By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE
Published: 12:04 EDT, 26 March 2025 | Updated: 12:04 EDT, 26 March 2025
The latest iPhone is only a few weeks old, but Apple is already preparing to launch its next batch of handsets.
Now, leaked photos give us a tantalizing glimpse at the upcoming iPhone 17 family, due this autumn.
Apple tipster Majin Bu posted the first image to X (Twitter) on Tuesday showing the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air next to the beefier iPhone 17 Pro.
'iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Air in comparison,' said Bu in the tweet, which has received more than 48,000 views.
Then on Wednesday, Bu posted a new photo of all four iPhone 17 models with the caption: 'iPhone 17 Lineup.'
iPhone 17 Air is rumoured to be 0.2-inch (5.5mm), which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever, while iPhone 17 Pro reportedly is 0.34-inch (8.7mm) thick.
It is expected to be a lighter, thinner option with less powerful hardware to tie in with 'Air' MacBook computers, which are touted for their slimline design.
It follows leaks of the iPhone 17 family's dummy models that revealed radical changes to the camera lenses on the back.
On Tuesday, Apple tipster Majin Bu posted the image to X (Twitter) showing the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air (right) next to the beefier iPhone 17 Pro (left)
Then on Wednesday, Bu posted a new photo of all four iPhone 17 models with the caption: 'iPhone 17 Lineup'
In the first photo, iPhone 17 Air's ultra-thin profile is really accentuated next to the iPhone 17 Pro, which will be a bigger, chunkier handset with more processing power.
Although blurry, it seems the two phones have been placed screen-downwards because the camera lenses seem to be just about visible.
Both are in white, which suggests they're dummies – sent out by Apple to third-party case manufacturers – or just silicone cases for the phones themselves.
It's unclear where the photos were taken or how they were obtained by Majin Bu, who has a mixed track record when it comes to predicting developments at Apple.
Last year, Bu posted a fake invite to last year's iPhone 16 launch event, which was actually mocked up by a 14-year-old video editor from Italy.
Regardless, some social media users seem unimpressed with the iPhone 17 Air's design based on the leak.
One person posted in reply: 'That phone is going to get broken in many a pockets', while another said: 'It might bend or snap.'
A third said: 'Almost all users carry their iPhone in a case. So the thinness of the iPhone 17 Air is a questionable advantage.'
It follows leaks of the iPhone 17 family's dummy models that revealed radical changes to the camera lenses on the back
As these dummies show, iPhone 17 will have the side button and the control button on one side, just like iPhone 16
On the opposite side is the 'Action Button' (top) and the volume controls
iPhone 17: Rumoured features
Material: Aluminium, glass
Display: Ranging from 6.1 inches to 6.9 inches
Release date: September 2025
Cheapest model: $899/£899
Other features: Rectangular camera bump, USB-C charger
However, someone else commented: 'The reduced weight is going to do miracles for those in-bed face drops.'
Based on various previous leaks, it's already known that Apple is likely going to release four iPhone 17 options – iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and a 'standard' iPhone 17 model.
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will have three camera lenses on the back in an 'arrow' alignment – much like previous iPhone Pro models.
However, the 'camera bump' – the raised section on the back – will stretch across the width of the device, rather than being a square shape (like the iPhone 16 Pro models).
iPhone 17 Air – the ultra-slim variant set to replace the Plus model – also has a rectangular camera bump, but with only a single rear camera.
Lastly, the standard iPhone 17 model, featuring two rear camera lenses, will be the only one not to have the rectangular bar.
In terms of the cost, the iPhone 17 family might include the most expensive iPhones ever, Tech Radar has reported.
The iPhone 17 standard model could be $899/£899, which would make it pricier than the iPhone 16 standard released last year.
On the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the 'camera bump' will stretch across the width of the device, rather than being a square shape (like the iPhone 16 Pro models, pictured)
In February, Apple tipster Majin Bu posted digital renders of four handsets in the iPhone 17 family. From left, slimmed down iPhone 17 Air, the basic iPhone 17 model, the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone 17 Pro
MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment, although the tech giant does not generally address any rumours or speculation.
Apple only just released its latest 'budget' handset, the iPhone 16e, previously thought to be called the iPhone SE 4.
Released February 28, iPhone 16e runs Apple Intelligence features, including a ChatGPT integration with smart assistant Siri.
It also includes a 6.1-inch display, a two-in-one camera system, an ‘extraordinary’ battery life, and the return of the 'notch' at the top of the display.
iPhone 16e costs £599/$599 – making it £200 cheaper than the flagship iPhone 16 which was released last autumn.
