iPhone 17 Pro release date: our prediction for Apple's big launch

(Credit: @kdctweets / X)

• 🍎 Apple’s next Pro-level iPhone is on its way

• 📐 The iPhone 17 Pro will come with a slight design refresh, better specs, and upgraded cameras

• 📱 The iPhone 17 Pro Max could even adopt the name “Ultra”

• 📅 Based on our research, here’s when we expect the iPhone 17 Pro to launch

Apple has big plans for 2025. The company is expected to release its next round of iPhones, some new Apple Watches, AirPods, MacBooks, and more, all before we reach December 31, and one of the most anticipated products is the iPhone 17 Pro.

Apple’s highest-end iPhones always make a stir in the tech world because they show off all the latest technologies that the company can cram into a phone, and the 17 Pro won’t be an exception. We expect the device to come with a refreshed design, better performance, better photo and video quality, and even longer battery life.

All the rumors suggest this could be a big year for the iPhone, so the question on a lot of people’s mind is, “when does it come out?”

We report on phone launches for a living here at The Shortcut, and having personally spent a decade tracking them, we’ve cooked up a prediction for when the iPhone 17 Pro release date will be scheduled. Let’s break it down.

• More: iPhone 17 Air release date: here's when we predict Apple could launch it

🧑‍🏫 Here’s our take. According to our research, the iPhone 17 Pro will likely be announced on September 8 or 9. Then, if history is any indication, it’ll start shipping on September 19.

Every year, Apple usually waits until the week after Labor Day in the United States (the first Monday in September) to announce the next flagship iPhone. The company has held launches like this since the iPhone 5 in 2012, so it’s safe to say it’ll continue the tradition and unveil its next phones right in time for fall to begin setting in.

A vast majority of iPhone keynotes that Apple hosts are held on Mondays and Tuesdays. The iPhone 16 was announced on a Monday, for example, while the iPhone 15 was announced on a Tuesday. Apple tends to flip-flop between the two days, so we can’t say for certain whether the announcement date will be September 8 (Monday) or September 9 (Tuesday).

The following week is when Apple usually starts shipping its latest iPhones. The wait generally lasts about 10 days, with pre-orders going up the Friday after the keynote and shipments going out a week later. Assuming there isn’t a massive pandemic or serious tariff tensions, Apple will probably stick to this schedule for the iPhone 17 cycle, including the iPhone 17 Pro.

❌ Probably not. We’ve seen Apple delay the release of certain iPhones in the past either because the company wants to focus on certain devices at first and the rest later, or because certain devices aren’t ready yet. The iPhone X, iPhone XR, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and more have all experienced delayed launches, so there’s a chance the iPhone 17 Pro could ship later than the iPhone 17 and 17 Air.

However, the iPhone 17 Pro won’t be shaking things up too much for Apple. This year, that job belongs to the iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to come with the company’s thinnest smartphone design to date. The 17 Pro will get thicker, allowing Apple to fit more into the body. This shouldn’t result in any major production issues or other conflicts that would prevent the phone from shipping on time.

Of course, only time will tell whether Apple has any issues getting the 17 Pro out the door, but right now, it seems likely it’ll ship on time.

• More: Apple Watch Ultra 3 rumors: here's what would make me ditch my Ultra 2

(Credit: @kdctweets / X)

It sounds like the iPhone 17 Pro will be the beefy, specced-out iPhone that a lot of folks have wanted from Apple for a while. It’s expected to look a lot like the iPhone 16 Pro, only this year, it’ll have a Pixel-like camera bar on the back to house the triple 48MP cameras and LED flash.

There will likely be both a 6.3-inch model and a 6.9-inch model, with the larger potentially being named “iPhone 17 Ultra” instead of “iPhone 17 Pro Max.” Both phones will get thicker to fit bigger batteries, come with Apple’s rumored A19 Pro processor, and use aluminum for their builds instead of titanium.

We’re tracking all the latest iPhone 17 Air rumors and leaks as they pop up, so be sure to subscribe to be the first to know about them all.

• More: Apple Watch Series 10 review: six months later, it’s still the smartwatch to get

Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.