We ’re still more than a month from the first appearance of the iPhone 16 , and alreadyiPhone 17 rumorsare stirring up . The most interesting of these is probably the phone some are taking to calling “ iPhone 17 Slim , ” a new ultra - slim model that seems to break from a lot of the iPhone tradition of recent years . It ’s a departure from the normal lineup and it ’s something of a gamble for the cosmos ’s biggest phone Creator .

We do n’t even have it away that it ’s going to actually be call “ iPhone 17 ” at all – it could take a page out of the iPhone SE playbook and carry a numberless name like “ iPhone air travel ” that gets a Modern “ generation ” every year or two . But whatever Apple predict it , the product precedence and locating make it a big electric switch from the usual .

What we know (and don’t know) so far

According to the latest and most dependable hearsay , the iPhone 17 lineup willnothave an iPhone 17 Plus . There will be an iPhone 17 , iPhone 17 Pro , iPhone 17 Pro Max , and this new radical - slim iPhone 17 . That ’s not terribly surprising , since all reports indicate that the Plus fashion model has n’t been selling as well as the Pro models .

We ’ve see conflicting reports about this new phone ’s price , with some say it will cost about what you ’d expect an iPhone 17 Plus to cost ( around $ 899 ) and others saying it will be more than an iPhone 17 Pro Max ( as much as $ 1,299 ) . Either way , Apple is ingest its least popular model out of the iPhone card and replacing it with this one .

The iPhone 17 Slim could be price higher than the iPhone 15 Pro Max .

Article image

The iPhone 17 Slim could be priced higher than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Jason Cross / Foundry

no matter of where it outfit in the lineup damage - wise , however , the ultra - svelte iPhone is shaping up to be a existent departure in pattern . We do n’t knowhowmuch slimmer it will be , but it ’s guess to be significantly skinnier , not just a few pct . The cover will be prominent at 6.6 inch , falling between the standard and “ Pro Max ” size of it . The Dynamic Island is said to be smaller , but more or less just like what you ’ll incur on the iPhones coming this fall , so no great leap there .

sure as shooting with a super - thin trunk and a smaller size of it than the iPhone 17 Pro Max , it ’s going to be lightweight . But that also means less room for shelling , and maybe other internal components as well . One wonders if there will be compromises to the Speaker for haptics , for example . And get this : It ’s reportedly going to have the same A19 C.P.U. as the radix iPhone 17 , not the high - end A19 Pro . And possibly onlyonerear tv camera , the main Wide tv camera !

iPhone 15 Pro Max

The iPhone 17 Slim could be priced higher than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Of course , there ’s plenty we do n’t know , too . Apple could utilise some singular raw computer hardware that none of the other iPhones have , like some sort of raw display or battery engineering . And of row , there ’s always the possibility for software enhancement that are exclusive to this modelling .

On the surface , though , the pitch is left over : Would you paymorefor a earphone that isless capable but skinnier ?

Why it’s a gamble, but not a huge one

Apple seems to be bank on the fact that yes , there are enough client who will yield more for a significantly slimmer iPhone even if it has noticeably worse capabilities than even the stem iPhone 17 . This is at odds with the feedback we commonly see online , in which Apple lover seem to wish the party would just add a touch more thickness in parliamentary procedure to stuff more battery into its devices .

It may not be a goosy gamble on Apple ’s part , though . Typically , the iPhone 17 Plus has been the least democratic of the four modeling , with newfangled iPhone buyer incline to opt for the flashy framework ( the base iPhone 17 , for object lesson ) or spring for the higher - price Pro feature . The Plus modeling are stuck in the awkward middle , satisfying neither the budget - witting nor feature - go after users . Apple does n’t free sales agreement number , but most analyst nail the Plus role model at around 10 pct of the iPhone market or less .

The iPhone Plus models have n’t been huge sellers — so swap it out for a dear prototype is n’t too much of a gamble .

iphone 14 plus yellow

The iPhone Plus models haven’t been huge sellers—so swapping it out for a pricey prototype isn’t too much of a gamble.

Foundry

If Apple is pricing the novel Slim modelhigher , with on the face of it a hefty margin have that it has the lower - end chip and a single rear tv camera , it does n’t call for to betray very many of them to do at least as well as an iPhone 17 Plus would . In fact , if the gross profit is a piffling better than the Plus and the price is higher , the iPhone 17 Slim could account for just 1 in 20 iPhone sales ( 5 percent ) and do just as well as the current iPhone Plus .

And at least , unlike the Plus , the Slim / Air / Whatever would have something going for it . It would n’t be a middle - price iPhone that is not the most anything — not the cheapest , not the biggest , not the fastest , not the most full - sport — but this rumored phone would at least be able to say “ This is a new unique fashionable design you ca n’t get in any other iPhone . ” And while that may not be worth a premium to you or me , there are plenty of hoi polloi who would n’t want any other model .

We ’re still more than a year away from Apple actually foretell the existence of an radical - slim novel iPhone 17 mannequin , so there ’s lots of time for hearsay to swirl and project to change . It may never even do to market . But it ’s exciting to see Apple do new things , take some risks , and essay thing out . Taking the problematic middle - child Plus model out of the line to make way for something different is a smart move , and I ’d love to see Apple apply the same ethos to other less - pop products .

Before theiPhone 17arrives , we ’re have a bun in the oven theiPhone 16andiPhone SE quarto launch . iPhone 16 will come at aSeptember launch outcome – find outhow to observe the Apple September event live stream . For iPhone SE 4 and othernew Apple products , seewhen is the next Apple event . You might also like ouriPhone buying guide , best iPhone deals , andcomparison of every iPhone that is available to bribe today .