iPhone 17 Pro test unit spotted in public, known Apple leaker calls it legit
An alleged prototype of the iPhone 17 Pro may have just surfaced in public, and known Apple leaker Mark Gurman has already weighed in, calling the device “totally legit.” The leak didn’t come from an insider or teardown, but from an X (formerly Twitter) user named @Skyfops, who spotted and photographed the unreleased iPhone being tested in San Francisco’s Union Square.
The post, now viewed over 1.3 million times, shows a person using what appears to be a development unit of the iPhone 17 Pro. One of the photos captures another individual, likely Apple security, trying to block the phone from view, further fuelling the belief that this could, in fact, be the real iPhone 17 Pro test unit.
As visible in the photo, the device featured a unique case, a taped-over Apple logo, and a body that looked noticeably thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro. In fact, Reddit user u/lumpex999 later reposted the same images on r/iphone, where they went viral, sparking thousands of upvotes and a flurry of humorous speculation about the tester’s disguise and the phone’s design.
The leaked unit aligns with earlier rumors suggesting that Apple’s next Pro iPhone could feature a redesigned camera layout and an anti-reflective display coating. That said, while some users remain sceptical, pointing out how similar it looks to past models, others believe it could very well be the real deal precisely because it was spotted so close to Apple HQ.
Unsurprisingly, Apple has not commented on the sighting. But as we move closer to the iPhone 17 launch, we're likely to see more leaks, and probably confirmations of what the upcoming iPhone has and doesn't have to offer.
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