iPhone 17 Pro case leaks paint a peculiar picture of Apple’s design plans

Macworld

In just about a week, Apple will unveil its new iPhone 17 lineup with some major changes to the Pro line. While the sizes will remain the same, the phones are expected to be slightly thicker with a brand-new camera bar that stretches across the top third of the phone.

That means if you’re upgrading, you’re going to need a new case that fits the new design. We’ve gotten a look at some of them over the past couple of weeks, and now a pair of leaks from Majin Bu and Sonny Dickson show off the new clear case that Apple has made since MagSafe was introduced with the iPhone 12. 

However, this time around it’s not so clear. Instead of a white circle surrounding the Apple logo, Apple has apparently opted to cover the entire glass bottom of the case with a white rectangle that fully obscures the colored glass with a centered Apple logo.

Based on leaked images of the iPhone 17 Pro, the phone will have a very different look this year, with a rectangular piece of glass floating below the camera bar.  Some images position the Apple logo in a similar location as on the iPhone 16 Pro, while others shift the logo lower to be centered within the glass frame. It’s a small detail, but it could be the reason why Apple would opt for a white area rather than a circle. If the Apple logo is in the wrong spot, it could upset the balance of the case. 




Sonny Dickson/X

The current model has a MagSafe circle that encircles the Apple logo, but the iPhone 17 Pro’s larger camera bump and lower logo placement could affect that design. As seen on the inside of the leaked case above, the MagSafe circle is still centered on the back of the phone, meaning it’s near the top edge of the glass section. That’s probably why Apple opted to hide it.

Still, it’s a different look and one that’s certain to be polarizing. While the phone’s natural color will still be visible in the camera bar and along the edges of the white area, it takes away much of the appeal of a clear case. It’s also strange that it’s white rather than colored to match the phone, though Bu says Apple is working on “tinted transparent variants” that could arrive as “limited seasonal editions in the future.”

At any rate, we’ll know very soon what Apple has in store for both the iPhone 17 Pro and its cases. Apple’s “Awe Dropping” iPhone 17 Pro event kicks off at 10 am PT on Tuesday, September 9.