iPhone 17 launch date, iOS 26 options and the whole lot else to learn about Apple’s upcoming lineup

August is nearly over, which suggests we’re getting nearer to the Apple iPhone event — it often takes place in mid-September. That additionally means we’ll lastly get to formally lay eyes on the iPhone 17 lineup. The latest iOS 26 features will come preinstalled on the brand new fashions, in addition to any extra options Apple reveals on the launch occasion. However since we (presumably) nonetheless have to attend a number of weeks till the iPhone occasion, we will solely speculate what the brand new gadgets will appear to be. As with most unreleased iPhones, rumors and leaks have trickled in in regards to the {hardware} aspect forward of the official introduction. This is what we’re anticipating and what we will moderately assume we’ll get from Apple in September.

What are the newest iPhone 17 rumors?

Might new “TechWoven” instances be launched with the newest iPhone 17 lineup? That is what leaker Majin Bu claims, per a MacRumors report. The instances match the rumored design on the iPhone 17 fashions, with the extensive digicam bump. MacRumors says this might be a revamped model of the much-maligned FineWoven case, which was discontinued attributable to being vulnerable to scratches and stains.

The leaker famous there are two lanyard holes for “handy and safe carrying,” so it might be worn round your neck.

Extra not too long ago, the identical leaker shared what they allege to be the case colours, in a publish titled “New TechWoven Case Colours for iPhone 17 Revealed.” The colours proven within the picture are gray/black, blue, inexperienced, purple and orange.

That is only a rumor and we cannot know what the precise iPhone 17 fashions or equipment will appear to be till Apple’s iPhone occasion subsequent month. That stated, the shared images (together with the one embedded above) are extra convincing than regular.

How a lot will the iPhone 17 price?

Apple’s announced plan to expand US-based manufacturing partners appears to present it a minimum of some shielding from the steepest Trump administration tariffs which have already triggered value will increase on the whole lot from Switch consoles to high-end cameras to Sonos speakers. However on condition that President Trump’s commerce insurance policies can change from week to week, and Apple’s persevering with reliance on Asia-based provide chains, value shocks stay an ongoing chance. The larger query is: Will Apple take in any larger prices, or cross them on to shoppers?

If costs do creep up, Apple could select to pair it with an “improve.” Think about this latest rumor posted by MacRumors from a leaker referred to as “Instant Digital,” suggesting that the default storage of the iPhone 17 line could begin at 256GB, doubling the present 128GB baseline. Whereas that might be accompanied by a price increase of $50, Apple may a minimum of pitch it as a “higher worth.” That stated, the corporate doubled the default RAM of its Mac computers from 8GB to 16GB at no additional price in 2024 — however that was earlier than the present Trump tariff cycle began.

When will the iPhone 17 sequence be introduced?

Most years, the flagship smartphones are launched in September. MacRumors highlighted a narrative initially reported by iphone-ticker.de that the Apple iPhone 17 occasion might be Tuesday, September 9, in line with info gleaned from German cell phone suppliers.

It is nonetheless too early to have the precise dates; some years, Apple solely provides every week or two of lead time between sending invitations and internet hosting the occasion. However years of previous precedent present that someday in September ought to be when the 17 fashions make their debut. This household of smartphones often is the final to observe that pattern, nevertheless. There have been hints that the introduction of the iPhone 18 assortment in 2026 will probably be split right into a pro-tier announcement within the fall and a regular mannequin announcement the next spring.

What’s going to the brand new iPhone 17 lineup embrace?

Design leaks recommend that Apple is constructing an ultra-thin smartphone, prone to be named the iPhone 17 Air to match Apple’s ultralight laptop computer designation. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, typically a stable supply of superior intel about Apple, reported in January that the iPhone 17 Air will probably be geared up with a primary A19 chip and can solely have a single digicam lens. It could additionally use Apple’s new in-house modem, which was launched in February on the iPhone 16e. Extra particulars about this improvement could leak forward of September, however that is what we all know for now.

An investor word from Apple analyst Jeff Pu indicated that the Air can have a titanium body. If his experiences are correct, the light-weight smartphone would be the solely entry within the iPhone 17 lineup to make use of that metallic; the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Professional, and iPhone 17 Professional Max are anticipated to be manufactured from aluminum, which is oddly a lighter materials than titanium. Different hypothesis had steered that the Air would use a mix of aluminum and titanium, so the precise supplies is probably not recognized till the official announcement.

