Transcription
For months, we've been wondering exactly what the pro iPhones for this year were going to look like. Would Apple do something completely radical and different with a new camera bar design that was leaked, or would Apple yet again play it safe, going back to the basics with another Pro iPhone that looked exactly the same as the year before? Well, we've now learned that the answer is somewhere in the middle, because Apple's playing it radically different—a radically different-looking iPhone 17 Pro—but it is completely different than what we expected.
So today, I want to give you your first look at the iPhone 17 Pro, as well as a ton of exclusive features that will only be available on these models and nowhere else this year. More than any time before, there's going to be a huge separation between the pro iPhones and the non-pro iPhones. We've seen this in the past, separated by cameras and the general look and feel of the device, but this time the gap is widening, and the pros are going to kind of be in a league of their own.
All right, first up, let's take a closer look at the Pro Design this year, because so far it has been pretty divisive. It turns out that Apple is keeping the same triple-triangle camera setup that we have actually had since 2019, but this time it's not placed in a rectangular camera bump that sits in the top left corner of the phone. That camera bump is now a camera visor made out of black glass, and it stretches across the entire top portion of the phone. It's centered now, and Apple has rearranged a couple of components—like the flash, lar, and microphone are now all the way on the other side of the phone, on the far right—and in the middle, nothing at all; it's completely blank and empty. And it definitely looks a little strange. But this is a camera design that we have seen reiterated now multiple times from different independent, credible sources, and every file we've seen it shows off this look. But we also know that Apple doesn't change the look of the iPhone camera just to make it look different. Every time they've ever done this, it's to enable new camera functionality, and we are hearing that this is going to be an exceptionally big year for the pro iPhone cameras.
For starters, the iPhone 17 Pro will be Apple's first to feature a triple-camera 48-megapixel setup, with the wide, Ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses all getting the 48-megapixel capture. Now, previously the sensor was on the wide and the ultra-wide, but we've never had it on the zoom lens, and I think that that's going to enable something pretty interesting. Aside from making your photos look better, the 48-megapixel sensor has allowed Apple to do one thing in particular, and that's add a digital sensor crop without adding another lens. You can see this in action on the iPhone 16, for example, where although it has only a single physical lens on the back, you can do a 2X telephoto zoom by cropping into the 12-megapixel part of the sensor. Okay, maybe you see where I'm going with this, because if Apple adds that same sensor now to the 5X telephoto physical lens, they could likely enable a 15, 20, or 25X software lens, just like they've done on the other one. And that's going to be their justification for redesigning the way the whole camera setup looks, because underneath there's something totally different below the surface.
In addition to all that, it also sounds like the 17 Pro's camera is going to be a massive leap forward for video in particular. Now, the iPhone has long had the best video in the industry, but according to a new report, Apple is taking this even further on the 17 Pro and really targeting professionals, wanting them to leave behind their traditional, heavy and expensive video equipment and instead ditch it for the iPhone. Now, we don't have information about exactly what new video features are coming, but Apple in recent history has been really leaning into specific Pro codec and features like 4K 120 FPS, things built exclusively for the Pro models for video, and like things as a creator that I frankly have taken advantage of. Small stuff like better microphones is something I use every single day, and I love that Apple just keeps going even further.
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Now earlier, I showed you that the camera bar was made out of a new black glass material, which is pretty different than the color-matched raised bump we've seen on iPhone forever. Well, on the iPhone 17 Pro, that is now going to be the only glass on the back, according to leaks, as Apple will no longer be using the full glass back that we've had for years at this point, and they are transitioning back to an aluminum unibody chassis. This means that instead of the iPhone having glass on the front and back and surrounded by a band of material, it's going to be a single piece of aluminum that the screen attaches to from the front. Now, personally, I think this looks a lot better and cleaner than the current iPhone design, but I have to say I'm confused here, considering that Apple's entire marketing message for the iPhone 15 Pros just a couple of years ago was the fact that they were made out of titanium, and then this year, just completely gone. I have a feeling this is also one of those changes where there is way more of the story than we know, and while I wish we knew the reason right now, we just don't. But we keep hearing that it is going to be aluminum, and the titanium is, in fact, going away.
Although it's not just the material of the iPhone 17 Pro changing; it's also the thickness. One of the most interesting things we've heard to date about this product is that Apple is reversing course on years of focusing on making the phone as thin as humanly possible, and instead, on the iPhone 17 Pro, actually really leaning into the Pro Power aspect of this product. From what we're hearing, the 17 Pro is going to be just about 5% thicker, but inside of that space, Apple is going to be putting a significantly improved battery. Now, the reason I think Apple's finally comfortable doing this on the 17 Pro is because they're also dropping the 17 Air this year, which is the opposite of the pro in pretty much every single way: ultra-thin and minimalistic design, only a single camera, good but not great components. I think that's probably why Apple feels comfortable going in the opposite direction on the pros.
