iPhone 16 hype dims amid rumors of major iPhone 17 upgrade

Apple’s iPhone 16 is due to launch in two weeks, but we’re already seeing rumors about its successor, the iPhone 17.

On Wednesday, a Chinese leaker said that the iPhone 17 will be a huge upgrade compared to iPhone 16 when it comes to RAM. Apple’s iPhone 16 models will come with 8GB of RAM, he said, but iPhone 17 will have 12GB of RAM, which will apparently make it more capable to handle advanced AI applications.

Then, Apple sleuth Ming-Chi Kuo chimed in in a tweet. According to Kuo only the iPhone 17 Pro Max will come with 12GB RAM, with the other models still limited to 8GB RAM.

“Enhanced on-device AI capabilities will likely be a major selling point for the iPhone 17 Pro Max,” he wrote.

Kuo also said that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have an “upgraded cooling system combining vapor chamber (VC) technology and graphite sheets,” while the other new iPhones launched in 2025 will use graphite sheets alone for thermal management.

There’s a lot of assumptions here: We don’t even know how much RAM the iPhone 16 will have, as this device hasn’t come out. We do know, however, that the iPhone 15 models come with 6GB of RAM, while both the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have 8GB of RAM.

Artificial intelligence (or Apple Intelligence, as Apple calls it) can be resource hungry, so it makes sense for Apple to beef up RAM for next year’s models.

This is not the first rumor we’ve heard about Apple’s iPhone 17. Previous reports said that Apple is working on a “slim” iPhone 17 variant; we’ve also heard that the iPhone 17 will have an upgraded, 24-megapixel selfie camera, and that the rear camera will be relocated to the top center of the phone’s back.

Apple may shake up its iPhone lineup yet again next year with the introduction of the iPhone 17 Slim, according to analysts’ reports from tech business news outlet The Information. If true, the shift would be the latest design change Apple has made to its smartphone family in the last four years, coming after it introduced the now-extinct “Mini” and “Plus”-sized iPhones in previous years.

With the rumored iPhone 17 Slim, Apple appears to be focusing on aesthetics above all else, reports and rumors indicate. As the name implies, the iPhone 17’s thinness is expected to be its main draw, unlike the Pro models which rely more heavily on camera quality and processing power to distinguish themselves from Apple’s standard iPhones. Apple took a similar approach with the 2024 iPad Pro, which the company flaunts as being its thinnest product ever. 

The iPhone Plus, which Apple launched with the iPhone 14 lineup as a larger-sized base model option, may be phased out in favor of this new iPhone 17 Slim in 2025, says TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. This suggests Apple is looking for new ways to get shoppers excited about its non-Pro iPhones, coming after its premium Pro options have been outshining sales of the regular iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.

“The once flagship, now base iPhone 15, is no longer the leading-edge choice, as the Pro and Pro Max models take that role,” wrote CIRP’s Michael Levin and Josh Lowitz in a May report shared with CNET.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding reports about the iPhone 17 Slim. 

With the absence of a foldable phone, the iPhone 17 Slim could be a clever way for Apple to get customers excited about the iPhone’s design again. Here’s what we know about it so far.

iPhone 17 Slim release date and price

If Apple does release a slimmer new iPhone, it will likely do so in 2025 as part of the iPhone 17 lineup, say reports from Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu and co-founder and CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants Ross Young (as reported by 9to5Mac). Kuo, Bloomberg and The Information have reported similar findings.

Even though Apple may cut the iPhone Plus from its lineup, don’t expect the iPhone 17 Slim to be a direct replacement, says Kuo. Instead, it’s meant to be a new variant entirely rather than another flavor of the base iPhone. The Information reports that it could even be more expensive than the $1,200 iPhone Pro Max. 

iPhone 17 Slim to get slightly smaller display

The iPhone 17 Slim may have a 6.6-inch screen, which would make it slightly smaller than the iPhone Plus and iPhone Pro Max, according to the analyst Pu and Kuo. Both analysts also foresee changes to the iPhone 17 Slim’s materials too, with Pu saying the iPhone 17 Slim (along with the base and Pro model) will be made of a “more complex” aluminum material and Kuo reporting the iPhone 17 Slim will have a “titanium-aluminum alloy metal frame.” The cutout for the Dynamic Island is expected to remain the same size, say both analysts. 

iPhone 17 Slim may have just one main camera  

Apple might make a bold choice with the iPhone 17 Slim’s camera. The company’s super-slim iPhone may only have one main wide camera, reports Kuo, meaning it would lack the ultrawide and telephoto lenses that have been staples within Apple’s premium iPhone lineup for years. 

The only device in Apple’s current crop of iPhones to come with one rear camera is the $429 iPhone SE. If true, the move would further underscore that Apple is truly focusing on design above all else with the iPhone 17 Slim, hoping to attract users that want an iPhone that feels new and different rather than one with a souped-up camera. 

The choice to include just one rear camera would also likely help Apple maintain a trim build without raising the price too high. After all, camera modules, with their sensors and lens elements, can take up quite a bit of space. 

All iPhone 17 models, including the Slim, will get an upgraded 24-megapixel selfie camera, Pu reports.

iPhone 17 Slim processor and other specs

The iPhone 17 Slim will likely get other upgrades you’d expect with a new phone, such as a new version of Apple’s mobile processor. Pu’s report suggests Apple could put an A18 or A19-branded chip in the iPhone 17 Slim, which would reportedly match the chip inside the regular iPhone 17.

Other internal components for the iPhone 17 Slim could include 8GB of RAM and an Apple-developed 5G modem, which has been the subject of speculation ever since Apple acquired the majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business in 2019.

What I’m most curious about, however, is the iPhone 17 Slim’s battery. Sleeker designs mean less space for internal components, so I’m hoping that battery life isn’t the consequence of a significantly thinner design. 

Either way, it’s all speculation until Apple announces the iPhone 17 Slim -- if it does at all.

But if the reports turn out to be true, the iPhone 17 Slim could signal a turning point for the iPhone, indicating that camera upgrades may no longer be the most exciting or significant annual change.

It’s fun to speculate about next year’s iPhone, but for now we’re far more interested in this year’s iPhone 16. Apple is scheduled to launch new iPhones, along with new Watches and perhaps a few other devices, on Sept. 9

--With agencies inputs