Ugly or genius? iPhone 17’s jarring design explained

For months, we’ve had leaks claiming there will be a new design this time around with the iPhone 17 models. At the time, I was hesitant to believe it, as it seemed a huge departure from what Apple had been doing so far with iPhone design, but on September 9, during the Apple Event, we all saw that it was, indeed, true.

iPhone 17 Pro: what does this new design achieve?

Apple claims it’s not just about looks when it comes to the new way the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max look from the back. Now, there’s an aluminum unibody, Ceramic Shield on the back in the one section not covered by aluminum, and this new camera island. 

First off, the aluminum unibody, according to Apple, has been chosen as a design element for its lightness, thermal efficiency, and rigidity. The new A19 Pro chip and the huge battery all need good thermal dissipation, and the aluminum unibody, Apple says, does that really well. Meanwhile, it’s thin, so it makes space for the big batteries Apple has equipped the Pro models with this time around. 

As for the camera island, well, yes, it’s huge. Apple claims this is done so the new Pro camera system can fit. Especially, more space is needed for the new 48MP Fusion telephoto camera that the iPhone 17 Pro rocks.  This new camera allows for 8x zoom at 200mm in optical quality, which is indeed exceptional. 

All in all, the new design of the Pro and Pro Max, as the Cupertino company says, is made so that the performance is maximized. Thanks to the new powerful chip and all these design changes to ensure durability, bigger battery, better telephoto, and heat dissipation, the iPhone 17 Pro may indeed be one phone not to be underestimated. Unfortunately, its elegance has slightly suffered…

iPhone Air: thin design and somewhat big camera bump 

The plateau houses the camera system, but also the speaker and the processor of the phone. All of this is made so that Apple can fit a bigger battery in this thin design. Of course, if you want to make a super-thin phone, you’ll have to make compromises, and in this case, not even Apple can save itself from the struggles of not having enough space for its battery. 

But yep, the design is such that Apple can achieve the incredible thinness of just 5.6mm and the new look of a super-slim, elegant iPhone Air. We’ll know soon if those decisions were worth it. 

My take: the iPhone 17 Pro is fine, the Air is in trouble 

At first, when the rumors started, my reaction was a knee-jerk one. This huge ‘camera island’ on the back of the Pro-branded models didn’t sit right with me to the point I refused to believe it all the way until the Apple Event. And a part of me still doesn’t believe it. 

But honestly, when it comes to the Pro at least, I feel like I may have overreacted. Yep, it’s not exactly pretty, but it is fine for what it achieves, especially with the advanced zoom. The Cosmic Orange color also saves things, because it’s such a cool color that it almost makes me forget about the camera bar, well, radio station, on the back. I also appreciate a bigger battery, definitely. 

As for the Air, that’s where I seem not to be exactly thrilled. Yep, it’s elegant in terms of thinness and colors. But the camera bar doesn’t convince me of elegance whatsoever, and the fact that the Air’s battery life is an ‘all-day’ battery life (which, frankly, means nothing really, as different users spend different amounts of time on their phones) is enough to make me seriously hesitate about this phone. 

All in all, I think the design of these iPhones is unusual, but I don’t think that it’s exactly ‘ugly’ anymore. I like that Apple has done it to achieve real benefits, not just for the sake of being different, especially with the Pro models. The Air, well, we’ll see what its fate will be, and whether it will be the same as the iPhone mini’s fate.

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