The iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro look. different. But is there a reason behind this – at first – jarring design?
For months, we’ve had leaks claiming there will be a new design this time around with the iPhone 17 models. At the time, I was hesitant to believe it, as it seemed a huge departure from what Apple had been doing so far with iPhone design, but on September 9, during the Apple Event, we all saw that it was, indeed, true.
There’s a new super-slim model, the iPhone Air, which features a Pixel-like ‚camera bar‘ on the back. The Pro-branded iPhone 17 models now have a huge camera island on the back and an entirely new design. And that’s, well, different.
Apple claims it’s not just about looks when it comes to the new way the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max look from the back. Now, there’s an aluminum unibody, Ceramic Shield on the back in the one section not covered by aluminum, and this new camera island.
First off, the aluminum unibody, according to Apple, has been chosen as a design element for its lightness, thermal efficiency, and rigidity. The new A19 Pro chip and the huge battery all need good thermal dissipation, and the aluminum unibody, Apple says, does that really well. Meanwhile, it’s thin, so it makes space for the big batteries Apple has equipped the Pro models with this time around.
As for the camera island, well, yes, it’s huge. Apple claims this is done so the new Pro camera system can fit. Especially, more space is needed for the new 48MP Fusion telephoto camera that the iPhone 17 Pro rocks. This new camera allows for 8x zoom at 200mm in optical quality, which is indeed exceptional.
