Hands on with all four iPhone 17 dummy models

AppleInsider

We've got our hands on iPhone 17 mockups. Here's what the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Air will look like, and feel like once they ship in September 2025.

All four of the rumored iPhone 17 models

Most case manufacturers don't get any support from Apple. All of the companies involved have to get a let-up on competition to get an early piece of the iPhone case market, and launching cases that work with new iPhones every year is a billion-dollar industry.

To further that end, dummy units are produced in spring by case and accessory manufacturers. All of the firms source design files from sometimes sketchy sources for the new phones to get as early a start as possible on designing and manufacturing products.

Historically, the dummy units we've gotten around this time of year have been spot-on with accuracy, but there is no guarantee. The models also only show off what the outside will be shaped like and give no hints on the internals or the display.

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The new lineup is expected to include iPhone 17, an ultra-thin model rumored to be called iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We got dummy units, in both black and white, for all four models into our studio.

Let's check them all out.

iPhone 17

The most unexciting of the lot is the iPhone 17 model. As rumors had suggested, it's basically an iPhone 16 on the outside.

The iPhone 17 looks very similar to iPhone 16

We see the vertically-oriented camera module, the Camera Control, and all the other hallmarks of an iPhone 16. Until Apple reveals the new colors, this could be interchangeable for the existing devices.

While it will have updated internals, Apple is clearly making a move to nudge consumers up to higher priced devices by highlighting newer designs.

iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max

It starts to get more exciting as we move to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The first thing you notice is the massive camera bump atop each phone.

Holding up the new iPhone 17 Pro in black and white

The bump runs the full width of the phone, looking similar to a Google Pixel device. We won't know how the internals get rearranged for sure until the phone launches, but rumors say it was due to rotating the new telephoto camera module.

A closeup of the iPhone 17 Pro Max camera module

There's still the trio of camera lenses on the left while the flash, microphone, and the LiDAR sensor have moved to the right.

Between the two, we prefer the look of the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The camera bumps are the physical size on both phones, so it looks more proportional on the larger device.

The iPhone 17 Pro compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max

Our dummy unit has a SIM card tray on the left side, while our iPhone 16 Pro model does not. That's because the global iPhone models still retain those while the US phones are all eSIM only.

In a direct comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro is just as thick as our iPhone 16 Pro. They have the same button layout, antenna bands, and ports.

The new design has symmetrical speaker holes

The only physical change we could note was that the iPhone 17 Pro has five holes on either side of the USB-C port. The iPhone 16 Pro has five on the right for the speaker and three on the left for the microphone.

iPhone 17 Air

The model most users will probably be excited for is the iPhone 17 Air. At least, that's what most rumors have called it.

The iPhone 17 Air in black and white

It has a radically thin form factor that is unlike anything else we've seen before in an iPhone. Rumors have cited it as around 5.5mm or 5.6mm thick, which is what our dummies measures up as.

Comparing the iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 17 Air

We compared it to our iPhone 16 Pro and the difference between the two was drastic. While weight is impossible to judge at this time, picking it up for the first time was surreal.

Camera module on iPhone 17 Air

The camera bump on this model is smaller than the pros, due to only a single camera located on the back. By all accounts, it will be a single, 48MP lens.

Apple will surely promote it as at least two cameras in one thanks to its ability to crop to 2X optical-quality zoom. We'll have to wait to see if Apple has any other upgrades for this camera too.

The camera protrudes significantly on the iPhone 17 Air

One thing we did notice though, was how much it protruded from the body. Since the body is so thin, the camera juts out even more.

A side-by-side shot of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Air

To make this device, Apple will have to miniaturize many components. Even the buttons on the side have to shrink or they won't fit.

The USB-C port is off center on the iPhone 17 Air

The bottom USB-C port is nearly as thick as the body. At least according to this set of dummies, Apple was forced to make the port-off center, closer to the back of the device than the front.

Compared to the base model or even the pro models, there are only two holes on either side of the charging port. Two for the mic, two for the speaker.

This could mean the speaker volume will be lower than the other modules, but makes sense with such a small volume to house everything.

It's a bit comical because our dummy unit arrived slightly warped. This is due to it being plastic and glass versus a real device, but it does represent a real worry users will have.

Apple is sure to focus heavily on the structure of such a thin phone and put it through rigorous testing ahead of launch. "Bendgate" was poorly named, but a concern just the same.

Release this fall

Apple is set to release the new round of iPhones this fall. Historically the even takes place in September, alongside the new Apple Watch refreshes.

All four iPhone 17 dummy models

Be sure to stay tuned to AppleInsider as we get closer to launch and see how accurate these mockups turn out to be.



