Bizarre iPhone 17 photo leak shows Apple could be heading in a new direction

As we prepare for Samsung's first major phone launch of 2025, let's not forget its major rival... Apple. We might not be expecting the next flagship iPhone series to arrive until much later in the year, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill can't roll on.

The latest is on the iPhone 17 and, if true, it could give us an indication that Apple is set for the biggest design swerve in six or seven years.

In fact – and this is usually very un-Apple-like – it could even see the firm adopt another rival's ideas.

A photo has appeared online of what is alleged to be the rear casing of the iPhone 17. Shared by serial leaker Majin Bu on his X account, it reveals a familiar-looking camera unit.

Anyone who owns or seen the Google Pixel 9, 9 Pro or 9 Pro XL will recognise the design immediate. The candy bar-style camera unit was redesigned for that range released last year and has a similar form factor to the one shown in the leaked photo.

What's perhaps most interesting about the version Apple will reportedly adopt is that it seems to have just the one lens, with another cutout on the other side for the flash (presumably). That makes us doubt that it'll be used on the iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max. In fact, it's also highly unlikely that the standard iPhone 17 models would revert to a single camera.

Instead, we might have just spotted the rear casing of the much-rumoured iPhone 17 Air (or Slim, as some are calling it).

It has been claimed for a while that the Air will sport a single 48-megapixel camera on the rear, to keep the device thinner than usual. Could Apple be adopting this new camera setup for that reason? After all, it only needs the sides to be slimmer.

Whatever the case, it's unlikely we'll find out anything more definite soon – the iPhone 17 family isn't expected to make its debut until September. We could see a new iPhone SE soon, though, so keep them peeled for that.