The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max cameras could get both downgrades and upgrades this year
- The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max could have a smaller camera sensor
- However, a boost in megapixels is also expected
- The changes may not make much difference to photo quality
The expected launch may still be around eight months away, but we’re already hearing numerous leaks and rumors surrounding the Apple iPhone 17 – and the latest tidbit from experts suggests that the cameras on the Pro and Pro Max models will both be downgraded can get. and upgrades.
According to recognized tipster Digital chat station (via MacRumors), the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a 48MP+48MP+48MP triple-lens camera on the back – a jump in megapixels from the 48MP+48MP+12MP triple-lens camera on the back of the iPhone 16 is mounted Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
That’s the upgrade, but the downgrade is that the primary 48MP camera is expected to use a 1/1.3-inch sensor instead of a 1/1.28-inch sensor – a slight reduction in size. In general, the larger the sensor the better, as it can capture more light and more detail in whatever you’re photographing.
Rumors of the telephoto camera getting an upgrade from 12MP to 48MP have been doing the rounds since last year, but this is the first we’ve heard of the primary camera having a smaller sensor size.
Find the difference
How much difference the changes in sensor size and megapixel rating will make is hard to say, especially since modern phones apply so much image processing to photos and videos after they’re taken. The actual hardware doing the recording is only partially responsible for image and clip quality.
If the main camera sensors on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max do indeed get smaller, it could free up space for other components – like a bigger battery or a more powerful communications chipset (rumor has it that the 2025 iPhones will be the first to get a… Apple-made Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip uses).
This particular rumor says nothing about what might happen to the cameras on the standard iPhone 17. As our iPhone 16 review will tell you, the current model and the iPhone 16 Plus use a 48MP + 12MP dual-lens camera on the back – and it is possible that changes will take place here too.
You might even want to wait until 2026 and the iPhone 18: talk is that the device will feature variable aperture on the Pro and Pro Max models’ cameras, meaning better low-light shots and more control over depth of field .