IPhone has had an instantly recognizable look since its launch in 2007. Sure, the sizes have changed, as have materials, but you can generally glance at an iPhone of any generation and say, “Yeah, that’s an iPhone.” A rumor suggests the iPhone 17 could take inspiration from those predecessors and curved edges that have popped up many times throughout the generations.
Leaker Fixed-Focus Digital took to Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, to reveal that the iPhone 17 would revert to the rounded sides of the first few iPhones, moving away from the straight edges current models boast. Some fans find the straight sides less comfortable to hold, although a case can make a big difference in how the phone feels in your hand. Fixed-Focus Digital doesn’t provide more information, but Apple has traditionally kept features exclusive to the higher-end variants of their products. The new design may only affect the base models of the iPhone 17, only the Pro and Pro Max variants, or across the board.
For context, all iPhones from the original up to the iPhone 4 had curved edges, and several since then have also sported the design. Apple tends to switch between curved and straight sides every few generations. The iPhone moved to flat edges with the iPhone 12 series in 2020, and all mainline iPhones since then have stuck with the flat design. If Apple moves back to rounded edges for the iPhone 17 this year, we could be looking at one of the biggest iPhone design changes in the last several years.
This leak fits with other news about the next iPhone, such as the potential 120Hz display. Conflicting reports arise, however, like the ones proposing the iPhone 17 with a camera arrangement more in line with the Pixel, along with the leak this November that
points to an aluminum rather than titanium frame for the Pro lineup. There are plenty of leaks and rumors floating around regarding the iPhone 17-many of which conflict with one another. It is still early in the development cycle to determine, with complete certainty, in which direction the handset might head, but Apple will likely hold an event this fall that could yield more details on the upcoming release.
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No company can prevent leaks entirely, but Apple has proven remarkably adept at keeping things under wraps. What does trickle out tends to be incomplete and out of context, but one thing we can say with relative certainty is that the iPhone 17 will probably be announced in September there’s a chance there might be an iPhone 17 Air, too.
