Let me start off with an apology: I’m sorry I’m writing this article now, as we’re probably only three weeks away from the launch of the next-generation iPhones, which we and many others in the tech world have dubbed the iPhone 17.
That means you should almost certainly wait for the reveal of the new iPhones rather than rush out and buy one unless you absolutely need it; even then it might be better to get a pre-owned older model or an iPhone 16e that to tide you over and one that’ll act as a backup phone once you have a fully new iPhone.
So yeah, I could end the article there and apologize that I’m late to the game here; we’ve had a big Prime Day sale event and the launch of the Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold to distract me.
But there are two questions that I can still mostly answer: if you have waited, should you be excited? And if you’ve just got an iPhone 16 model, did you make a mistake? I think I can answer them both at the same time.
Apple anticipation
Starting with the second question first: No, I don’t think you made a mistake, as I think all the iPhone 16 models are rather good. While I don’t love that the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus still use 60Hz displays, they are still fine phones if you’re happy to play in Apple’s walled garden.
And I’m a big advocate for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, the latter of which I use as my personal phone, as they blend performance, sleek industrial design, and great cameras into a seamless user experience. They may be a tad boring and incremental compared to some of the best Android phones, but you simply can't go wrong with these iPhones.
Going by the rumors so far, I'm not convinced that the iPhone 17 series will offer a big step up from the current crop of phones. There’s a hint that there'll be 120Hz displays for all four new iPhones, which I’d very much welcome as I love a high-refresh-rate display. And the Pro iPhones are tipped to get a 48-megapixel telephoto camera, which should help give a boost to zoomed-in shots.
There is the rumored iPhone 17 Air, which could replace the Plus model and offer a tall but slim iPhone option, but I don't expect it to be a revolution in Apple phone design.
Aside from that and likely improved A-series chips, it doesn't feel like this year will usher in a big step-change for the iPhone. So my feeling is you don’t need to be super excited for the next Apple event from a phones perspective, but you can pretty much guarantee that an iPhone 17 will once again offer the best iPhone experience, even if it’s only an incremental upgrade over the iPhone 16.
It’s on the AI side that I think Apple will garner a bit more attention with the iPhones this year. The launch of Apple Intelligence wasn't a smooth one, and it’s only recently that I’ve started to feel some of the benefits of it. As such, I reckon Apple will focus a bit more on the new AI features that’ll come with the new iPhones, as well as emphasize those revealed at WWDC 2025 with the showcase of iOS 26.
I’d expect the Cupertino crew to really focus on what Apple Intelligence features will be available for the iPhone 17 straight out of the box, rather than those that may have a regional or staggered rollout. Of course, if you have an iPhone 16, you’ll almost certainly be able to run these features after an update, yet that’ll still mean an iPhone 17-centric Apple event is worth watching.
With that in mind, TechRadar will be looking at bringing you all the news, announcements, and analysis live for the next Apple event, and in the run-up, we’ll be perusing the rumors and last-minute leaks. So keep an eye out for that.
And do let me know in the comments below if you're looking forward to the next-generation iPhones.
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