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iPhone 17 Rumors, From a Slim ‘Air’ Model to a 25% Tariff Threat

Apple couldn’t keep the iPhone out of the tariff wars forever, it seems.

We’re still months away from Apple’s anticipated reveal of the newest iPhone, which we expect to happen in the company’s usual September window for launching the next edition of its popular line of smartphones. In the meantime, plenty of rumors are swirling about what the upcoming device, likely called the iPhone 17, could look like. 

From a redesigned camera module to a slimmer «Air» version of the iPhone 17, there’s been lots of buzz about what Apple’s next lineup will bring. We might even see a fresh blue color option for the Pro models. 

But the biggest news could be that iPhones get pricier thanks to tariffs. President Donald Trump threatened that Apple phones made outside the US would be subject to a 25% tariff, which could tack $200 or more on to the prices of the iPhone 17 series if all that extra cost was passed along to the consumer. We’ll have to wait and see how Apple and CEO Tim Cook respond to this proclamation.

And the rumors aren’t just about external appearances; reports suggest Apple will overhaul the look and feel of its software with the launch of iOS 19 as well. There are also rumors about increased RAM across all four expected devices.

Here’s what analysts and leakers predict about the iPhone 17 lineup. 

A slimmer iPhone 17 ‘Air’ 

One of the biggest rumors surrounds a possible iPhone «Air,» a thinner version of Apple’s flagship device that would replace the iPhone Plus option. 

The Air could feature a 6.6-inch screen, making it slightly smaller than the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max but still bigger than the baseline model, according to analysts Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo. A Bloomberg report from March supports those rumors, and notes that the iPhone Air could measure 5.5mm thick. The report also suggests the phone will cost around $900, putting it on par with the iPhone 16 Plus and maintaining its place in the iPhone hierarchy. 

For Apple to slim down a device, it would need to make hardware trade-offs, and that might include the phone’s camera. According to both Kuo and Bloomberg, it’s possible this version of the iPhone 17 would have only one main camera, doing without the ultrawide and 5x telephoto lenses that have been staples of Apple’s premium iPhones for years. This would place the slim iPhone in the same camp as the $600 iPhone 16E when it comes to cameras, as that phone has only one rear lens. The good news, though, is that the selfie camera on the iPhone Air could get a boost; more on that later. 

One key challenge will be maintaining a high battery capacity, since a slimmer build typically means less space for the battery and thus a potential compromise on battery life. Bloomberg suggests Apple is focused on tackling that shortcoming. The report also notes that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have superslim bezels, a Camera Control button and the Dynamic Island.

The phone will likely feature an A18 or A19-branded chip, Pu suggests. This would reportedly match the chip in the baseline iPhone 17. It could also include the Apple-developed 5G modem, called the C1 chip, which debuted on the iPhone 16E.

A higher refresh rate across the board

Rumor has it all models of the iPhone 17 will feature a 120Hz display, bumping the non-Pro models up from their current 60Hz refresh rate. That could be a welcome change, as the discrepancy between the Pro and non-Pro refresh rate is surprising; when Apple debuted the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus with a 60Hz display, there was a bit of an outcry from folks who expected more in 2024. This rumored update could remedy that — and possibly bring the always-on display to the baseline model. 

What we likely won’t see is a new anti-reflective display that Apple was reportedly working on, according to MacRumors. A source reportedly told the publication that Apple scrapped plans for a more scratch-resistant display coating which could have appeared on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. This would have made them the first iPhones with an anti-reflective screen, giving them a feature that CNET’s Patrick Holland deemed one of the best attributes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. According to MacRumors, «Apple ran into problems scaling up the display coating process, and it is currently no longer a planned feature for the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models.»

Camera upgrades 

It’s not an iPhone release without a camera upgrade, and there have been plenty of rumors about what the camera module could look like on Apple’s upcoming phones. In January, a leaked image from Majin Bu on X suggested the phone could feature a pill-shaped camera bar, essentially resembling what you’d find on Google’s Pixel 9 phone. In February, Bu followed up with CAD renders of what’s said to be the iPhone 17 lineup, featuring horizontal camera bars, as well as larger rectangular bars on the iPhone 17 Pro models. 

