5 reasons I’m not excited about the iPhone 17 (even though I wish I was)

Apple arguably makes some of the best and most reliable smartphones on the market. With

Samsung’s Galaxy S25
series now behind us, focus is beginning to move to the Cupertino giant. As usual, Apple is expected to unveil a new generation of its flagship iPhone lineup later this year.

This year’s iPhone 17 series is rumored to

bring significant changes
to a product line that, frankly, has started to feel a bit repetitive over the past few years. And like clockwork, leaks about the upcoming iPhones are already circulating, giving us a glimpse at what might be in store when Tim Cook takes the stage this fall.

But despite all the rumored changes, I’m finding myself less excited than usual about the iPhone 17 lineup.

5

The rumored design changes feel underwhelming

It’s not the upgrade I was hoping for this year

It’s been more than four years since Apple made any major design changes to the iPhone. Sure, the iPhone 12 introduced straight edges, the iPhone 15 Pro brought a titanium build, and the iPhone 16 added a vertical camera setup along with a new Camera Control — but nothing has felt truly groundbreaking in a long time.

And once again, rumors suggest that Apple isn’t planning a major design overhaul this year either. According to various leaks, the baseline iPhone 17 will retain the same vertical camera layout seen on the current iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, on the other hand, are rumored to feature a new rectangular camera module that’s larger than the current square setup on the Pro models.

Apple is also expected to switch up the build materials this year, reportedly moving away from titanium and going with a half-glass, half-aluminum design. Of course, nothing is final, and things could still change before launch. But if the iPhone 17 Pro looks anything like the leaked renders, it’s shaping up to be another underwhelming design refresh that feels like change for the sake of change.

Related

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4

A thinner iPhone isn’t what we need

It might even make things worse

Apple is reportedly dropping the “Plus” model this year in favor of a new iPhone 17 Air. This model is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever, targeting users who want an ultra-portable, lightweight device. Leaks have already given us a glimpse of just how slim the iPhone 17 Air might be — and to be fair, it does look pretty impressive. But I don’t really think a slimmer iPhone is what we need right now.

In fact, I’d argue that thickness is the least of the iPhone’s problems these days. And if this thin profile comes at the cost of battery life, then we really need to rethink whether this model makes sense. Slim phones often come with other compromises too, like reduced durability and downgraded hardware compared to other models in the same lineup.

Yes, I know the “slim smartphone” trend is picking up this year, with even Samsung rumored to be announcing the Galaxy S25 Edge soon, but I still have my doubts. I’ll admit, when I tried out Tecno’s ultra-slim phone at MWC 2025, it did blow my mind with how thin it was. But if that thinness comes at the expense of real usability, then I don’t think the iPhone 17 Air is for me.

Related

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3

Apple’s big AI pitch still hasn’t shown up

I’m not buying into the hype again

AI features are a big deal in smartphones in 2025. Google has been marketing its Pixel phones almost entirely around helpful AI tools, and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series also leans heavily on AI-powered features. Apple, on the other hand, still hasn’t delivered much in this area.

When Apple announced the iPhone 16 series last year, it promised a long list of Apple Intelligence features, including a more conversational version of Siri and deeper app integration. But months later, most of those features still haven’t arrived — and it doesn’t look like they’re coming anytime soon either.

So if Apple plans to hype up the iPhone 17 with even more AI features, I’m not sure if I’ll buy into it once again. I first need to see the features the company already promised last year to actually show up before getting excited about any new ones.

Related

Apple is losing the AI race and might never recover

Apple might have already fallen too far behind to make up the gap.

2

Battery and camera updates sound minor again

Nothing that feels like a major leap

One of the areas where iPhones have consistently lagged behind Android phones is battery life. While the iPhone 16 Pro delivered decent performance in this area, it still doesn’t compare to Android rivals like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and OnePlus 13, both of which also support much faster charging speeds.

Apple is rumored to increase the charging speed to 35W with the iPhone 17 models, but that’s still slower than what many Android devices already offer.

As for the camera upgrades, it doesn’t look like Apple is planning anything major this year. Leaks suggest the main and ultra-wide cameras will remain at 48-megapixels, while the 12-megapixel 5x telephoto lens might be upgraded to 48-megapixels.

While that’s a welcome improvement, it still feels like Apple is falling behind in the camera hardware race, especially compared to “Ultra” Android phones like Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Vivo X200 Ultra, which offer a more advanced camera setup.

Related

Is Apple is falling behind on battery life? It certainly feels that way

When it comes to longevity, Apple barely seems interested in competing.

1

My iPhone 16 Pro is still going strong

There’s no real reason to consider an upgrade yet

I used to be one of those people who upgraded their iPhone every year. That started to change a couple of years ago when I skipped the jump from the iPhone 14 Pro Max to the iPhone 15 Pro in 2023. In 2024, I gave in and switched to the iPhone 16 Pro, excited about all the new AI features — but in the end, it didn’t feel like much of an upgrade.

iPhones have matured to a point where the excitement of upgrading has started to fade. Pick up any two iPhones from the past few years and, unless you compare them side by side, there’s really not much of a difference anymore.

The rumored iPhone 17 changes haven’t impressed me so far, and with my iPhone 16 Pro still performing well, I don’t see myself upgrading this year.

• 

  iPhone 16
  

  This year’s iPhone 16 line blurs the line between the “Pro” and the base-level iPhone by offering a new camera button and the Action Button, alongside the A18 chip.

• 

  iPhone 16 Pro
  

  Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro line features a few notable upgrades over last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, including a dedicated camera button, a new A18 Pro chip, a bigger screen, and several AI-powered Apple Intelligence features.

Nothing about the iPhone 17 feels exciting yet

There are still months to go, and a lot could change in the meantime, but based on what we know so far, it feels like Apple is playing it safe again with the iPhone 17 lineup. I’ll hold off on the final judgment until it’s official, but for now, I’m keeping my expectations low.