Next year, the iPhone 17 Pro is likely to arrive with significant design changes and other improvements. Recently, several rumors and mock-up renders indicated the iPhone 17 Pro redesign with a horizontal rear camera bar reminiscing the Google Pixel series. This would mark Apple’s exit from its signature triangular camera design since it introduced the Pro series in 2019. However, according to the leaker “Instant Digital”, the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro would feature the same triangular camera layout, rather than the rumored horizontal camera.
In a post on Weibo, Instant Digital mentioned that several sources have confirmed that Apple will change the back design of the iPhone 17 Pro models, but the rear camera will still have a triangular lens arrangement, rather than the horizontal bar design that’s everyone talking about. The leak contradicts the supply chain information coming out of China, which claims “the module will have an elongated oval shape.”
In 2019, Apple ditched the vertical camera layout and embraced the square camera module on the iPhone 11. This was done to accommodate the ultra-wide lens and improved sensors & optics. After that, the squared camera bump became the new aesthetics standard on the iPhones. This year, Apple reverted to a vertical camera layout with the latest iPhone 16 & iPhone 16 Plus.
Even if Apple sticks with the triangular camera layout, the iPhone 17 Pro models are likely to arrive with some noteworthy changes. Last month, The Information reported that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature “a rectangular camera bump made of aluminum rather than traditional 3D glass”. Whereas, the bottom half will remain the same with the glass to support wireless charging. If this turns out to be legit, the iPhone 17 Pro models will be the first-ever Pro iPhones to feature an aluminum frame, ever since Apple fragmented its iPhone lineup into standard and Pro models.
It’s worth knowing that Instant Digital has a mixed track record of Apple rumors. However, they have sometimes provided surprisingly accurate information like the iPhone 14 in Yellow color, spatial video capture on the iPhone 15 Pro, landscape camera on the latest iPad Pro & iPad Air, nano-texture display option on the M4 iPad Pro, and more. So, we can take the latest iPhone 17 Pro reports seriously.
