Leaks about the iPhone 17 have been pouring in for more than a year. We’ve seen reports of a new selfie camera, faster MagSafe charging and a new purple (or green) color. We’ve even heard rumors that Apple might change how frequently it launches new iPhone models, from once a year to twice.
But when the iPhone 16 debuted, there was criticism aimed at its screen. The phone starts at $829 and still has a 60Hz display, despite most phones from competitors having high-refresh-rate screens topping off at 90Hz or 120Hz, which gives a smoother scrolling effect that just looks premium. Given that Pro models have had higher screen refresh rates for years, it’s been frustrating to see Apple not bring the feature to lower-end models.
At a time when Apple is under pressure from a US Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit; facing criticism from shareholders and media about being “behind in the AI race” with Apple Intelligence; and dealing with threats from President Donald Trump about adding a tariff to the iPhone if manufacturing isn’t relocated to the US, the company’s next iPhone launch will be a pivotal moment.
The burden is on Apple to deliver an exciting iPhone 17 lineup that includes big changes to the iPhone Pro models as well as a new iPhone Air version. But the “regular” base iPhone is due for some TLC, especially its display. Fortunately, there are three rumors circulating that point to the iPhone 17’s screen coming with a sizable update. Taken together, they suggest the screen on the iPhone 17 could be one of the largest updates to a base iPhone display in a long time.
Apple hasn’t announced anything yet or confirmed any of these rumors. And we won’t know what’s what for certain until the next iPhone is officially released. For more leaks, check out CNET’s iPhone 17 rumor roundup.
The regular iPhone, dating back to the iPhone 12, has had a 6.1-inch screen. The iPhone 16 has one despite the iPhone 16 Pro rocking a 6.3-inch display. But the iPhone 17 will get a similar 6.3-inch display, according to a post on X from supply-chain analyst Ross Young. This is bad news for small-phone fans, though 6.1 inches was already well beyond the 5.4-inch screen found on the iPhone 12 Mini and 13 Mini.
If the increased screen real estate comes from shrinking the bezels around the display, like Apple did with the iPhone 16 Pro, it should mean that the iPhone 17 itself will be relatively the same size as the iPhone 16.