Front Page Tech also shared iPhone 17 Pro renders in a video in February, depicting a larger camera bar that maintains the lens’ stacked layout. A separate video on the iPhone 17 Air shows a smaller camera bar, with one lens on the left. 

In April, Bloomberg reported the «iPhone 17 Pro will look a lot more like the 16 Pro than anticipated,» adding, «From the front, the 17 Pro will appear quite similar to the 16 Pro. It’s the back camera that will look meaningfully different.» The latest rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Pro’s three-lens camera arrangement will be maintained, but will sit on a new panel that stretches across the phone’s width.

Later in April, Bu again posted an image of the purported iPhone 17 lineup, showing those wider camera bars with the stacked lenses still configured to the left. 

Not until next year, for the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, will Apple be «preparing a major shake-up» for the phone’s design, Bloomberg says. That includes a (long-rumored) foldable version and a «bold new Pro model that makes more extensive use of glass.»

Another camera-related rumor is that the selfie camera on all iPhone 17 models, including the Air, will be upgraded to 24 megapixels, according to Pu. That’s a decent bump from the current 12-megapixel front-facing camera on the iPhone 16 lineup, though it’s important to remember that more megapixels don’t automatically mean better photos. Still, given how much people increasingly rely on their front cameras to snap selfies and record videos for TikTok and Instagram, this will surely be a welcome advancement.

A sky blue iPhone 17 Pro

It’s not clear what colors will be included in the iPhone 17’s lineup. But in April, Bu said the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could include a sky blue option. In an article, Bu wrote that «sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue currently the frontrunner.» 

Bu describes the sky blue color as being «even more stunning than the much-loved Sierra Blue of the iPhone 13 Pro, with a brightness and refinement that make it irresistible.» (My colleague Jeff Carlson isn’t so thrilled about this rumor.)

iOS 19 could bring a fresh look

Regarding what’s on the inside, Apple is reportedly looking to revamp its mobile operating system with the release of iOS 19. According to Bloomberg, this «includes updating the style of icons, menus, apps, windows and system buttons.» Sources reportedly told the publication that Apple is «working to simplify the way users navigate and control their devices,» and that the design borrows from the Vision Pro’s operating system. For instance, VisionOS features more circular app icons and translucent navigation panels. It’s possible what you’ll see on your future iPhone could more closely mirror this aesthetic.

The software revamp would reportedly extend to iPad and Mac, therefore bringing consistency across Apple’s devices. Bloomberg notes this would be the biggest software shakeup since macOS Big Sur’s release in 2020 and iOS 7’s release in 2013.

Other possible features

The rumors on what frames the iPhone 17 lineup will feature have gone back and forth, but Pu recently suggested the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all have aluminum frames. He noted that the iPhone 17 Air could be the outlier with a titanium frame. 

Additionally, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could have a narrower Dynamic Island, thanks to a smaller Face ID sensor. Pu has said the Dynamic Island on other iPhone 17 models would reportedly stay the same size. 

In February, Kuo noted Apple will swap out Broadcom’s Wi-Fi chips for in-house chips across the iPhone 17 lineup, stating this would «enhance connectivity across Apple devices.» It’s not yet clear what exactly this would mean, but it would be interesting if Apple’s C1 chip were accompanied by its own Wi-Fi chip, too.

In April, tipster Digital Chat Station noted that given the use of Apple Intelligence and AI on a «large scale,» all the phones will come with 12GB of RAM. Digital Trends notes this aligns with previous suggestions from Kuo, which gives the rumor some added weight. The iPhone 16 lineup tops out at 8GB of RAM, so this would be a notable leap. 

We’ll continue to update this piece as more rumors surface, so be sure to follow along. 

Check Out the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s Cameras, Display and Colors

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Technologies

Here’s How to Watch the New ‘Scream 7’ Trailer and Stream All the Past Movies

You like scary movies, right? The original Scream from 1996 is streaming for free with ads.

Do you like scary movies? Scream fans will recognize that line, and they received an early Halloween treat on Thursday with the release of a new trailer for Scream 7. Neve Campbell’s return as series heroine Sidney Prescott battling a new Ghostface killer could be the reason to revisit earlier spooky films in the franchise.

