Should You Wait for the iPhone 17? Here's the Comprehensive Answer

As the expected launch date for new iPhone generations approaches in September 2025, which many anticipate will include the iPhone 17 series, the most important question arises: Is it worth waiting? The short answer: Yes, it's best to wait until the official unveiling of the new phones, unless you desperately need a device now. In this case, buying a used older model or an iPhone 16e might be a temporary solution to meet your immediate needs.

Some might wonder if they made a mistake by purchasing one of the iPhone 16 models. The answer is no, as all iPhone 16 models are very good and offer an excellent user experience. Although the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus still use 60Hz refresh rate screens, they remain good options within the Apple ecosystem. The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models offer an excellent blend of powerful performance, elegant design, and professional cameras for a smooth and integrated user experience.

What to Expect from the iPhone 17 Series: Upgrades and New Features

According to rumors and early reports, the iPhone 17 series is expected to offer a number of significant improvements, even if it doesn't represent a radical leap in design. The most prominent of these improvements include:

• 120Hz ProMotion Displays for All Models: All four iPhone 17 models are rumored to support a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, which will bring a smoother browsing and video playback experience to all users, not just the Pro tiers. This enhancement will rely on LTPO OLED displays, which may also enable the "Always-On Display" feature for all tiers [MacRumors, August 22, 2025].
• Advanced Cameras:
  • 24MP Front Camera: All iPhone 17 phones will receive a significant front camera upgrade to 24MP, compared to 12MP in previous models, improving the quality of selfies and video calls [Mashable, August 22, 2025].
  • 48MP Telephoto Camera for Pro Models: Pro models will feature an improved 48MP telephoto camera, enhancing the quality of zoomed-in photos. Some reports indicate support for optical zoom up to 8x, while others suggest 3.5x [Tom's Guide, August 13, 2025].
  • 48MP Single Rear Camera for iPhone 17 Air Model: The iPhone 17 Air model is expected to come with a 48MP single rear camera [MacRumors, August 22, 2025].
• New iPhone 17 Air Model: The iPhone 17 Air model is likely to replace the Plus model, offering an extremely thin option (ranging from 5 to 6 mm thick) with a larger display (around 6.55 to 6.65 inches), making it the thinnest iPhone device to date [TechCrunch, August 21, 2025].
• Main Display Improvements: Apple is expected to increase the standard iPhone 17 display size to 6.3 inches, to match the iPhone 17 Pro size [ZEERA WIRELESS, August 22, 2025].
• Latest A19 Chipsets: The new phones will run on A19 chipsets (standard A19 for base and Air models, and A19 Pro for Pro and Pro Max models), built on an improved 3nm manufacturing process, to deliver better performance and higher power efficiency [MacRumors, August 22, 2025].
• Larger Random Access Memory (RAM): iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max, and Air models are rumored to feature 12GB of RAM, an increase from 8GB in current models, to support on-device AI features [Tom's Guide, August 13, 2025].
• Advanced Connectivity Technologies: Custom-designed Wi-Fi 7 chips from Apple will be integrated into all iPhone 17 models, and the iPhone 17 Air model is expected to use an Apple-designed 5G modem [MacRumors, August 22, 2025].
• New Color Options: Rumors include new colors such as orange for Pro models, and green and purple for other models [Mashable, August 22, 2025].

Aside from the expected improvements in A-series chips, this year does not seem to bring a radical change to the iPhone in terms of overall design. Therefore, you don't need to be overly excited about the upcoming Apple event from a phone perspective if you're expecting a complete redesign, but you can almost guarantee that the iPhone 17 will offer the best iPhone experience, even if it's just a gradual upgrade over the iPhone 16.

Artificial Intelligence: The Main Focus of iPhone 17

The aspect expected to receive more attention this year is Artificial Intelligence. With the launch of Apple Intelligence, whose benefits users have recently begun to feel, Apple is expected to focus more on new AI features that will come with iPhone 17 phones, in addition to those unveiled at WWDC 2025 with the iOS 26 showcase. Apple will likely focus on Apple Intelligence features that will be directly available with the iPhone 17 upon its launch, such as live translation tools for calls and text messages, call screening features, and smart information search on the phone screen [Tom's Guide, August 13, 2025]. Of course, iPhone 16 users will be able to benefit from these features after the software update to iOS 26.

Expected Launch Dates and Pricing

Rumors suggest that the iPhone 17 announcement event will take place on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, with pre-orders starting on September 12, 2025, followed by the official market launch on Friday, September 19, 2025 [Tom's Guide, August 21, 2025].

As for pricing, the iPhone 17 series may see a slight increase due to rising component costs. The standard iPhone 17 is expected to start at around $849, while the iPhone 17 Air could reach $899. The iPhone 17 Pro may be around $1049, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max around $1249 [ZEERA WIRELESS, August 22, 2025].