The 2025 iPhone lineup is going to see one of the biggest design shakeups in the product’s history. Not only will there be an entirely new model — the super-slim iPhone 17 Air — the Pro phones are getting the first all-new design in years, with a radical new camera array that’s sure to polarize opinion. Plus, the entry-level models and the iPhone SE are getting lots of worthy trickle-down upgrades.
It’s going to be a very exciting year. Here’s what 2025 has in store for the iPhone.
What to expect from the iPhone in 2025
After weathering years of criticism for phones that look the same year after year, Apple is finally trying something new. The higher-end iPhone Pros are getting the first major redesign since 2019, when the now-familiar camera array was introduced with the iPhone 11 Pro. The entry-level models are getting fresh designs too. For once, online critics won’t be trotting out the “new shirt looks like old shirt” meme.
Table of contents: What to expect from the iPhone in 2025
2025 iPhone SE 4 to get modern all-screen design
Photo: Apple
The first iPhone to be announced next year probably won’t be the one you’re expecting. The iPhone SE, Apple’s budget iPhone, is due for a refresh in the spring. It will likely arrive in March, at the same time as the expected M4 update to the MacBook Air.
The new SE will ditch the Home Button and move to a modern, all-screen design resembling the iPhone 14. It’ll feature an edge-to-edge OLED display and Face ID. It’ll also be bumped to 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence. Powering the iPhone SE will likely either be the A17 Pro or A18 chip.
Upgrades all round
While it’ll stick with a single rear camera, it’ll likely have a 48 MP sensor with an optical 2× zoom, a welcome upgrade to the SE’s rather uninspiring camera.
On the charging front, the connector will be swapped out from the legacy Lightning port for USB-C. The new SE is also due to receive MagSafe, Apple’s standard for magnetically-attaching stands and accessories, another very welcome upgrade. Finally, catching up with modern iPhones, it’ll switch out the ring/mute switch for the customizable Action button.
The price will probably be raised a little bit. It currently starts at $429; I wouldn’t be surprised if it was nudged up to $449. But given all the upgrades and modern design, it’s certainly worth it.
iPhone 17 in 2025: Lots of upgrades, but no Plus or mini
Photo: Apple
The regular iPhone 17 models will see a number of upgrades, including improvements to the selfie camera. The sensor will be bumped from 12 to 24MP, for better resolution and low-light performance. For the rear camera, an adjustable aperture would allow for controllable background blur. This could allow for both an optical Portrait mode effect with lots of background blur, or a very wide depth-of-field where both the foreground and background are perfectly clear.
At last: 120Hz, always-on screens
The Ceramic Shield glass used in all iPhone displays could feature a new anti-reflective coating, while getting stronger. They will also get ProMotion higher refresh rates and an always-on display, which are both trickle-down features from this year’s Pro models.
The A19 series of chips slated for the lineup may or may not be fabricated on a more advanced 2-nanometer process. It’s looking more likely that Apple will continue to refine the 3-nanometer process used on the A17 and A18 chips. The lack of another die shrink in 2025 would seemingly corroborate rumors that the Mac M5 chip, also expected next fall, won’t be a significant upgrade, either.
But no Plus or mini models
Rumors suggest the iPhone 17 could have 12GB of RAM, a 50% increase. While 8GB is the minimum amount of memory required to comfortably run Apple Intelligence, the additional resources will give the system more headroom.
Apple reportedly won’t release an iPhone 17 Plus or an iPhone 17 mini. A brand-new model will fill that fourth spot in the 2025 iPhone lineup. See the iPhone 17 Air below.
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max: Ugly or awesome?
Photo: Wylsacom
With so many features coming to the entry-level iPhone, the draw of the higher-end iPhones will undoubtedly be a radical new design.
Instead of the familiar two-tier triple camera bump resembling a stovetop, the new design may group all the lenses and sensors behind a single glass piece. Rumors conflict as to the iPhone 17 Pro’s redesign in 2025. Will Apple rearrange the cameras in a row across the top of the phone, as in the concept above, or cluster them in the upper-right corner? Nobody knows for certain.
An advantage of the current layout is that holding your phone horizontally lets your iPhone use two lenses side-by-side to record 3D spatial video for the Vision Pro. However, with the lenses all in a row, the phone could look more aesthetically pleasing. Plus, it wouldn’t wobble when placed on a table.
New body material, too
The Pro models also reportedly will ditch titanium for aluminum, a change that would cut some weight. To allow for wireless charging, the new design will likely see aluminum on top and glass in the lower three-quarters of the phone.
The Pro Max might add extra features to differentiate it from its little brother. A special cooling system including a vapor chamber and graphite sheets could help the phone stay cool for advanced 3D gaming (or generating graphics in Image Playground).
The Pro Max also might feature a narrower sensor cutout inside the Dynamic Island, allowing more content to show up in the status area surrounding it.
iPhone 17 Air: Radically thin design for 2025
Image: Apple Hub/X
Ever since 2020, when Apple began releasing four iPhone models every year, the fourth iPhone in the lineup always seems like a bit of a runt. The literally dimunitive iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini did not sell in great numbers. And the larger iPhone 14 Plus and 15 Plus also failed to rack up big sales. While the jury remains out on the iPhone 16 Plus, Apple clearly thinks a new strategy is in order: Make a really cool thin phone.
This new model will still pack a large 6.6-inch display, but in a dramatically thinner design that likely clocks in between 5 mm and 6 mm. Compared to the iPhone 16 Plus at 7.8 mm, this will make a noticeable change to how the device feels in the hand.
Apple will need to make a few sacrifices to achieve this feat. The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly only feature a single 48 MP rear camera, ditching the ultra-wide lens. Battery life may also take a hit. And no word on how rigid it’ll be.
While initial rumors suggested that this device would come at a price higher than the iPhone 17 Pro, newer rumors suggest it’ll carry the same $899 price tag as the iPhone 16 Plus it replaces.
