iPhone 17

 iPhone 17 Slim rumour : Might be more expensive 

Yet another report has surfaced about the iPhone 17 Slim, a potential replacement for the Plus-sized replacement in the 2025 iPhone line up. Also there are claims that the new phone will have a very un-Plus-like price. Apple is revamping its iPhone line up next year, retiring the Plus model and launching a Slim one instead. But so far we thought the iPhone 17 Slim would be similarly positioned to the Plus, only thinner. According to a new report, that won't be the case. Instead, the iPhone 17 Slim will be the most premium of the bunch, and thus more expensive than even the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Apple seems to love thinness these days, having recently released the thinnest device it's ever made in the 13" iPad Pro, and is now apparently looking to trim down the iPhone as well - and, in true Apple fashion, at a premium. Thin is apparently in with next years iPhone release. According to a report, this 2025 release would be a "significantly thinner version of the iPhone" arriving at the same time as the iPhone 17. The report also claims the new model could cost more than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is currently Apple's most expensive handset at $1,199. 

In initial reports, analyst Jeff Pu seemed to suggest that the iPhone 17 Slim would sport a tweaked design and a 6.6-inch display. With a Plus-sized iPhone expected to be part of the iPhone 16 release this coming fall, the Slim would knock the Plus out of the line up a year later. But several sources have allegedly described the iPhone 17 Slim as an iPhone X-level leap in terms of design language for Apple, and by the time 2025 hits, it will definitely be time for a fresh look. It's expected to be "significantly thinner" than any other iPhone before it, and may employ an aluminium chassis.

But The Information's report suggests the iPhone 17 Slim could be a bit higher-end than the Plus, with a redesign as significant as the new look introduced by the iPhone X in 2018. That model became the first $1,000 smartphone Apple sold, though subsequent releases have gone over that mark. The design hasn't been finalized yet, and Apple is apparently still looking at several options. The Dynamic Island will be smaller, while the rear camera island is likely to move to the center of the phone. The screen size isn't clear yet, this report states, even though a previous rumor said the iPhone 17 Slim's display will be smaller than the iPhone 15 Plus'.

In case you're wondering why the Plus model will be discontinued after this year, it's simple - sales numbers. The new Slim iPhone could instead act like a halo model, attracting people much more than the Plus ever could. While it's early yet, potential design changes cited by The sources don't sound all that high-end. For one the phone is said to feature an aluminium chassis and not the lighter, more durable titanium frame Apple introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro models. Other potential changes included in the report point to a smaller hole and pill-shaped cut-out for the iPhone 17 Slim, along with an A19 chipset running the show, not exactly the sorts of things that would justify a price hike above the pricey Max models. 

There's a lot of time between now and when we would see any sort of iPhone 17 model, let alone the Slim. Thinness seems to be a big selling point at Apple, which recently unveiled a 5.1mm-thin iPad Pro 2024. Currently, the iPhone comes in at 7.8mm. The iPhone 16 has yet to launch, that's coming in the fall, and only then will talk turn to the 2025 models.