Analyst: Skip the iPhone 16 and wait for the iPhone 17

According to a fresh analyst report, a lot of people will want to skip the iPhone 16 in favour of the iPhone 17.

We’re about a month out from Apple’s big iPhone 16 announcement, but one analyst has put a bit of a dampener on things. In a new note for investors, Jeff Pu (via 9to5Mac) has repeated claims that there will be “limited spec upgrades” with this year’s models.

It seems the main advancements will be slightly larger displays for the Pro models (6.3-inch for the iPhone 16 Pro, 6.9-inch for the iPhone 16 Pro Max), an improved 5x telephoto camera for the Pro, a 48MP ultra-wide camera for both Pro models, and of course a bump up in performance courtesy of Apple’s A18 chip.

The plain iPhone 16 models will apparently gain the new action button, a reconfigured camera duo for Spatial Videos, and that’s about it. It seems Apple will be counting on its new Apple Intelligence features to shift units, and even then these will be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro.

While Pu isn’t expecting sales growth from the iPhone 16 range, he is holding out high hopes for the iPhone 17 in 2025. Reports suggest this will bring about a fresh design (possibly with a super-slim variant), an improved 24MP selfie camera, a better 48MP telephoto camera, and a reduced Dynamic Island notch, among other things.

Pu also notes that there will be a bunch of iPhone 12 users looking to upgrade. The iPhone 12 was arguably the last major revamp for the range, with the now familiar flat design making its debut. With more and more people waiting three years in between upgrades, the iPhone 17 could represent the next big spike in Apple’s smartphone sales.