Moreover, an August 4 MacRumors report says the interior battery pack of the iPhone Air is simply 2.49mm thick — half the thickness of the iPhone 17 Professional battery. The leak was posted on the Korean-language Naver blog, the place they present the alleged batteries of the iPhone 17 Air and 17 Professional aspect by aspect. The identical account claimed the 17 Air’s battery capability was a mere 2,800 mAh, MacRumors notes. (That is beneath the battery capability of present iPhone 16 fashions.)

On an analogous subject, an iPhone 17 Professional manufacturing leak seems to have revealed an all-aluminum chassis, according to MacRumors. Initially posted by leaker Majin Bu, the picture reveals a shell that has a big spherical gap on the again (the place the Apple brand sometimes is) to permit for MagSafe charging. MacRumors says this might simply be a molding however notes that the aluminum body (versus the present titanium in Professional iPhone fashions) would yield a considerably decrease weight.

That very same leaker (Majin Bu), whom MacRumors classifies as a “hit-or-miss leaker,” suggests the iPhone 17 Professional can have higher wi-fi sign energy due to an up to date antenna design. The person posted a render on X that reveals a brand new antenna system that wraps across the iPhone 17 Professional’s supposedly wider rear digicam bump. Once more, it is a render, not a real-world photograph. That stated, we will not knock the aim of higher wi-fi reception, so we’re hoping this one has a level of fact to it.

Every new roster features a base mannequin, however over time, Apple has shaken up the number of telephones it gives. Probably there will probably be an iPhone 17 and an iPhone 17 Professional. Apple has additionally dedicated to the dimensions issues philosophy, and has been constructing an iPhone Professional Max choice with a fair larger display screen and higher battery life; the 17 roster will nearly actually have one as nicely.

The brand new Professional iPhones are stated to have a full-width “digicam island” on the rear, which might mark the primary time an Apple mannequin opted for that design. This function may be seen within the purported iPhone 17 “spotted in the wild.” The pics, highlighted on MacRumors, present a black cased iPhone (17 Professional?) with the distinct again panel. Is it the true deal? The twin angles lend a level of credibility in a social media panorama more and more polluted with AI-enhanced fakes, however your guess is nearly as good as ours.

The iPhone 17 Air appears primed to take the place of a possible iPhone 17 Plus. Because the iPhone 16e was solely simply launched in February at a surprisingly high price point, it appears unlikely that there will probably be a brand new addition to that decrease finish of the spectrum, the fashions that have been beforehand referred to as SE.

On the very least, it sounds just like the iPhone 17 Air will not take away the charging port and rely solely on wi-fi connectivity. Bloomberg stated that whereas Apple had investigated making the iPhone 17 Air with out a single port, the corporate (fortuitously) modified plans. He additionally says that the rumored telephone can have a 6.6-inch display screen and embrace the Dynamic Island and Digicam Management button. Lastly, the value is rumored at $900 — possible greater than the usual iPhone 17 however lower than the Professional.

We have additionally gotten what appears to be a dependable have a look at what the colour lineup will probably be for the brand new smartphones. Macworld reported that the iPhone 17 will probably be out there in black, white, metal grey, inexperienced, purple and light-weight blue. The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly have 4 colour choices: black, white, gentle blue and light-weight gold. Whereas the Air colours will probably be much less saturated, the visuals for the iPhone 17 Professional and iPhone 17 Professional Max will go daring. The choices for the Professional fashions are anticipated to be black, white, grey, darkish blue and orange.

On July 30, Tom’s Guide highlighted an X publish from Sonny Dickson — a longtime and usually dependable leaker of unreleased iPhone info — displaying “dummy” iPhone 17 fashions within the new colours that have been the supply of the aforementioned Macworld story. Whereas these are actually simply mock-ups — not actual, leaked iPhones — it is fascinating to see how the design and colour rumors translate right into a real-world feel and look.

So as to add the the rumors, a Weibo leaker referred to as Digital Chat Station suggests the iPhone 17e will come geared up with a brand new design that features the Dynamic Island, MacRumors reports. In accordance with the publish, the brand new telephone can have the A19 chip and will have a 6.1-inch OLED show with a front-facing 12-megapixel digicam and a rear-facing 48-megapixel digicam. Nonetheless, it is vital to notice this report refers back to the 17e mannequin that will be anticipated to launch no sooner than February 2026, if it adopted the identical launch sample because the iPhone 16e.

