iPhone 17 Pro may move its antennas to that rumored massive camera bump, which could enable better signal strength and bring fewer dropped calls.
Apple is reportedly changing the way antennas are placed on this year’s upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max smartphones. According to leaker Majin Bu, instead of having antennas along the metal frame as usual, Apple plans to move them around the camera bump out the back, a change that’s reminiscent of the antenna design used on the Apple Watch Ultra.
The reason behind this move is apparently to improve signal strength and reduce interruptions caused by how people hold their phones or by nearby metal parts.
iPhone 17 Pro could move antennas to the camera bump
“By moving the antennas to the camera module, Apple aims to minimize signal blockage caused by how people hold their phones, leading to more reliable coverage, especially in crowded wireless environments,” the leaker explained in a post on their personal website.
The reasoning makes sense. Relocating the antennas to the camera bump could help solve issues like dropped calls or slow data speeds caused by your hand touching the phone’s metal frame. The new design would reduce signal shielding and interference, as you hardly touch the camera bump when gripping your iPhone.
The leaker also explains that the new design will enable a more consistent electromagnetic energy spread, which would in turn reduce dead zones in vertical and diagonal directions, boosting signla reception in dense urban environments.
The new camera bar
This change appears connected to the giant new camera bar on the iPhone 17 Pros, which will reportedly grow significantly compared to earlier models. Moving the antennas to that huge camera bump would give Apple more space to improve how the phone sends and receives wireless signals. It should result in steadier reception, even when holding the device in ways that usually cause signal problems.
iPhone 17 Pro New Antenna Design
Full Article:https://t.co/nivzKiY8xy pic.twitter.com/jgbwLteaPO
— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) August 11, 2025
Along with this rumored change, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are expected to feature the new A19 Pro chip, enhanced cameras and possibly another Camera Control shutter button. These phones are expected to launch in early September 2025 alongside the base iPhone 17 model and an all-new ultra-thin model replacing the iPhone Plus in the lineup.
However, this new antenna design will be restricted to the iPhone 17 Pros because non-Pro models won’t have the new camera bar on the back.
Remember “Antennagate”?
Apple first introduced the current antenna design with the iPhone 4 back in 2010. Apple’s solution was to wrap antennas around the edges of the phone’s frame. However, iPhone buyers soon discovered that holding the phone a certain way could cause signal loss, leading to a controversy known as “Antennagate.”
Gizmodo in particular played a significant role in the controversy by sharing a video of a stolen iPhone 4 prototype and highlighting its antenna issues, with details about the “death grip” affecting signal strength when held a certain way.
The fiery reporting led to widespread media attention and consumer concern, and resulted in Consumer Reports famously refusing to recommend the iPhone 4 due to this issue. Apple eventually acknowledged the issue and addressed the controversy with free cases and later improved antenna designs in newer iPhones.