The upcoming Scream 7 revolves around Prescott’s facing a masked, knife-wielding murderer (yeah, you know what the mask looks like) who targets her family. It doesn’t hit theaters until Feb. 27, but if you’d like to get prepared and nab some Halloween scares, here’s how to stream Scream 1-6.


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How to stream the Scream movies on Halloween

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Technologies

ARC Raiders Beginner’s Guide: 7 Tips You’ll Need to Thrive Above Speranza

When a new extraction shooter drops, players quickly learn how brutal death can be. Here’s how to avoid the sting of losing hours of progress.

Developer Embark Studios’ ARC Raiders is the latest extraction shooter that’s set to take the gaming world by storm. As genre veterans and newcomers alike emerge from the underground town of Speranza to take on killer robots — and their fellow humans — players quickly learn how brutal it is to lose loot on death.

Luckily, ARC Raiders is the most «casual» extraction shooter I’ve ever played. That isn’t to say that it’s an easy game, but there are built-in mechanics that make the hardcore gameplay loop far more accessible to a wider audience.


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This guide will equip you with the knowledge you need to make real progress in ARC Raiders before, during and after a raid. Read on to find out about what keybinds you need to learn, what loot to focus on first and how you can quickly recoup some wealth after a string of failed runs.

Figure out your shoulder swap keybind before you ever load into a match

ARC Raiders is a third-person shooter with high-stakes player-versus-player combat. If you want to stand a chance against an enemy player in a serious firefight, you need to know how to swap your camera view from aiming over your character’s right shoulder to aiming over their left shoulder so you can peek around corners without exposing yourself too much.

The default bind for this action on PC is «X,» so get used to pressing that key — or swap it to something you’re more comfortable with. Switching the camera from shoulder to shoulder will help you peek around corners before you expose your body, eliminating blind spots and giving you a competitive advantage. In a game where one death could eliminate hours of progress, you certainly don’t want to give up crucial lines of sight.

Nothing to lose, everything to gain: Utilize the free loadouts

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve just suffered consecutive squad wipes, you’ll never be without a gun, simple medicine and other basic supplies. You can opt to enter a raid with a «free loadout,» which will provide you with a hodgepodge of low-grade gear. Unlike in other extraction shooters (looking at you, Escape From Tarkov) there’s no cooldown period on taking a free loadout into a match — you can do so whenever you like.

You can’t carry as much weight or pack out as much loot as you’d be able to with any other class mod on, but this is a great way to try to hit a heavily trafficked zone without the risk of losing your good weapons. As a bonus, if you manage to extract with a free loadout, you can trade the «free loadout» mod for a basic green-tier class mod at the vendor named Lance in Speranza.

Focus on completing quests for the denizens of Speranza

ARC Raiders largely cuts you loose to raid, engage in gunfights with other players and loot whatever you like at the start of the game. But it’s highly recommended to follow the guided progression path to get some extra equipment, learn what activities you can get involved in topside and unlock harder missions with more valuable rewards.

Always check in with Speranza’s traders after each raid to see what quests you can take on (or turn in). Some quests will require you to bring certain items back from a raid, and others will have you battling ARC robots or completing objectives throughout the world. Make sure to keep completing quests in order to discover all of the secrets ARC Raiders has to offer.

Loot the dog collar ASAP

Scrappy is a rooster that sits around Speranza collecting crafting materials while you’re out fighting killer machines. He brings the scrap back home to you because he’s a very good boy. Reward him with a dog collar so he feels loved — and so that he levels up and brings you loot even more quickly.

The looting rooster can be upgraded multiple times, but you should focus on finding the dog collar while on a surface run to bring him up to level two at first. The dog collar can be found in random containers, but during the press previews I had the good fortune of finding one at The Dam map’s research and administration area.

When you’re searching for scrap, prioritize big pieces of loot

You’ll find lots of metal scrap, plastic tubing and miscellaneous wires as you rifle through loot containers topside. These are definitely worth stuffing into your pockets; they’re the bread and butter of crafting materials and something you’ll want to stash away early on.

You’ll probably run into what’s a «good problem» to have sooner or later: running out of carry space mid-raid. Raw materials can quickly overflow your inventory, forcing you to extract early. Instead, focus on larger pieces of tech like TVs, radios and big chunks of ARC robots.