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charlesn

There is no doubting the "cool" factor of the Air--and the pent-up demand for a new iPhone form factor--and those factors alone will likely make it a sellout at launch and for weeks if not months thereafter. (Although highly dependent on the lunatic tariffs, of course.) But once the buzz and hype pass, as they inevitably will, the question remains: do you really want essentially "17e" specs for $900-ish dollars? On second thought, battery life will likely be worse than an "e" model iPhone, and the speakers crappier. I'm on the iPhone Upgrade program, so I switch out my phone annually, and the Air piqued my interest a bit when I read the rumor that its single lens would be an all-new optic that covered the full range of the ultrawide and main lenses. I especially didn't want to lose the macro capability that's handled by the ultrawide lens--as for the telephoto, well, I'd live without it for a year and see what I thought. But if this is really just the 16e lens, which appears will be the case, that's a dealbreaker, especially at this price point. 

timpetus

Well, I guess they don't care about it looking good anymore, it's like the 2026 Outback of phones. They don't even seem to be making any use of the extra space under that ridiculous camera bar. They could at least put extra battery or other components in there. What I really want is a return of the flush lenses, like we had with the 5S and before. If that means we have to make the end of the phone thicker, that's fine with me!

leftoverbacon

timpetus said:

Well, I guess they don't care about it looking good anymore, it's like the 2026 Outback of phones. They don't even seem to be making any use of the extra space under that ridiculous camera bar. They could at least put extra battery or other components in there. What I really want is a return of the flush lenses, like we had with the 5S and before. If that means we have to make the end of the phone thicker, that's fine with me!

This right here. sooo tired of camera bumps. the 5S/SE was peak iPhone design. Give me a phone that I can use with 1 hand, & can have lay flat on my desk and not wobble without a case. I have absolutely zero desire for a micro thin phone with a giant bump on the back.

tht

Is it me, or is the corner radius on the camera bump not concentric? That seems like a design sin to me. It should also be a squircle. It's circular in the dummy.

They made it concentric with the camera lens ring. So, choices needed to be made, but I don't think I would have made that choice.

m4m40

It looks idiotic. Kinda like Pixel phones.

debonbon

The camera bump is THE worst part of the iPhone, the Air looks horrid. What I’d give for a flat phone. 

charlesn

debonbon said:

The camera bump is THE worst part of the iPhone, the Air looks horrid. What I’d give for a flat phone. 

I can tell you what you'd give for a flat phone: you'd give up any kind of decent camera system, unless you want a thick phone, but you're in a very small minority that no phone maker thinks is worth pursuing. In the meantime, try a 16e, one of the best looking iPhones ever, especially in black, and the single small lens bump is only about 1.5 credit cards thick. 

tht said:

Is it me, or is the corner radius on the camera bump not concentric? That seems like a design sin to me. 

I see what you're seeing on the Air. Weird, Apple's design language across its whole product line is rounded rectangles. And you see that language in the bump on the Pro models, which is what makes them very different from a Pixel bump--that and the signature iPhone triangular arrangement of the lenses. But the Air bump is an elongated oval, which is exactly what Pixel uses. but Apple places it in a worse position. Pixel moves it away from the upper edge, so the oval shape doesn't clash with the rounded rectangle corners. Apple keeps the bump closer to the top edge, where the oval fights the rounded corners. This is really inelegant design work. 

calamander

Good thing Jony Ive already pulled out all his hair because this design offense is truly horrific.

What happened to Apple? Design was the one thing they still had... 

tht

Calamander said:

Good thing Jony Ive already pulled out all his hair because this design offense is truly horrific.

What happened to Apple? Design was the one thing they still had... 

This looks good. The arcs are mostly concentric. The camera eye looks centered about the arcs.

The arcs are not perfect circular sections except for the camera, so it can’t be mathematically concentric. As it is, it looks good enough, almost indistinguishable. 

tht

charlesn said:

I see what you're seeing on the Air. Weird, Apple's design language across its whole product line is rounded rectangles. And you see that language in the bump on the Pro models, which is what makes them very different from a Pixel bump--that and the signature iPhone triangular arrangement of the lenses. But the Air bump is an elongated oval, which is exactly what Pixel uses. but Apple places it in a worse position. Pixel moves it away from the upper edge, so the oval shape doesn't clash with the rounded rectangle corners. Apple keeps the bump closer to the top edge, where the oval fights the rounded corners. This is really inelegant design work. 

I prefer the Apple placement where it is as close to the edge as possible. Since the iPhone 17 Air’s camera bar is for one camera only, there needs to be a compromise in the concentricity of the squircle outside corner and the perfect circle of the camera lens. 

They’ve chosen to be concentric with the camera ring rather than giving it a little bit of squircle to balance it out with the outside corner. That seems like a bad choice. 

The placement of the camera bar on the Pixel is bad imo, especially bad for Apple to do it that way. They have an entire MagSafe ecosystem that relies on the placement of the magnetic ring to be centered. The camera bar on the Pro phones are about as low as a camera bar could go. I’d argue it is almost too low already and limits some type of MagSafe accessories. 

williamlondon

Is there anything more ridiculous than getting all bent out of shape over mockups and rumours? Good god, children.

tht

williamlondon said:

Is there anything more ridiculous than getting all bent out of shape over mockups and rumours? Good god, children.

If you are interested in design, it’s not ridiculous. It’s fun to have the conversation. We are having fun discussing it!