There has been a spotting of what was probably a development iPhone housed in a thick black case to try to hide the design expected in the iPhone 17 models.
Apple tests its upcoming devices internally for the most part, but there's a point when a prototype needs to exit the lab and get used in the real world. For the most part, these prototypes go unnoticed, but a significant design change makes the iPhone 17 easy to spot.
A social media post from user Skyfops shows two photos of a man in sunglasses holding two iPhones. One is a recent model, the other is in a thick black case that obscures its design entirely.
The big black case has cutouts for the cameras, flash, and LiDAR sensors. The layout suggests it is an iPhone 17 Pro model with the expected camera bar.
When viewed from the side, the case is gigantic to cover both the camera bar and individual camera protrusions.
The social media user noted that the second man seen in the photos is clearly security. He stops and attempts to obscure the prototype device from view whenever the iPhone tester stops to use it.
The photo was taken in San Francisco by Union Square.
iPhone 17 will be revealed soon
There have been plenty of rumors on what the iPhone 17 line may look like and what features are expected. While they won't deviate much from the flat-edged glass sandwiches we've become accustomed to, the camera bar will be a striking difference.
On the outside, the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to use an camera bump that spans the entire width of the devices. As a consequence of the expanded bump, Apple is anticipated to shift the Apple logo further down the back, to a more visually pleasing position.
For the camera, the Pro models may enjoy a resolution bump for the Telephoto sensor, bringing it up to 48MP. Screens are expected to be brighter, as usual for Apple's newest releases.
All models could use the new A19 chip, with the Pro models using the A19 Pro. Memory is also expected to be 8GB for the iPhone 17 and 12GB for the Pro and Pro Max models.
Apple is expected to release the iPhone 17 lineup in September. It is expected to feature a new "slim" model in addition to camera bumps that will aid in making the main device body thinner.