Apple Intelligence: The best features
Apple Intelligence is essentially a snazzy brand name for Apple's new-found focus on AI, triggered by the huge success of the ChatGPT.
Here's a look at some of the best features of Apple Intelligence, which comes to the UK via the new iOS 18.2 operating system.
ChatGPT-Siri integration
Surely the biggest part of Apple Intelligence is the integration of OpenAI's hugely popular chatbot ChatGPT with Siri, Apple's in-built virtual assistant.
With better 'language-understanding capabilities' enabled by ChatGPT, Siri will help you across multiple apps and 'accelerate everyday tasks', Apple said.
You'll be able to press and hold the side button to activate Siri as normal, but with ChatGPT behind it Siri will be able to 'answer thousands of questions about how to do something' that it couldn't before.
iOS 18 users will be asked before any questions are sent to ChatGPT, along with any documents or photos, and Siri then presents the answer
For example, you could say, 'Play that podcast that Jamie recommended' and Siri will locate and play the episode, without the user having to remember whether it was mentioned in a text or an email.
Or you could ask, 'When is mum's flight landing?' and Siri will find the flight details and cross-reference them with real-time flight tracking to give an arrival time.
AI-generated emoji
If you can never quite find the emoji you're looking for during chat conversations, Apple has the answer.
One of the more fun parts of Apple Intelligence is AI-generated emoji, which Apple has called 'Genmoji' (a mix of 'generated' and 'emoji').
In the Messages app, you can type a short description of the emoji you want – such as 'smiley relaxing wearing cucumbers' or 'squirrel DJ'.
AI-generated emoji: In the Messages app, users can type a short description (e.g. 'smiley relaxing wearing cucumbers') to get a unique emoji to send to someone
Similar to AI tools that just need a few words to create weird artworks, from that single prompt Genmoji returns an AI-generated approximation of what you had in mind.
If you don't like what the AI has made for you, there are a few back-up options for you to choose from.
Clean Up
Apple's Clean Up tool for the Photos app makes ultra-clean edits to photos – without any telltale signs that the snap has been tampered with in any way.
It lets users remove 'distracting objects' from the background of a photo – for example a photobomber in the background of a family snap.
Clean Up is very similar to Google's photo-editing technology 'Magic Eraser' for its Pixel phones, heavily promoted in Google adverts in recent years.
The new Clean Up tool in Apple's Photos app can identify and remove 'distracting objects' in the background of a photo
But the technology has been described by some as 'Orwellian' as it can distort reality and 'create a false memory'.
Referring to Clean Up, one commenter said it 'can be misused' because it 'makes deleting evidence easy'.
Image Playground
AI also powers a new image-generating tool called 'Image Playground', which is available on multiple apps, including Messages and Pages.
With Image Playground, users can create images in a few seconds, choosing from three styles – 'animation', 'illustration' and 'sketch'.
Image Playground allows users to create fun images in seconds, choosing from three styles - Animation, Illustration and Sketch
A promo image appears to show a photo of a person being turned into a video game-style 3D avatar wearing a spacesuit in the 'animation' setting.
Rather like Genmoji, this 'exciting' image creation tool will help iPhone owners 'communicate and express themselves in new ways', the company says.
Movie Memories
The vast media storage capabilities of an iPhone means its always tempting to look back through your photos and video for a burst of nostalgia.
Recognizing this, Apple has come up with 'Movie Memories', an AI tool that creates the perfect home movie to watch on your device.
By typing a short description – for example 'last summer in our garden' – the AI can search your media library and and arrange photos and clips into a movie 'with its own narrative arc'.
Movie Memories picks out the best photos and videos based on a user¿s description and arranges it all into a movie with its own narrative arc
And as no movie is quite as good without a bit of music, you'll get song suggestions from Apple Music to match the memory.
Again, Apple stresses the privacy aspect of using an AI to search through your private life.
'As with all Apple Intelligence features, user photos and videos are kept private on device and are not shared with Apple or anyone else,' it says.
AI writing tools
Using AI to make your writing extra concise is not a new thing – for example Microsoft's Copilot AI is creating first drafts and suggesting edits in Word.
But now Apple is jumping on the bandwagon with its own AI-powered writing tools.
The tech will rewrite, proofread and summarize text on multiple apps, including Mail, Notes and Pages, as well as some third-party apps.
'Whether tidying up class notes, ensuring a blog post reads just right, or making sure an email is perfectly crafted, Writing Tools help users feel more confident in their writing,' the firm says.