Nine Apple iPhone 17 Features That Weren't Revealed At 'Awe Dropping' Event

Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ event introduced the iPhone 17 range and the ultra-slim iPhone Air, but not everything was shared on stage.

According to Tech Radar, several hidden features and improvements in the new devices have only come to light after the announcement. Here’s a look at nine such features Apple didn’t reveal.

Tech Radar reports that Apple has released a new ‘Dynamic’ power adapter alongside the iPhone 17, priced at $39 (around Rs 3,400). Rated at 40W with the ability to surge to 60W briefly, it allows the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max to reach 50% charge in about 20 minutes.

This is a significant improvement over the 30 minutes needed for the iPhone 16 series. Also, the new models support 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging, meaning third-party wireless chargers can also hit these speeds.

The iPhone Air misses out on these. It is limited to 20W MagSafe and Qi2 charging, and its fast-charging speeds are slower. It reaches 50% charge in 30 minutes compared with 20 minutes for the other variants, Tech Radar notes.

Pulse Width Modulation, used to control brightness, can cause eye strain for some users. The iPhone 17 Pro offers an accessibility setting to disable PWM, though it has so far only been spotted on the Pro model.

The MagSafe Battery can magnetically attach to iPhones to provide wireless power, but due to the larger camera bumps on the iPhone 17 models, it only works with the iPhone Air. Tech Radar adds that while it is iPhone Air-specific, the accessory can also charge smaller devices through USB-C.

Apple switched from titanium to aluminium frames in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. This change improves heat dissipation, allowing the devices to run cooler, particularly with the new vapour chamber and the powerful A19 Pro chips

While Apple has introduced TechWoven cases, the FineWoven material remains in use. Tech Radar reports that new MagSafe wallets and AirTag key rings made from FineWoven have been launched, disproving rumours that the material had been discontinued.

The new C1X chip powers 5G connectivity across the iPhone 17 lineup, but the iPhone Air lacks mmWave support. Only the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max include this feature, which offers faster speeds than standard 5G.

Security remains a priority in the iPhone 17 lineup. According to Tech Radar, the devices feature Memory Integrity Enforcement, which protects against memory corruption exploits often used by high-level spyware. Hidden tags are applied to each memory block, blocking unauthorised access and making attacks more difficult and costly.

For USB-C file transfers, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max support USB 3 speeds of up to 10Gbps. The iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, however, are limited to USB 2 speeds at 480Mbps, resulting in slower wired transfer rates.

Even after Apple’s high-profile announcement, these hidden features reveal that there’s more to the iPhone 17 range than initially meets the eye.