Apple iPhone 17 launch: Is a major hardware design on the cards?

Apple is just weeks away its mega devices event in September, even though the company has not yet confirmed its usual September 9 date as the event launch date.

Yet with Google unveiling its more powerful Pixel 10 series at the Made by Google event last week, and Samsung making a big bang with its Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7, the game is now high stakes for Apple, even though it knows it enjoys massive trust and consumer loyalty.

This year at the WWDC event in June, Apple unveiled its biggest overhaul to its operating systems across devices since 2007. This came with Liquid Glass beta rollouts, renaming of the OS versions and more intuitive system interface. Meanwhile, for years, Apple’s iPhone hardware design has not changed much either. Apple introduced notched screen in 2017 with iPhone X, and has since then stuck by it, similarly the back panel has stayed almost the same since iPhone 11 in 2019. And a major overhaul to this design of the smartphone may be upcoming.

In a recent Bloomberg report, managing editor and Apple journalist Mark Gumran has revealed that Apple might be planning to overhaul its iPhones for the next three years. There however, has not been much clarity on what Apple is doing to regain its lost position in AI-race.

While Gurman agrees that 2025 will not be a ‘revolutionary year for the iPhone,’ the 17 series would still pave way for the major hardware transformation in subsequent years.

For this year, it all starts with the iPhone Air, the supposed slimmest iPhone model to replace the Plus range last seen in iPhone 16. Gurman notes, Apple is deploying a MacBook Air-like strategy the company introduced in 2008 by focusing on the weight and portability of the device for its marketing.

Gurman reveals that with this launch, iPhone Air may use the company’s ‘first in-house modem chip.’ There may be compromises on battery life, rear camera and physical SIM-card slots.

As Gurman notes, this iPhone launch will just be like iPhone 16 wearing different coloured ‘clothes.’

He writes that the 17 lineup will not get dramatic updates but a mere refreshed camera setup and a redesigned back. Orange option will be offered for 17 Pro, and the Air may debut in light blue.

However, things are expected to radically change from 2026 as Apple will foray in foldables, which Bloomberg journalist says is code-named V68.

The foldable is expected to resemble Galaxy Folds with four cameras – one each on the front and inside and two on the back side of the folds – the C2 modem, its first cellular chip with competing capabilities as Qualcomm, and is set to lack a set of features including physical SIM-card slot, Face ID recognition accessibility.

Gurman reveals that Cupertino-based giant is presently only expected to offer the fold in black and white.

However, iPhones are going to be changed dramatically only from 2027, on account of the smartphone’s two decades of existence, with ‘a curved-glass iPhone 20.’

This design will finally break from the squared-off slab we’ve lived with since 2020 and move to an approach with curved glass edges all around. It should fit nicely with the new Liquid Glass-based interface for iOS and other operating systems due to be released next month.

For now, this year, iPhones may be the centre of attraction but not the centre piece of transformation conversation for the company. Gurman says that most other products of the company will see ‘incremental upgrades,’ with a faster performance upgrade to its Vision Pro headsets, that may remain unavailable for India, and to iPad Pros with a new processor.

Apple may also announce HomePod with a screen, the company’s delayed pivot to connected home devices, with the home-centric operating system that Gurman says is going to be called Charismatic.

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Vidhi Taparia

​+2 others

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iPhone 17 launch: After iOS overhaul, will Apple revamp its hardware design?

Apple is just weeks away its mega devices event in September, even though the company has not yet confirmed its usual September 9 date as the event launch date.

Yet with Google unveiling its more powerful Pixel 10 series at the Made by Google event last week, and Samsung making a big bang with its Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7, the game is now high stakes for Apple, even though it knows it enjoys massive trust and consumer loyalty.

This year at the WWDC event in June, Apple unveiled its biggest overhaul to its operating systems across devices since 2007. This came with Liquid Glass beta rollouts, renaming of the OS versions and more intuitive system interface. Meanwhile, for years, Apple’s iPhone hardware design has not changed much either. Apple introduced notched screen in 2017 with iPhone X, and has since then stuck by it, similarly the back panel has stayed almost the same since iPhone 11 in 2019. And a major overhaul to this design of the smartphone may be upcoming.

In a recent Bloomberg report, managing editor and Apple journalist Mark Gumran has revealed that Apple might be planning to overhaul its iPhones for the next three years. There however, has not been much clarity on what Apple is doing to regain its lost position in AI-race.

While Gurman agrees that 2025 will not be a ‘revolutionary year for the iPhone,’ the 17 series would still pave way for the major hardware transformation in subsequent years.

For this year, it all starts with the iPhone Air, the supposed slimmest iPhone model to replace the Plus range last seen in iPhone 16. Gurman notes, Apple is deploying a MacBook Air-like strategy the company introduced in 2008 by focusing on the weight and portability of the device for its marketing.

Gurman reveals that with this launch, iPhone Air may use the company’s ‘first in-house modem chip.’ There may be compromises on battery life, rear camera and physical SIM-card slots.

As Gurman notes, this iPhone launch will just be like iPhone 16 wearing different coloured ‘clothes.’

He writes that the 17 lineup will not get dramatic updates but a mere refreshed camera setup and a redesigned back. Orange option will be offered for 17 Pro, and the Air may debut in light blue.

However, things are expected to radically change from 2026 as Apple will foray in foldables, which Bloomberg journalist says is code-named V68.

The foldable is expected to resemble Galaxy Folds with four cameras – one each on the front and inside and two on the back side of the folds – the C2 modem, its first cellular chip with competing capabilities as Qualcomm, and is set to lack a set of features including physical SIM-card slot, Face ID recognition accessibility.

Gurman reveals that Cupertino-based giant is presently only expected to offer the fold in black and white.

However, iPhones are going to be changed dramatically only from 2027, on account of the smartphone’s two decades of existence, with ‘a curved-glass iPhone 20.’

This design will finally break from the squared-off slab we’ve lived with since 2020 and move to an approach with curved glass edges all around. It should fit nicely with the new Liquid Glass-based interface for iOS and other operating systems due to be released next month.

For now, this year, iPhones may be the centre of attraction but not the centre piece of transformation conversation for the company. Gurman says that most other products of the company will see ‘incremental upgrades,’ with a faster performance upgrade to its Vision Pro headsets, that may remain unavailable for India, and to iPad Pros with a new processor.

Apple may also announce HomePod with a screen, the company’s delayed pivot to connected home devices, with the home-centric operating system that Gurman says is going to be called Charismatic.