Apple Stuns with Early iPhone 17 Reveal Featuring Major Display Upgrade
In a surprising move, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 17 at an early September event. The most significant change is the display, which has grown to 6.3 inches, up from the 6.1-inch screen on the iPhone 16. The bezels are also thinner. This new screen is a Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion technology, offering an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz for smoother scrolling. It is an always-on display that can drop its refresh rate to 1Hz when not in use to help optimize battery life.
The front of the device is protected by a new Ceramic Shield 2, which Apple claims improves scratch resistance by three times. A seven-layer anti-glare coating is designed to improve readability, and the screen can reach a peak outdoor brightness of 3,000 nits.
Powering the iPhone 17 is the new A19 processor with a 3nm design. Apple states it has more memory bandwidth to enhance on-device AI processing, aided by a 16-core neural engine. The chip also includes a five-core GPU, which, combined with the 120Hz display, is intended to improve the gaming experience.
On the rear, Apple continues with a dual-camera system, now branded as a Dual Fusion system. The main camera is a 48MP lens with an integrated optical-quality 2x telephoto function. There is also a 48MP ultrawide sensor that Apple says captures up to four times the resolution of the previous generation.
The front-facing camera features a much larger, square sensor. This new design allows users to take landscape selfies without rotating the phone, and AI can automatically switch orientations to fit more people in the frame. The selfie camera can take 18MP photos, an upgrade from the 12MP resolution on the iPhone 16. It also offers improved video stabilization and a new Dual Capture feature for recording with both the front and rear cameras simultaneously.
Battery life sees a substantial improvement, with Apple claiming up to 30 hours of continuous video playback, which is eight hours more than the iPhone 16. A new Adaptive Power Mode in iOS 26 learns user habits to conserve power. Faster charging is also supported, with the ability to reach a 50 percent charge in 20 minutes using a powerful enough USB-C charger. Apple is introducing a new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter for this purpose, sold separately for $39.
The iPhone 17 is slightly larger and heavier than its predecessor. It runs iOS 26, which introduces the new Liquid Glass design language, live translation in several apps, and expanded features for Apple’s Visual Intelligence.
Base storage has been doubled to 256GB. The phone will be available in black, lavender, mist blue, sage, and white. The starting price remains $799. Pre-orders begin this Friday, September 12, with availability starting on September 19 in over 63 countries.
