Apple is rumored to be switching to aluminum for the iPhone 17 Pro series, which will be released in September, instead of the titanium and stainless steel frame strategy it has maintained since the iPhone X in 2017.
InstantDigital, a leaker active on Chinese social media Weibo, reports that the iPhone 17 Pro series will adopt a hybrid structure that combines an aluminum frame and a glass back panel. Some of the back will still be made of glass to support wireless charging and MagSafe. This design was previously reported by Wayne Ma of The Information, and has now been confirmed by another source.
The current iPhone 16 and 16 Plus maintain an aluminum frame, but the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max adopt titanium, so it is an unusual change to adopt aluminum again in the Pro lineup. Instant Digital explained that the frame will be designed to be very thin, and the bezel will also be extremely thin. Aluminum has the advantage of being lightweight and low-cost, but the background of Apple adopting it for the high-end model has not yet been officially announced.
This model will also introduce a new rear camera design called the 'camera bar'. According to the leaked mockup image, it will feature an aluminum bump that runs across the entire back, and will feature a wide layout rather than the traditional corner-limited lens layout. The camera array will maintain the same triangular shape as before, but there are also potential functional changes, such as the flash and LiDAR sensor moving to the right end.
The Apple logo’s location could also change. It has been claimed that the logo will move lower than it is now as the rear camera bar expands to the full width. It seems that it will be repositioned to the center of the glass panel rather than the center of the device, and this change could also affect the positioning guidelines for MagSafe accessories, which is making manufacturers nervous.
It is known that a new color called 'Sky Blue' will be introduced, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be equipped with a larger battery through a slightly thicker design. In terms of performance, the A19 Pro chip manufactured with the third-generation 3-nanometer process will be applied, and the Wi-Fi 7 chip designed by Apple itself will also be installed in all models.
