We have about five months to go until Apple unveils the iPhone 17 series, but it already feels like we know everything about this year’s iPhone generation.
We’re still getting four new models, but the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air will replace the Plus model that Apple has sold for two years. The Air will feature a new horizontal single-lens camera bar on the back. That’s what all rumors say, and we saw renders and dummy units to back up those leaks.
The larger bump might be related to Apple’s need to have Face ID on the front of the phone. The Face ID module might be thicker than Apple wants it to be, hence the extra bump on the back of the handset. That’s all speculation at this point.
What matters here is that three of the four iPhone 17 flavors will have horizontal camera bumps on the back, though I think only the iPhone 17 Air really needs one. The iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will get elongated camera modules, so they’re visually similar to the Air. That’s what I think. Apple needs this “newness” element so that less tech-savvy iPhone buyers know these handsets are the 2025 models.
Reports also say Apple is going for a two-tone design on the back of the iPhone 17 Pros. The camera bump will be made of metal, probably aluminum, and the bottom part will be made of glass, which can support wireless charging (see the purported iPhone 17 CAD renders below).
That choice of materials doesn’t necessarily have to mean we’ll see where the glass ends and metal begins. The stunning render you’re about to see shows what an iPhone 17 Pro (or Pro Max) would look like in a single color choice.
I’ve never been a big fan of the two-tone design idea. That is, I don’t want it to be visually obvious to the user. Apple can use whatever materials it thinks can better protect the rear-facing components while ensuring MagSafe functionality is still possible. But I don’t want to see a blend of metal and glass like we had on some of the older Pixel phones.
Then again, I’m not shopping for an iPhone 17 Pro or 17 Pro Max this year. I’ll go for the iPhone 17 Air, assuming the US tariffs will not ruin my purchase plans by then.
If I were to buy an iPhone 17 Pro variant, I’d be happy to hear Mark Gurman’s tidbit from earlier this month. The prominent Apple insider said in a newsletter that Apple will use the same color for the back of the handset, regardless of the material sitting beneath the coat of paint:
The iPhone 17 Pro won’t have a two-toned back, I’m told. The camera area will be the same color as the rest of the device. That speaks to the more gradual design changes that Apple is making: The iPhone 17 Pro isn’t a major departure from current models.
That’s what you need to know before looking at the render below that X user kanedacane tweets shared.
The image is likely based on all the iPhone 17 Pro CAD and dummy leaks while also taking into account Gurman’s tidbit. The entire back of the handset has the same color, whether it’s the supposedly metal-made camera bar or the glass panel covering the rest of the iPhone’s rear.
While this is just a render where anything is possible, I hope Apple is going in a similar direction with the iPhone 17 Pro colors. That is, I hope there won’t be any issues in real life preventing Apple from giving the iPhone 17 Pro rear a uniform paint job, which would hide the metal-and-glass combo.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with Apple combining two or more materials for any iPhone component. But I wouldn’t want it to be obvious to the naked eye. That’s a matter of taste, of course. There might be iPhone users who like the idea of having a two-tone finish on the back of the iPhone; there’s nothing wrong with that.
Then again, most people will cover the iPhone 17 Pro’s rear with protective cases. Unless you go for transparent options, you won’t even see the iPhone’s real color (or colors).
