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are set to have upgraded telephoto lenses, jumping from 12MP to 48MP. This change would mean all three rear-facing cameras on the next-generation iPhone Pro models will feature 48MP lenses.
Kuo’s previous report suggested that only the iPhone 17 Pro Max would receive the telephoto lens update, not the smaller iPhone 17 Pro. Another leaker later confirmed this.
Meanwhile, the same leaker says this year’s iPhone 17 Pro models will have a smaller primary camera sensor when compared to the Fusion camera found on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The sensor on the 48MP primary camera on those models could drop from 1/1.28 inch to 1/1.3 inch.
MacRumors correctly points out that the fractions mentioned refer to the sensor’s “type” rather than its physical dimensions. As a result, a 1/1.3-inch sensor is smaller than a 1/1.28-inch sensor.
This difference is not expected to have a significant impact on photo quality. However, it could support rumors that Apple plans to redesign the camera bump for the iPhone 17 Pro models. This year, the bump may be rectangular and made of aluminum instead of glass. It is still too early to assess whether this change will be advantageous or not. It should be noted that another report says there will be no changes made to the camera bump on the iPhone 17 Pro models.
Like recent lineups, the iPhone 17 series should include a regular model and two iPhone Pro models. For the first time, we could also see an “iPhone Air” model that will replace the iPhone Plus. This model is expected to be the thinnest iPhone to date and feature significant design changes compared to the rest of the series.