Once you successfully extract these items from a match, you can break them down into their parts to gain a variety of crafting components. In a way, they act like compact storage units for multiple raw materials at once.

Grow your net worth. No, seriously

I know, this sounds like the mantra for a bad internet con artist. But building up a small nest egg in ARC Raiders is a great way to ensure you can throw together backup loadouts if you meet an untimely end multiple times in a row. This is bad enough on your own, but if you’re squadding up with friends, you don’t want to be the only one without a good loadout.

If you can’t find the specific materials you’re looking for during a raid, it’s well worth looking for valuables instead. Jewelry, vases and other creature comforts fetch a pretty penny when you sell them to the traders in Speranza. Once you’ve saved up a couple thousand coins, you can trade them in for new weapons, attachments and even stash upgrades.

Guns aren’t the end all, be all of ARC Raiders combat

While it’s incredibly gratifying to run into the thick of battle and wipe a squad out with a strong submachine gun or pick off straggling raiders from afar with a leveled-up bolt-action rifle, you can’t always rely on your guns to win a fight. ARC Raiders features tons of gadgets and deployable equipment that can quickly turn the tide of a fight if used correctly.

Grappling hooks and ziplines add a new level of verticality to gunfights, while high-explosive grenades can flush enemies out of cover. Deployable walls and smoke grenades can counter these tactics or let players safely blitz a wide-open area. If you want to get really clever, you can bring throwable noise lures that will cause ARC robots to converge on your enemies — the AI will do the dirty work and won’t even loot the bodies.

Your strategies are limited if you don’t bring a couple pieces of gear. Consider leaving that extra stack of shield rechargers in your stash — if you need 10 of them in a single match, you probably have bigger problems — and grab a couple of grenades for your next raid instead.

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Warframe Has Come to Starfinder in a New Tabletop Module, and It’s Awesome

Operation: Orias makes a solid attempt at bringing the online shooter experience to your gaming table, and it’s available now.

I’ve been playing tabletop roleplaying games for nearly 30 years, and if there’s one constant throughout that time, it’s a ceaseless effort to bring concepts from books, movies and games to the table. It makes sense. The original TTRPGs were heavily influenced by the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and so many other writers of the era, but this is also true of sci-fi games. Today, the folks behind the popular free game Warframe have announced a partnership with Starfinder to release an adventure that brings the two games together called Operation: Orias.

Before fans of either franchise start dreaming of a world where you’ll be able to wield your favorite Frames to spectacularly devastating effect across the Desna’s Path galaxy, Operation: Orias takes place quite far away from the Starfinder story as you know it today. Instead, this module takes place in the Origin System, and the Protoframes you have access to in this adventure won’t play exactly the same as the online game. That said, if you’re a fan of either or both games you are in for an absolute treat.

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Without spoiling too much about the adventure itself, Operation: Orias gives a game master everything they need to send four players as the Hex syndicate against familiar adversaries like Infested, Corpus and Grineer in a four- to six-hour adventure. While this leans heavily on Warframe: 1999 for the details, in a brief interview with Pathfinder Creative Director Luis Loza, it became clear a lot of work went into balancing the frenetic Warframe experience in TTRPG form. When asked about this effort, Loza highlighted efforts to account for the speed and constant action of a video game.

«I tried to make sure that I was able to translate as much of the intense feel of the game as possible with abilities that sold the idea of speed and intensity, even when moving at the turn-based pace of a TTRPG,» Loza said. «Characters have the ability to leap great distances in a single movement and offensive abilities that help them attack multiple enemies en masse. The enemies are also a bit on the weaker side, so players can take them out quickly, which helps get the power from the video game across.»

Starfinder x Warframe: Operation Orias is available now at Paizo for $9 if you want the PDF version, or $13 for the full color 20-page booklet. If you’ve never played Starfinder before or if it’s been a minute, you will need the Second Edition Core Rulebook to play this adventure, which will run you an additional $20 for the PDF version or $70 for the print version. For you dice goblins out there, the Warframe store has a beautiful seven-piece dice set with a matching dark blue tray themed for this adventure, which you can preorder for $40. And for those who love playing online, this whole experience can be enjoyed via the Roll20 system with ease.

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