APPLE is nearly ready to show off its next big iPhone – and I reckon I’ve guessed the date.
I’m The Sun’s tech editor and I’ve been writing about the iPhone for years. Last year, I guessed the release date for the iPhone 16, so I’m giving it another go for the iPhone 17 too.
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The iPhone 17 release date isn’t public yet and won’t be for weeks.
Apple will announce it during its annual September iPhone event – although that hasn’t been confirmed either.
But the company is a creature of habit, which means it’s possible to make a fairly decent guess at when the next model will come out.
This year, Apple is rumoured to be mixing things up with an ultra-slim iPhone 17 model, replacing the usual Plus version. But first, when is it out?
iPhone 17 release date prediction
Last year I guessed that the iPhone 16 would go up for pre-order on Friday, September 13 before an on-sale date of Friday, September 20. It turned out to be a spot-on prediction.
Hopefully my crystal ball (or crystal apple?) won’t fail me again this year.
Apple usually shows off its blockbuster iPhone for the year in September.
It’s typically in the first half of the month on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
That would typically be followed by pre-orders on the Friday, with the release date exactly one week later.
In 2025, I’m guessing that the iPhone 17 launch will take place on Tuesday, September 9. It seems to be the safer pick versus Wednesday in recent years.
Based on that, we’d expect pre-orders on Friday, September 12 – and an official release on Friday, September 19.
Working backwards – based on previous years – I’d guess that Apple will announce its event via invitations on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
And for the big new iOS release (this year it’s iOS 26), we’d expect it to drop the Monday after the big reveal. That’s Monday, September 15.
Here’s a recap of all those dates:
- iPhone 17 event announcement – Tuesday, August 26
- iPhone 17 event – Tuesday, September 9
- iPhone 17 pre-orders – Friday, September 12
- iOS 19 release – Monday, September 15
- iPhone 17 release date – Friday, September 19
Of course there’s no guarantee that Apple will stick to this schedule – or even come close to it.
But it’s my best prediction based on the company’s iPhone release history so far.
IOS 26 SUPPORTED DEVICES – THE FULL LIST
Here are the iOS 26 supported devices…
- iPhone 16e
- iPhone 16
- iPhone 16 Plus
- iPhone 16 Pro
- iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (3rd gen)
- iPhone SE (2nd gen)
Picture Credit: Apple
What could potentially throw a spanner in the works is if one or more of the models don’t come until later on. It’s possible that some models release earlier than others. That’s happened in previous years.
Ultimately Apple hasn’t announced any of this, so even if these are the plans, they could still change.
But if you’re desperate for an iPhone 17, you can at least mark your calendar in pencil.
iPhone 17 – what to expect?
So what will we actually see from Apple this year?
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The big rumour is that Apple is abandoning its Plus model.
So we’d still get an iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
But there would be a mysterious fourth device that’s ultra-thin. It’s rumoured as the iPhone 17 Air, but the name could be something else entirely.
The Air branding would be in keeping with Apple’s MacBook and iPad ranges, and it could be as thin as 6mm. By contrast, the iPhone 16 was 7.8mm thick.
This svelte gadget is expected to fall between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro in terms of pricing.
Screen sizes could come in slightly bigger this year, rising by 0.1-0.2 inches per model.
And all four devices are expected to feature 120Hz Pro Motion screens (previously a Pro-only feature). That allows for smoother scrolling and video.
On the back of at least some of the new iPhones, we’re expecting a large camera bump that spans horizontally across the phone – rather than just being stuck in the corner.
IPHONE SCREEN SIZES – A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
Here’s how iPhone screen sizes have changed over the years – as measured in inches diagonally from corner to corner…
- iPhone (2007) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 3G (2008) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 3GS (2009) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 4 (2010) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 4S (2011) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 5 (2012) – 4 inches
- iPhone 5S (2013) – 4 inches
- iPhone 5C (2013) – 4 inches
- iPhone 6 (2014) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 6+ (2014) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone 6S (2015) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 6S+ (2015) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone SE (2016) – 4 inches
- iPhone 7 (2016) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 7+ (2016) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone 8 (2017) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 8+ (2017) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone X (2017) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone XS (2018) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone XR (2018) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone XS Max (2018) – 6.5 inches
- iPhone 11 (2019) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 11 Pro (2019) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone 11 Pro Max (2019) – 6.5 inches
- iPhone SE 2nd gen (2020) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 12 Mini (2020) – 5.4 inches
- iPhone 12 (2020) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 12 Pro (2020) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 13 Mini (2021) – 5.4 inches
- iPhone 13 (2021) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 13 Pro (2021) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 13 Pro Max (2021) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone SE 3rd gen (2022) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 14 (2022) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 14 Plus (2022) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 14 Pro (2022) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 15 (2023) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 15 Plus (2023) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 15 Pro (2023) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 15 Pro Max (2023) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 16 (2024) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 16 Plus (2024) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 16 Pro (2024) – 6.3 inches
- iPhone 16 Pro Max (2024) – 6.9 inches
- iPhone 16e (2025) – 6.1 inches
We’ll likely see some general camera quality improvements too.
Apple is reportedly switching to aluminium casing for the Pro models, which means a move away from titanium.
But that’s about it in terms of major rumoured changes.
Next year is rumoured to be a bigger year for Apple, with the potential debut of the first foldable iPhone.
But we still don’t have all the details for this year’s iPhone launch, never mind next year’s.
