iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report.

iPhone 17 Air Pastel FeatureiPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design

The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to follow before the devices enter mass production.

This is a routine but key milestone for Apple to have achieved ahead of the iPhone 17 series launching in the usual month of September.

Following the EVT stage, there is still a window for Apple to make some smaller iPhone spec changes, if necessary. For example, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently claimed that Apple would make a final decision on whether to include 8GB or 12GB of RAM in the iPhone 17 base model by May. At a minimum, Kuo expects the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max to be equipped with 12GB of RAM.

Read our iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, and iPhone 17 Pro roundups to learn more about the upcoming devices and their rumored feature sets.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17 (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...

iOS 26.1 Beta Liquid Glass Battery Drain Test: Tinted vs Clear Mode

Friday October 24, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
In the fourth iOS 26.1 beta, Apple added a "Tinted" option that reduces the translucency of Liquid Glass for those who prefer a more opaque look. I saw some comments wondering whether the setting might preserve battery life, so I thought I'd do some testing. Test Settings I did four separate tests using the iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I kept the parameters as similar as possible. Here are the...

Apple Says U.S. Passport Feature on iPhone is Coming Soon

Monday October 27, 2025 7:41 am PDT by
You will "soon" be able to add a digital version of your U.S. passport to your iPhone, according to Jennifer Bailey, vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Bailey reiterated that the feature is coming soon during her keynote at the Money20/20 USA conference in Las Vegas on Sunday. On its iOS 26 page, Apple says the delayed feature will be "coming later this year." Apple's...

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...

Another Vehicle Brand Gaining iPhone Car Keys Support

Tuesday October 28, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to bring support for its digital car key feature to Jetour vehicles, according to evidence uncovered on Apple's backend by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. Introduced in 2022, Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done by holding an Apple Watch or...

Top Rated Comments

26 weeks ago
That render looks a lot like a Pixel 9 Pro





Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
26 weeks ago

Can’t wait to see iPhone Air. From “Unbox Therapy” with like 800k views the Reviewer was mind boggled over the thinness and said Apple will sell a boatload of these.
I doubt the stupid thin one will sell that well.

For one thing, it's still going to have the horrible camera wart.
For another, it's going to bend far more easily than a thicker phone.
And of course there's no chance the battery life will be anywhere near as good as a thicker phone.
Then there's the thermal throttling.

Might sell well the first few weeks, then the bad reviews will start coming in and sales will plummet. Wouldn't be surprised if Apple sees a lot of returns on it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
26 weeks ago
17 air will be a tribute to the basic phone. ☎️

So it’ll have a phone app and YouTube.

That’s it.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
26 weeks ago
Another year, sticking with my 15 pro.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
26 weeks ago

I doubt the stupid thin one will sell that well.

For one thing, it's still going to have the horrible camera wart.
For another, it's going to bend far more easily than a thicker phone.
And of course there's no chance the battery life will be anywhere near as good as a thicker phone.
Then there's the thermal throttling.

Might sell well the first few weeks, then the bad reviews will start coming in and sales will plummet. Wouldn't be surprised if Apple sees a lot of returns on it.
Battery life would seem to be a concern but I can’t imagine Apple not solving that dilemma right off the bat before they proceeded. Anyhow I’m just passing along the Reviewer amazement and excitement.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
26 weeks ago

Another year, sticking with my 15 pro.
I'm hoping for at least another three years with my 15 pro max. I'll be good with 5 years of use out of it.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)