iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max back design mystery may be solved ahead of Apple event

Earlier this week, we flagged that despite knowing an awful lot about the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, there was still a major design mystery going into Apple’s “Awe dropping” event. Now new reporting points to a more dramatic splash in that category.

There have been two competing rumors around the design of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max backs. Both agree that the camera mound will expand into a full-width camera bar across the top.

Where things diverge is the rest of the back: an all-glass continuation of the iPhone 16 Pro, or a two-tone aluminum and glass design with a dedicated MagSafe section.

Until now, the two-tone design seemed more like a schematic quirk than the real thing. But Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has weighed in, and his language suggests the more radical redesign is coming.

Gurman first notes that “the latest high-end versions, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, will have new backs that give a fresh look to the camera areas.” Then he goes further:

“The back of the phones look different, including a new camera area that spans the entire length of the top third of the device as well as a new cutout area on the bottom two-thirds of the phone that doubles as the wireless charging area.”

That description lines up squarely with the aluminum-and-glass design leaks, not the all-glass continuation.

If accurate, Apple is about to give the iPhone Pro lineup its most noticeable design change in ages. This could also set the stage for the rumored all-glass iPhone 20 as Apple shifts toward using more metal on the iPhone Pro.

Switching from titanium and glass to aluminum and a lot less glass could help noticeably bring down the overall weight of each iPhone Pro model. That’s potentially the biggest difference we’ll notice if this change is indeed happening.

Do you prefer the rumored redesign, or would you rather Apple stick with the current look? Let us know in the comments.

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