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Last gasp leaks build up hype for meaty iPhone 17 series upgrades

Big cameras, better cooling, and larger batteries.

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The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's lock screen.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Just a day ahead of Apple’s “Awe Dropping” launch event for the iPhone 17 series, a couple of leaks are claiming to shed some big surprises that Apple has cooked up for its upcoming phones. The details have allegedly been sourced from a Chinese regulatory agency and a Korean telecom carrier, and back up previous rumors.

The big picture

Apple is keeping the biggest share of upgrades reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro pair, it seems. The flagship models will reportedly ditch their predecessors’ Titanium build in favor of an aluminum chassis. Additionally, they will get a vapor chamber cooling system, as well.

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The rear camera hardware now includes a trio of 48-megapixel sensors, and it will enable 8K video capture, as well. This will likely be accompanied by a new camera app with more professional-grade camera controls, while the telephoto camera jumps to an 8x optical zoom range.

BREAKING: A South Korean carrier iPhone 16 vs iPhone 17 spec comparison document has leaked online, revealing NEW info that was previously unknown.

So I cropped into different sections and used Google Translate image upload and found shocking details! 🧵 pic.twitter.com/rVdWZwlhjS

— Vadim Yuryev (@VadimYuryev) September 6, 2025

It seems the asking price will not be going up, at least in Korea, where the iPhone 17 Pro still starts at the converted equivalent of $999, same as the iPhone 16 Pro. The asking price of the iPhone 17 might also stay close to $799 despite the threat from tariffs.

The undertones

The battery capacity is one area where Apple is making some positive strides this year, and it seems the switch away from a physical slot to an eSIM is delivering its own benefits, as well.

The real battery capacity of the 17 series from Chinese regulatory pic.twitter.com/6gG1FrfTUi

— ShrimpApplePro 🍤 ずっと真夜中でいいのに (@VNchocoTaco) September 8, 2025

Here are the leaked battery figures for each model:

  • iPhone 17 Air 
    Battery capacity (with SIM card tray): 3,036 mAh
    Battery capacity (without SIM card tray): 3,149 mAh
  • iPhone 17 Pro 
    Battery capacity (with SIM card tray): 3,988 mAh
    Battery capacity (without SIM card tray): 4,252 mAh
  • iPhone 17 Pro Max 
    Battery capacity (without SIM card tray): 5,088 mAh
    Battery capacity (with SIM card tray): 4,823 mAh
  • iPhone 17
    Battery capacity: 3,692 mAh

The iPhone 17 Air appears to be the weakest outing of the lot, thanks to a single 48-megapixel camera, a small battery, the A19 processor, and 128GB of onboard storage.

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is the Managing Editor at Digital Trends.
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