The iPhone 17 is going to be available in stores in less than two months, and we already know a lot about Apple’s new iPhone family. The iPhone 17 will deliver a significant iPhone redesign via the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air that will replace the Plus model. The design changes for the other three phones are relatively minimal, though the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are set to feature new camera modules on the back, designed in the same spirit as the iPhone 17 Air’s horizontal camera bar.
While we thought everything there was to know about the iPhone 17 series had already leaked, these past few days suggest that Apple might have had a few secrets left for the mid-September launch event. First, a leaker shared three iPhone 17 Pro camera features that have not appeared in previous rumors. Then, someone caught a purported iPhone 17 Pro in the wild, taking photos of it. When you put them together, you’ll realize that the iPhone 17 Pro unit spotted in the wild might confirm a big camera rumor. That’s assuming the leaked iPhone 17 Pro is the real deal.
iPhone 17’s second Camera Control button
The iPhone 17 Pro camera leak mentioned three features coming to the Pro versions. The phones will reportedly feature a Telephoto lens with 8x optical zoom; a brand-new Pro camera app from Apple that will compete against similar offerings from Halide, Kino, Filmic Pro, and others; and a second Camera Control button that will sit on the top edge of the iPhone.
I used the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max this year, and the Camera Control was both amazing and annoying. It’s great to push a button and trigger the camera no matter what screen you’re on. But I used the Camera Control to open the camera, not actually take photos. Also, handling camera settings with the button was much harder than I thought it would be, and I quickly gave up. Finally, the button’s placement made reaching it difficult when holding the phone in my left hand.
I just spotted a test development iPhone in the wild 🤩🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/iS3PtKWqxJ
— Fox Pupy 🦊🧡 (@Skyfops) July 28, 2025
I proposed a secondary Camera Control button sitting where the volume keys are. Apple would replace them with a capacitive button that could be customized to handle Camera Control functionality. That would make it easy to use the button with your left hand. If a MacRumors tipster is right about the iPhone 17 Pros, the new phones will get that second Camera Control at the top edge of the handset.
Is that a second Camera Control button on the iPhone 17 Pro?
The tipster said that Apple was already filming a commercial for the iPhone 17 Pro ahead of the launch event. X user Fox Pupy might have captured an iPhone 17 Pro in the wild, seen in the tweet above. The photo features a person holding two iPhone Pro models. One is white and doesn’t have a case. It’s probably an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro. Meanwhile, the black iPhone 17 Pro prototype is actually in a case. The camera lenses have no protrusion, which indicates the phone has been placed in protective gear.
How do we know that it might be an iPhone 17 Pro or 17 Pro Max? Notice the flash and LiDAR scanner on the right; they tell us this might be an iPhone 17 Pro or 17 Pro Max. This is the first year Apple is moving these two elements away from the camera module.
As for that rumored second Camera Control button, we might be looking at it. The zoomed-in low-quality photos (above and below) here show the sun bouncing off a strange element in the top-right corner on the iPhone. That might be where the second Camera Control button sits.
The same X user took the photo above, which shows the same two iPhones side by side. Notice the same light reflection on the corner of the phone. Could that just be the sun reflecting off the case? That’s one explanation, but the case appears to have a matte finish. The other possibility is that we’re seeing the second Camera Control button for the first time.
Do we need a second Camera Control button?
For years, we’ve been talking about Apple removing buttons and ports from the iPhone. But Apple has done the opposite by adding new buttons. The mute switch turned into the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pros. Last year, every iPhone 16 model debuted a new Camera Control button. If these recent iPhone 17 leaks are legitimate, the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a second Camera Control button.
The people who use the iPhone to take point-and-shoot pictures might not need a secondary Camera Control button that handles camera settings. Professional content creators might benefit from a second button that lets them access camera settings on the fly, though, while holding the iPhone in landscape mode.
I explained before that I’d love Camera Control functionality to be associated with capacitive volume buttons, so I’d want a second Camera Control for left-hand iPhone use. But if the second Camera Control button sits at the top of the iPhone, as seen above, I’ll have little use for it.
There’s also the question of durability. Will that second button compromise the iPhone’s ability to survive a drop? What if it drops directly on that second Camera Control button? These are all questions that have to wait until September, when Apple unveils the iPhone 17 series.
