iPhone 17 Pro clear cases allegedly leak, suggesting a major camera redesign: What we think

Alleged iPhone 17 Pro cases have leaked, courtesy of tipster Sonny Dickson, here’s what they have revealed.

The iPhone 17 series is expected to launch later this year, and among all the models, the iPhone 17 Pro variants are expected to receive a significant redesign, particularly in terms of their appearance. The camera module is rumoured to stretch all the way from the left to the right edge of the phone, almost in a Pixel 9-style fashion, but notably larger based on the renders and leaks seen so far.

Alleged iPhone 17 Pro clear cases. (Sonny Dickson/X)

By Shaurya Sharma

Shaurya Sharma is the Technology Editor at Hindustan Times Digital Streams, where he oversees technology coverage across digital and social platforms. With over eight years of experience across editorial, video production, and digital media, his work focuses on smartphones, AI, consumer gadgets, and shaping audience-first content strategies for modern tech consumers.

He began his career in 2018 as a fashion cinematographer before turning his lifelong passion for technology into a profession. From spending his childhood immersed in tech magazines, video games, and the latest gadgets to covering the global consumer tech industry today, technology has remained a constant throughout his journey.

Over the years, Shaurya has worked with some of India’s leading media organisations, including CNN-News18, Sportskeeda, and Guiding Tech, where he led video initiatives that combined strong editorial storytelling with engaging visual and social-first execution.

A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Manipal University, Shaurya has reviewed hundreds of products across categories including smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras, and wearables. Beyond work, he is passionate about animal welfare, environmental causes, and automobiles, particularly turbo-petrol cars

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Now, yet another leak, this time of potential clear cases for the iPhone 17 Pro, also points in this direction. Leaked by tipster Sonny Dickson, the images show two clear cases with large cutouts at the top, likely to accommodate the redesigned camera module. These cases also appear to be MagSafe compatible.

iPhone 17 Pro Camera Module Could Be Huge

It remains unclear why Apple would choose to extend the camera module, especially if the three-camera layout is to remain unchanged, but one theory circulating online, by X account , suggests that the redesign may be linked to the iPhone 17 Pro’s new telephoto camera, which is expected to feature a 48-megapixel sensor. This could result in a physically larger camera component, possibly offering up to 10x optical zoom.

If the new telephoto lens is arranged horizontally, it might leave no space for the LiDAR sensor and the flash in the current layout. Consequently, Apple may need to reposition these components towards the extreme right of the module. That said, this is merely a theory and should be taken with a grain of salt, as it has not been confirmed.

What We Think

If the leaked case designs are accurate, a significant portion of the phone’s upper half appears to be exposed. This would leave the camera array vulnerable if such a case were used.

It remains to be seen how case manufacturers will respond to this potential redesign, and whether they will be able to provide proper coverage for the camera lenses, as some have managed to do for the iPhone 16 Pro series and earlier models.