According to leaked news, the iPhone 16 series launched next September will be quite similar to the iPhone 15. Meanwhile, some sources revealed that Apple will make major changes to the iPhone in 2025.

iPhone 17 Plus Feature.jpg
Concept iPhone 17 Slim. Photo: Macrumors

The Information reports that Apple will launch a brand new high-end iPhone 17 in 2025 with an ultra-thin design. This could be the most expensive ‌iPhone‌ Apple has offered to date.

Impressive new design and high price

Rumors have suggested that Apple's planned new iPhone 17 will be called the "iPhone 17 Slim," but it seems unlikely that Apple will use this naming scheme. The thinness designation refers to the thinner, sleeker design of the new iPhone.

Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro M4 has now been reduced by more than 1mm, making it the thinnest device Apple has ever produced. It is predicted that Apple will focus on slim design by 2025, and iPhones are expected to be significantly thinner than current models.

While there's no specific information on how thin the iPhone 17 will be, the iPad Pro is only 5.1mm thick, which could be a desirable size.

In terms of screen size, the iPhone 17 Slim is expected to fall somewhere between the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max. Rumors have suggested 6.55-inch, 6.6-inch, and 6.65-inch screen sizes that Apple could choose from. This would make the iPhone 17 Slim smaller than the iPhone 15 Pro Max (and the rumored iPhone 16 Pro Max).

While Apple has been using titanium for its higher-end iPhones since last year, the iPhone 17 Slim is rumored to feature an aluminum frame. The first rumors about the device actually indicated that it would replace the ‌iPhone‌ “Plus” in Apple’s lineup, but later reports suggested that it would be a new high-end iPhone that would be even more expensive than the Pro Max.

Based on the leaks so far, it looks like the iPhone 17 Slim will resemble the iPhone X that launched in 2017. The iPhone‌ X marked a huge step forward in technology, and it was sold alongside the standard iPhone 8 models.

In 2025, users will likely get the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and a new high-end iPhone 17 Slim, with Apple dropping the Plus model altogether. The iPhone 17 Slim could be more expensive than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, the flagship iPhone launched in 2023 that starts at $1,199.

Move camera position

Along with a thinner and lighter design, the high-end iPhone 17 could get a major overhaul of the rear camera. Rumors suggest that the cameras could be moved from the top left corner of the iPhone's back to the top center of the iPhone 17's back. This could be similar to the design of the Google Pixel.

Pixel 8 Pro, the latest flagship model launched by Google on October 4, has a rear camera cluster design that is a long module containing sensors that are connected together, not separate like before.

Screen Improvements

According to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 17 Slim has a 6.6-inch display, smaller than the 6.7-inch display of the iPhone Plus.

The Slim could feature a ProMotion display with a refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz, a feature that is expected to be available on all iPhone models released in 2025, including the high-end model. However, what's new is that Apple will use a new screen coating.

The new coating is said to have improved anti-reflective properties and better scratch resistance than the current Ceramic Shield coating. It is described as a “super-hard anti-reflective coating.”

Apple has been using Ceramic Shield, a glass-ceramic hybrid material from Corning, since 2020. Corning has made improvements to its protective glass products, and the company's Gorilla Armor material reduces reflectivity by up to 75 percent while also improving drop and scratch resistance.

Corning is a long-time partner of Apple, and while Gorilla Armor was developed for Samsung, Corning could create a similar product for Apple.

Upgraded selfie camera and compact Dynamic Island

The iPhone 17 is expected to feature a reduced Dynamic Island that takes up less screen space. Under-display Face ID technology has been rumored for years, and we could see the first hints of it in 2025.

Apple may be aiming for a notch design with a small hole and a pill-shaped cutout for the front camera. It seems that Apple has not achieved its goal of an all-screen design yet because the under-screen camera technology is not as perfect as expected.

As part of the Dynamic Island redesign, Apple is rumored to be adopting a 24MP front-facing camera, up from the current 12MP. It will feature a six-element lens to improve image quality, allowing for more editing without losing quality.

Faster Chips

It looks like the iPhone 17 series won't get TSMC's next-generation 2nm chip, but the A19 chip could be built on a 3nm process. Apple typically upgrades its iPhones with faster and more efficient chip technology each year, and we're hoping the best chip of 2025 will be in the iPhone 17 Slim.

TSMC, Apple's longtime chipmaking partner, is perfecting its 2nm chip production. But it's not expected to be ready for mass production until late 2025. That means the iPhone 17 won't have a 2nm chip.

Compared with 3nm chip technology, 2nm chips can improve speed by 10 to 15% at the same power consumption, or reduce power consumption by 25% to 30% at the same speed.

Chips built on the 3nm process won’t see the same boosts as those built on the 2nm process, but users can still expect to see gains in CPU and GPU speeds. With Apple’s heavy focus on AI, the dedicated neural engine for machine learning tasks will likely see improvements as well.

Up to 12GB of RAM has been rumored for the high-end ‌iPhone 17‌ models, and that jump would make sense for the more expensive iPhone 17 Slim. Currently, RAM maxes out at 8GB for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The iPhone 16 series is expected to be launched by Apple next September. Notably, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max versions will have strong camera upgrades, support for Wi-Fi 7 and 5G Advance connectivity, and a graphene cooling system. The two high-end iPhones are said to use the A18 Pro processor. Meanwhile, the two standard versions will use the A18 chip with some cuts.

New AI features on iOS 18 - Apple Intelligence just introduced by Apple at WWDC 2024 will be the focus of attention in Apple's artificial intelligence race with Android competitors, when the latest iOS will be officially released with the iPhone 16 series.

Watch the super thin iPhone 17 concept video (Source: Multi Tech Media):

(According to Macrumors, Tom's Guide)

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