Apple is set to launch the next series of iPhones on September 9 at Apple Park in California. The official invitation — with the title ‘Awe Dropping’ — is out, and it’s reason enough to look at a few reasons that may make the next lineup of iPhones — most possibly called iPhone 17 — special.

More of Apple-built C1 modem

You may have already heard about this: A slim new iPhone may join the lineup this year, and many are dubbing it the iPhone 17 Air. Whatever the name, the point remains, it may be a slim phone, and what can Apple do to not sacrifice battery life while slashing millimeters off the slab? Apple-built C1 modem will probably be found inside this particular model. We have already seen the C1 modem at work on the iPhone 16e, which is offering excellent battery life and reception.

When it comes to a new chip or processor, users can easily distinguish between the old and new by the time taken to complete tasks. Modem is a different game. It is in many ways responsible for putting the ‘phone’ in the iPhone. Most users have no idea what kind of modem their phone has. They just want to be assured that they enjoy strong network signals to make voice or video calls sound good. A well-designed modem can offer more than only stable connectivity.

The C1 modem does exactly that, besides making the phone power-efficient. Apple has been working on its modem for many years. In 2019, the company acquired Intel Corp’s old cellular modem division for $1 billion. Designing a new modem is not a simple task since it needs to be tested among several carriers in a large number of countries. With one of the main phones in the new lineup getting the C1 modem will give Apple more data about performance before perhaps C2 rolls out next year.

48MP on telephoto lens

Any photographer would like to see a 48MP telephoto snapper. Apple has already shown what can be captured using a 48MP main camera, now it’s time for the telephoto to shine. The focal length of the telephoto is better suited for portraits and everyday photography, since it allows users to frame shots without having to move as far away from the subject. With the extra resolution, digital cropping will allow for simulating longer focal lengths, offering less quality loss than normal digital zoom.

If the rumour is true, iPhone 17 Pro will be able to deliver more flexible zoom options while making portrait photography more user-friendly, without sacrificing image quality.

A design leap

From rumours floating around, iPhone 17 will be an extension of last year’s phone but the real changes could be on iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. The Plus model is expected to be replaced by the slim offering. The iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17 Pro models are rumoured to have a new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, with the bar spanning the back of the iPhone. It will be a completely different look from what we have been seeing in the last few years. One look at the phone and you will know what device you are staring at.

Thermal upgrades

Apple has been taking its ambitions in the gaming zone seriously to the point there is going to be a new Apple Games app with iOS 26. What can the company do to make gamers happy? Or for that matter people who like to edit videos on their phones?

The iPhone 17 Pro models will reportedly use vapor chamber cooling technology for improved thermal performance. Vapor chamber technology disperses heat across a larger surface area to prevent thermal throttling and to keep performance stable. This will do justice to the incoming A19 chip.

We want 8K video

All right, 4K videos are not going away and studios now have enough content to make our 4K panels shine. What about 8K? It takes up space and it will be a few years before 8K content starts becoming popular. But it’s a good time to start on the journey. Rumour suggests that iPhone Pros will have 8K video recording capabilities. Apple has reportedly been experimenting with this capability internally since last year. It can open up a range of new possibilities for filmmakers and creators. For example, users can record in 8K and then crop the video to 4K for digital zoom without losing quality.