Just earlier today, rendered images purportedly of the iPhone 17 Pro Max shared by a Russian YouTube channel showed what it could look like based on rumors about the next iPhone going with a horizontal camera arrangement. Many compared it to the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, complete with rounded camera bar. This would be a dramatic facelift for sure, but it appears as though this drastic change might not be happening at all.
The initial render of this new iPhone 17 redesign was posted first by Weibo user Digital chat station, who claims that the iPhone 17 “has indeed been changed to this design.” Given how the leaker previously posted correct information about the iPhone 16 Pro, one would think this new horizontal camera arrangement claim would pan out.
That’s because another reliable leaker is putting down this rumor to rest, going on to say that the iPhone 17 Pro (and presumably iPhone 17 Pro Max) will remain with its familiar triangular setup. Weibo user Instant Digital was quick to mention this in a post, but it’s worth noting that the leaker has previously provided accurate leaks such as the yellow iPhone 14 and how the new iPad Air shifted to a landscape front-facing camera.
Vertical or horizontal — what’s the difference?
While the iPhone Pro series is definitely due for a redesign, with the current design language dating as far back as the iPhone 11 Pro, a horizontal camera system on the back of the phone would undoubtedly be a dramatic one. Phone makers are constantly experimenting with different designs, but there’s a reason why the triangular arrangement makes more sense — as 9to5mac points out.
It could all boil down to spatial video, which others claim makes more sense with a vertical camera arrangement. In the current triangular setup, the iPhone 16 Pro’s main and ultrawide cameras are positioned horizontally when the phone’s held in landscape — resulting in a spatial video in landscape format.
In contrast, if the iPhone 17 Pro were to adopt a horizontal camera arrangement as the leaked renders have shown, it might not be able to properly shoot spatial video in landscape format. I wouldn't say it’s outside the realm of impossible, but highly unlikely.
Furthermore, Apple could be experimenting on different designs to see if they’re feasible to manufacture to begin with — or perhaps just planting seeds to disguise their intentions. We’re still a long ways away from an iPhone 17 release, but we’re now in a period where the design needs to be ironed out for Apple to fetch the necessary components and suppliers to manufacture it. There’s also rumors about Apple introducing another model into the mix, an iPhone 17 Air, which is reportedly going to be the thinnest iPhone ever created.
