- IPhone 16 Pro Max could be followed by iPhone 17 Ultra
- We’ve also heard ‘Ultra’ rumored in previous years
- IPhone 17 Ultra can have a larger battery and more cooling
We expect Apple to reveal the iPhone 17 Series in September, and a new rumor points to a name change for the most expensive model in the line-up rumor that has actually swirled for a few years now.
According to the well -known tipster YEUX1122 (via macumors), the iPhone 17 Pro Max will actually be called the iPhone 17 Ultra. It is apparently based on information from investors and sources inside the supply chain.
If the phone, previously known as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, actually gets a name change, it would be the first Ultra phone released by Apple -though it has already used the Ultra brand for some of its Apple Silicon chips, and of course the Apple Watch Ultra series.
However, we have heard this rumor before both the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 16 – and in these cases the names did not change. Maybe this will be the year when Apple is finally deciding to shake its approach to iPhone naming.
Hardware and software
In theory, we could look at a line-up containing iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Ultra. There is some neatness in having a single extra word after each of the three additional variants.
That said, the same tipster also suggests that the iPhone 17 air name is not yet fixed. This super-slim model, replacing the iPhone 16 Plus, has been shown in a lot of leaks-but it sounds like Apple hasn’t decided what to call it yet.
The iPhone 17 Ultra (if it is actually its name) is also the tip of coming up with a smaller dynamic island, a steam chamber for further cooling (and improved performance) and an increased battery capacity – which will add its thickness.
We have already heard that iOS 19 is also set for a major renewal, so it looks like it will be right the year of Apple in terms of both hardware and software. We should get our first look at iOS 19 sometime in June at Apple WWDC 2025.