Next up, as for the display on the pros this year, the rumors are pretty split right now on exactly what we're getting, although it does sound to be pretty similar to what we have currently with the iPhone 16 Pro. That means the iPhone 17 Pros will be available in 6.3 and 6.9-inch screen sizes with OLED displays that feature 120 Hz promotion, as they have for years. But it's up at the top of the screen with Dynamic Island, where it's unclear if Apple is actually going to keep it the same size for yet another generation or actually end up shrinking it down as previous leaks suggested. Most curious to me is that some sources are now saying that only the iPhone 17 Pro Max—Apple's most expensive tier model—would be getting the smaller Dynamic Island, where the regular Pro would keep the same size Dynamic Island as currently. But we're not exactly hearing this from super credible sources yet, and for now, I think a smaller Dynamic Island certainly seems possible on both models.
Now, so far I've showed you what the iPhone 17 Pro looks like, but we've barely talked about any of the features below the surface that are going to be the reason you actually want to buy this phone. And this year there are a lot that have leaked. According to one rumor, Apple could finally be adding reverse wireless charging to the iPhone, which would allow you to flip your iPhone over and place your AirPods or an Apple Watch on the back of your phone and have it charge wirelessly, as if this was a plugged-in wireless charging pad. It's one of those rare Android features that they've had for years that I've always thought is super cool, because if one of your accessories runs out of power, you have to find an outlet—sometimes when you're on the go, you don't have one nearby—and you can just place it down, charge your stuff up, and continue with your day, all on the go. And interestingly, it's also a feature that's secretly been built into the iPhone for five years now. Reports say that Apple has had this on the iPhone since the iPhone 12, and it's just never been properly enabled yet. So perhaps this year, with Apple redesigning the whole chassis, switching materials, they've found a way to make it work even better or more efficiently. As we know, Apple doesn't like to be first to stuff; they take their time to perfect the technology, and then they release it.
Next, power in that experience will likely be Apple's fastest A19 Pro chip, but the chip itself isn't that notable this year; it's actually the amount of RAM Apple is said to be adding alongside of it. As we're hearing, Apple plans to increase the current 8 GB all the way up to 12 on the 17 Pros, and Apple said to be doing this for one reason in particular. According to some new reporting, the current 8 GB may not be enough for Apple's AI Siri and the smarter features they're working on to actually work properly on device. Yeah, it sounds like Apple's AI strategy is so messed up right now that they undershot what they thought they needed, and now they probably need way more, so they're going to start throwing more RAM—which is really important for AI tasks—into their products as quickly as possible, starting off with the pro iPhones this year.
But the coolest change on the inside of the iPhone 17 Pro is going to be the new cooling system. Normally you don't think about your iPhone running hot being a problem, but as Apple adds more and more AI features, the hotter these phones are going to get. So Apple's found a really dope way to prevent that. According to rumors, the iPhone 17 Pro will feature Apple's first vapor chamber cooling system, which is a new liquid-based solution that essentially spreads out and helps dissipate heat over a larger surface area than currently. In particular, a vapor chamber cooling system means that your phone can run as fast as possible for longer. Generally, when the processor heats up, it has to slow itself down so that it doesn't overheat, so gaming, AI, processor-intensive tasks, they're going to be way better on the pros, which is again cool to see Apple leaning into that on their most expensive models.
Now, in addition to all of these exclusive features, the 17 Pros will be also gaining all of the improvements that Apple adds to the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup: things like a significantly improved selfie camera on the front, increasing from 12 to 24 megapixels for even better selfies and videos; a new, first-of-its-kind Apple design component that's a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip combo, extending Apple silicon efficiency to more parts of the iPhone to increase battery life; and potentially even more scratch-resistant displays that still look great while holding up better in your pocket.
All this being said, there is one aspect of the pros that we haven't talked about, and that is the price. We have heard rumors for years that the iPhone is going to get more expensive, and never has—year after year—the base Pro iPhone has started at $999 with no change whatsoever in nearly a decade—now since 2017. Here's why I think this year that's actually changing. When Apple announced the iPhone 16e, which was their new "quote-unquote" budget model, everyone was shocked that it cost $599. I mean, that was pretty expensive for what you're getting. The more I think about the phone, the more I think it only makes sense if $600 is the new floor, because it was supposed to be $500, but Apple is setting the standard that the iPhone is going to be more expensive moving forward. Certainly not something I want to see, but I do think the writing is on the wall.
As well as a major year for the iPhone in general, Apple is planning a stacked lineup this year, from the iPhone 17 and the 17 Air to the 17 Pro and the 17 Pro Max. It's without a doubt their most compelling and ambitious lineup we've seen in quite some time. Okay, if you enjoyed this video, drop a like, hit subscribe for more on the iPhone 17 as we get close. It is going to be a packed year, and I am stoked. Love y'all. I've been Sam; I'll catch you in the next one. Bye-bye.