The new iPhone 17 Pro might gain a new camera feature as a few of the purported test units of the premium smartphone were reportedly being tested around San Francisco, United States, ahead of the official launch event which is slated for sometime in September this year.
Until then, these purported test units of the latest Apple iPhone may have given away what the new camera feature might be. The iPhone 17 Pro may include three hardware and software camera features, according to a report by a tipster from MacRumors. The leak about the additional camera features first emerged on July 29, through an ongoing advert shoot for the iPhone 17 Pro.
This advert reportedly led to some sightings of the iPhone 17 Pro in the city. A secondary camera control was positioned near the top edge of the device, according to the report. If this new feature is a capacitive touch scroll surface, its placement seems logical. One could hold the iPhone in landscape orientation with the primary Camera Control accessible to the right index finger, and this new feature positioned beneath the left index finger.
The purpose of this setup has been debated. Moving these features to a separate hardware component might be a solution, especially if Apple has responded to feedback indicating that the swipe surface functionalities overly complicate the existing Camera Control button. Alternatively, Apple might link the zoom feature to the left button so that the right button is not needed for mode switching.
According to MacRumors, a tipster on July 27, revealed three new camera features.
One of these was the third external camera control, which has now been confirmed. The tipster also suggested an 8x optical zoom, an upgrade from the 5x zoom in the iPhone 16 Pro. They claimed that the lens can move to focus continuously at different focal points. Lastly, the iPhone 17 Pro is expected to feature a new Pro camera app for both photos and videos, though it remains unclear whether this app will be exclusive to the iPhone 17 Pro models.
The second week of September is expected to see the official unveiling of Apple’s upcoming flagship, the iPhone 17 Pro. According to multiple reports, including from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the launch event is scheduled for either Monday, September 8, 2025, or Wednesday, September 10, 2025.
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“Apple is probably going to have its iPhone 17 keynote on Tuesday, September 9, or Wednesday, September 10,” Gurman said. Pre-orders are expected to open by Friday, September 12, with global sales likely commencing from September 19. This information is also supported by an ongoing advert shoot for the iPhone 17 Pro.
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