The iPhone 16 may not be out yet, but it should be no surprise that plans are already in place for its successor: the iPhone 17.
Rumors are understandably thin for a phone that’s over a year away. However, there are still enough encouraging noises to make buyers wonder whether they should hold off another 12 months before upgrading.
Here’s what we know so far about the iPhone 17:
iPhone 17: Expected price and release date
With iPhones, it’s pretty easy to guess the release date. For more than a decade, every numbered iPhone has been revealed in September (barring the iPhone 12 , which was pushed back a month due to COVID-19). In other words, it’s extremely likely the iPhone 17 will be unveiled in September 2025, with a release a week or so afterward.
Price is far harder to pin down. In part, that’s because we don’t know if Apple will be raising the cost of the iPhone 16 this year, but it’s also because it’s hard to predict market conditions in 2025. It looks pretty likely that the basic iPhone 17 will cost at least $799, as that’s the MSRP of the iPhone 15 today.
There’s talk of an iPhone 17 Slim replacing the ‘Plus’ model, which reliable leaker Ice Universe claims to be coming in 2025 alongside the other models. More on that below, but one pricing detail now: it will be expensive, with one report suggesting it could cost more than the $1,199 Pro Max models .
iPhone 17 Slim?
The iPhone 17 Slim is rumored to be just what the name suggests: a new, thinner version of the iPhone. Bloomberg’s well-connected reporter Mark Gurman believes this is part of a plan to make “a new class of Apple devices that should be the thinnest and lightest products in the whole tech industry.”
The iPhone 17 Slim will apparently sport a 6.6-inch display, and it could feature a redesign reminiscent of how the iPhone X shook up the iPhone lineup when it dropped the Home button and introduced the notch in 2018. Though talks of it being aluminum rather than Titanium are a touch worrying considering the price talk being bandied about .
To make way for the iPhone 17 Slim, analyst Jeff Pu claims there will be no iPhone 17 Plus. That’s a pity, given the rumored high price for the Slim, but it’s not entirely unexpected: it sounds like the iPhone Plus series hasn’t been that much more successful than its flop of a mini predecessor .
iPhone 17: Design and screen
Beyond the Slim, it doesn’t sound like the iPhone 17 will change much in terms of looks. According to analyst Jeff Pu , the iPhone 17 will still be a 6.1-inch device, with no plans to grow an extra 0.2 inches like this year’s Pro models. While Pu claims Dynamic Island will shrink on the iPhone 17 Pro, the regular model will remain the same.
But despite the similar look, two things may change for the better. The first is that for the first time, the basic iPhone 17 may benefit from the 120Hz ProMotion display for smoother performance and up to 120fps gameplay. The planned LTPO OLED panels will be able to drop to 1Hz with the always-on display, just like the Pro models.
Secondly, the screen itself may be a bit more robust. According to the leaker Instant Digital on Weibo , the iPhone 17’s panel will be “made of a super-hard AR [anti-reflective] layer” to make it “more scratch-resistant than you think.” Perhaps the days of needing a screen protector will soon be over?
Apple’s A-series chips are no slouch, offering some of the best smartphone performance available, but the A19 chipset that could feature in the iPhone 17 series could be a giant leap forward. It could be built to the 2nm process , meaning a greater transistor density for better performance and efficiency.
Greater efficiency means less power drain, which means better battery life. And on that note, Apple is tipped to be making a change with its iPhone 17 series, building its own batteries for the first time . The aim is reportedly to offer “significantly improved performance compared to the existing one”, which sounds extremely promising.
That said, the efficiency improvements on the regular iPhone 17 may be limited. Apple may return to reserving the latest chipset for the Pro models, and the base iPhone 17 could be stuck with the A18 used this year. The analyst Jeff Pu hedges his bets, saying it could be one or the other . He added that the phone would come with 8GB RAM.
iPhone 17: Cameras
While the Pro Max model is tipped to get three 48MP cameras , nothing has yet been revealed about the regular iPhone 17’s rear camera array. That might be because there’s no change from the iPhone 16’s anticipated 48MP primary lens and 12MP ultrawide, or nothing has yet leaked. We shall see.
One thing that has leaked is the word for an upgrade to the front-facing selfie camera. The analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is predicting a 24MP selfie camera for the iPhone 17 — a significant improvement on the 12MP TrueDepth Cam that’s been present since the iPhone 11 Pro Max .
The iPhone 17 Slim, on the other hand, is rumored to feature dual cameras in the rear, as opposed to the triple cameras of the Pro models. This would make it harder for people to choose an iPhone, as the cameras are typically huge selling points for phone buyers.
iPhone 17: Outlook
All in all, it sounds like the iPhone 17 will be a serious upgrade — especially if the 120Hz ProMotion display comes to pass.
One of the reasons it all sounds so impressive is that we’re currently comparing things to the iPhone 15. We’ll have to see if it seems such a step up when the iPhone 16 emerges this September.
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