Malcolm Owen
New dummies practically demonstrate how the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will have a different rear casing, with a mix of metal and glass.
Multiple dummies representing designs in the iPhone 17 family of smartphones have surfaced in recent weeks, giving an idea of what to expect from the new models. However, while the bulk of the attention has been on the new camera bump designs, a new set offers an idea about the rest of the rear's design.
New dummies shared by Sonny Dickson on Thursday via X shows a collection of eight dummies for the iPhone 17 collection. The set prominently shows off the variety of camera bumps that have appeared in previous image leaks and models.
Here's another look at some iPhone 17 dummies, Notice on the Pro models where the glass will change. pic.twitter.com/lJDc5KXsV9
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) March 20, 2025
However, as Dickson points out, there are elements on the Pro models that show "where the glass will change." The leaker is referring to a rounded rectangle that surrounds most of the back section of the casing below the camera bump.
This section fully encompasses the MagSafe charging area, with Dickson's note proposing that this element will be covered with glass. This makes sense as glass doesn't interfere with MagSafe wireless charging, unlike metals like aluminum or titanium.
The inclusion of a large rectangular section for glass has previously surfaced in a Sonny Dickson leak. In February, CAD images shared by the leaker also depicted a rounded rectangular section, without discussing what that element was for at the time.
From all-glass to mixed backing
Dickson's models and reference to glass changes may not make sense at first glance, since Apple has used glass backings for its iPhones for quite a few generations now. It does, however, make sense if you consider the possibility that the back will undergo a materials change, not just the use of a new camera bump design.
In November, a report claimed that Apple was considering a switch away from titanium for aluminum for the Pro models. As part of the same report, it is said that the back of the Pro models will use a "part-aluminum, part-glass design."
The design would use a large rectangular camera bump made of aluminum instead of a glass version. The bottom half of the rear cover would still use glass, to enable wireless charging.
Dickson's latest model release seems to follow this design aesthetic closely. It's not hard to imagine the camera bump and the outer edges being made from a metal, while leaving a sizable glass window section below.
While there is no guarantee that the presented designs are genuine, Dickson does have a relatively good track record when it comes to discussing future iPhone models. Mockups shared of the iPhone 16 lineup in April 2024 correctly matched those of the released hardware months later.
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6 Comments
Will be interesting how the iP17P models will open up. It may only open up from the front (display side) if the aluminum in the camera bump area is all one piece with the side bands and the cameras and stuff there are mounted directly to the bump.
if these mockups really are what's coming, then Apple should rename the Pro models "Frankenphone." The Pros, especially, are THE fugliest, most god-awful design I've ever seen from Apple, bar none, like a flashing, tawdry-colored neon sign that says, "F-ck Jony Ive!" (Yes, like all tawdry neon signs, one letter isn't working.) The whole Frankenphone aesthetic of the Pros is an utter rejection of all that is iconically clean and simple about Apple industrial design and not for the better. Even the iPhone Slim appears it will be birthed with a hunchback that will undermine the whole "thin" aesthetic that is its main selling point--wtf? And clearly unnecessary since its dupe, the Galaxy Edge, will have two camera lenses instead of one, no hunchback required. Ironically, the 16e will end up being the most attractively designed iPhone.
Joe Consumer cares more about having a great camera module in their phone over having a handset that has uniform thickness across its entire construction. That's why phones with camera bumps sell well.
There's very little demand for perfectly flat phones. Doing so requires far more compromises in optical quality and performance.
The thinness will have a different feel in the hand. The bump itself isn't felt since no one holds their phone touching the camera module. Nothing new about this.
I think the last phone I owned with flush camera optics was the original iPhone SE. That ship sailed a long time ago, it is unlikely that people will ever see another iPhone with flush camera optics given the progression of digital photography and videography. Today's smartphones are far more capable at both compared to their predecessors from ten years ago. However there's no way to dodge physics, the sensors and lenses take some space for satisfactory performance.
At some point in the not too distant future, we should expect an iPhone to start offering 8K video at 60fps. This won't be done with a smaller camera module, that I can guarantee you. Note that Japanese television has been doing 8K terrestrial broadcasts for a couple of years now. It's already here -- not a fanciful imaginary scenario in some egghead dreamworld.
In the end, these are just silly rumors. Let us not forget that most rumors posted here (or other similar news sites) end up being wrong. The rumor mill is highly inaccurate. It's not gospel until Apple ships product.
I'm having a real hard time understanding why Apple doesn't just keep the amazing all glass back and titanium design for the pros (extend the camera bump across like the others) and leave the aluminum frame for the base iphone and air. I don't see how the rounded rectangle on the back of the pros won't look awkward. Happy to be proven wrong.