What’s going to iOS 26 be like?

Apple upended its numbering conventions with WWDC 2025, and can match the title of every new working system to the yr it is launched. So when the subsequent wave of iPhones hits, they will be operating on iOS 26.

On the design aspect, the smartphone OS launched in the course of the large developer showcase took a contentious method dubbed Liquid Glass. Apple has been scaling down the quantity of transparency results within the subsequent beta checks of iOS 26, however it can nonetheless have a glass-like visible.

The function record contains large and small updates. On the extra impactful aspect, the Cellphone and Images apps have been redesigned. There will probably be a number of options leveraging synthetic intelligence, similar to stay translation capabilities coming to Cellphone, FaceTime and Messages. Apple can be at present testing a delicate content material warning for little one accounts that may freeze FaceTime video if nudity is detected by on-device machine studying instruments. And the corporate can be launching Visible Intelligence, which is able to use AI to seek for parts in a picture.

iOS 26 additionally has a litany of minor, high quality of life enhancements. Group texts are getting assist for polls. And for the gradual risers on the market, iOS 26 will lastly allow you to escape the tyranny of the nine minute snooze alarm.

The subsequent iOS is now out there as a public beta. Listed below are our preliminary impressions of the Liquid Glass design and different new options. iOS 26 is compatible with all fashions again by iPhone 11.

What different merchandise are anticipated to be launched alongside the iPhone 17?

If Apple follows its regular sample, the iPhone 17 will probably be introduced alongside new Apple Watch merchandise. That may be the Apple Watch Sequence 11 (if Apple sticks to the identical naming scheme), and possibly an Apple Watch Extremely 3 and/or an up to date Apple Watch SE. (They will all run watchOS 26, after all.) Different potentialities — and that is, once more, hypothesis — may embrace refreshed Apple AirPods Professional (which obtained its last big update in 2022) and possibly new AirTags trackers (first launched in 2021).

The Apple rumor mill obtained a giant shot within the arm this week due to the reported inclusion of product ID numbers in latest beta software program builds. Per MacRumors, it is a laundry record of recent {hardware}, together with long-rumored product updates just like the Apple TV, HomePod mini, new Apple Studio Show monitor and two contemporary iPads.

After all, even when that record is completely correct, we could not see these merchandise till 2026 — if ever. So do not count on all of merchandise to share the stage with the iPhone 17, particularly since Apple likes to maintain its star performer on the focus.

That stated, remember the fact that Apple has not too long ago been having Mac-centric bulletins in late October (because it did final yr to debut new M4 Macs), so there’s at all times the possibility of one other shoe dropping a number of weeks down the highway.

Replace, August 22, 2025: Added new particulars in regards to the colours of the rumored TechWoven case.

Replace, August 20, 2025, 7:12PM ET: Added new rumor about potential TechWoven case for iPhone 17 sequence.

Replace, August 18, 2025, 6:23PM ET: Added new rumor in regards to the iPhone 17e probably having the Dynamic Island.

Replace, August 15, 2025, 2:05PM ET: Added new rumor in regards to the all-aluminum chassis on the iPhone 17.

Replace, August 13, 2025, 10:02PM ET: Added an inventory of the merchandise which can be anticipated to be launched alongside the iPhone 17s.

Replace, August 11, 2025, 7:27PM ET: Added a render of a rumored new antenna design for the iPhone 17 Professional.

Replace, August 8, 2025, 4:43PM ET: Added new hypothesis and experiences about iPhone 17 pricing.

Replace, August 6, 2025, 4:05PM ET: Added newest particulars in regards to the potential iPhone 17 occasion date.

Replace, August 4, 2025, 5:23PM ET: Added newest battery leaks in regards to the iPhone 17 fashions.

Replace, August 1, 2025, 8:15AM ET: Added new images displaying potential iPhone 17 colours.

Replace, July 30, 2025, 11:08AM ET: Added newest leaks and rumors in regards to the iPhone 17, and up to date info on the iOS 26 public beta.

Replace, July 17, 2025, 4:40PM ET: Added newest details about iOS 26, potential supplies for the Air, and the colour choices for the totally different fashions.

Replace, March 17, 2025, 2PM ET: Added particulars in regards to the rumored value and options of the iPhone 17 Air.

Replace, April 11, 2025, 3:45PM ET: Added particulars from Entrance Web page Tech’s new video that claims to disclose particulars from a leaked iOS 19 construct.

Katie Teague contributed to this story.