Apple introduced its iPhone 17 yesterday, with its most advanced camera features powered by its new A19 Pro chip.
The new iPhones are offered in three models: Air (USD 999); Pro (USD 1,099) and Pro Max (USD 1,109). Pre-orders begin Friday, Sept. 12, with availability beginning Friday, Sept. 19.
Built with an Apple-designed vapor chamber that is laser-welded into a strong, light, and thermally conductive aluminum unibody, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max feature three 48MP Fusion cameras — Main, Ultra Wide, and an all-new Telephoto — offering the equivalent of eight lenses, including the longest optical-quality zoom ever on iPhone at 8x, and the innovative 18MP Center Stage front camera for selfies.
Industry-first video features built for pro filmmakers and content creators include support for ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and genlock. Both models feature the Ceramic Shield 2 front cover with 3x better scratch resistance, and for the first time, Ceramic Shield protects the back of iPhone.
The three 48MP Fusion cameras capture sharper and more detailed images, Apple said. A new 48MP Telephoto camera has a next-generation tetraprism design with a sensor that is 56% larger than the previous generation to improve sharpness in bright light and bring more detail to darker shots. The new 4x optical zoom at 100mm offers a classic lens for portraiture, while the 8x optical zoom at 200mm, the longest ever on iPhone, provides longer reach and more creative choice.
With the updated Photonic Engine, the image pipeline uses more machine learning to preserve natural detail, reduce noise, and provide significantly improved color accuracy. Digital zoom also increases up to 40x for photos, and users have even more options for customizing their photos with next-generation Photographic Styles, including a new Bright style available in iOS 26 that brightens skin tones and applies a pop of vibrance across the image.4
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max feature a new Center Stage front camera that features the first square front camera sensor on iPhone, offering a wider field of view and higher resolution — up to 18MP for photos — to capture more detail. Users can now take photos and videos in portrait or landscape while holding their iPhone vertically.
For group selfies, Center Stage for photos uses AI to automatically expand the field of view and can rotate from portrait to landscape to include everyone in the frame. The Center Stage front camera also enables ultra-stabilized video in 4K HDR, and users can now record on the front and rear cameras simultaneously with Dual Capture — perfect for speaking directly to camera while documenting behind-the-scenes action. During calls over FaceTime or third-party apps, Center Stage for video calls keeps users stable and positioned in frame.
The current iPhone lines already support Dolby Vision HDR recording, 4K120 fps, ProRes Log, and ACES. iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are now the first smartphones to support ProRes RAW, Log 2, and genlock, a technique used to precisely synchronize video across multiple cameras and inputs. This helps creatives achieve accurate, professional-looking transitions and advanced creative techniques without hours of manual frame-by-frame alignment. Genlock is supported by the new Blackmagic Design Camera ProDock, and ProRes RAW is supported by Final Cut Camera and Blackmagic Camera, with APIs available to developers.
“iPhone 17 Pro is by far the most powerful iPhone we’ve ever made, with a stunning new design rebuilt from the inside out to maximize performance and deliver an enormous leap in battery life,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With three 48MP Fusion cameras, a new Center Stage front camera experience, and pro-level video features, the creative opportunities are endless. iPhone 17 Pro sets a new standard for the smartphone industry and is a massive upgrade for our most demanding users.”
The editors of TV Tech sister. brand Tom's Guide previews the new iPhone 17:
iPhone Air hands-on review: I actually can't believe it
