Thought Leadership
The iPhone 17 rumor mill is churning. No significant upgrades are expected from the iPhone 16 announced for fall 2024 compared to the iPhone 15 series. However, the iPhone 17 is expected to boost sales with the “Slim” model, camera upgrades and other features.
As 9to5Mac reports in a note to investors, analyst Jeff Pu emphasizes that this year’s 16 Series iPhones will have “limited spec upgrades”. Rumors suggest that the main differences will be the slightly larger displays on the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max models. iPhone sales have slowed in recent years, but Jeff Pu has positive expectations for iPhone 17 sales next year.
iPhone 17 should help Apple to boost sales
According to Pu, the iPhone 17 series will bring more significant upgrades. These include:
- A revised design, a Slim or Air model
- An improved front camera with 24-megapixel sensor for the entire product range
- New 48-megapixel periscope lens for even better optical zoom on the iPhone 17 Pro models
- Reduced dynamic island, at least on the iPhone 17 Pro Max
- 12 GB RAM for the 17 Pro models
According to Jeff Pu, there are two other aspects that will help Apple to increase iPhone sales in 2025 and 2026.
- First, the analyst notes that iPhone 12 owners will want to replace their phone soon. The iPhone 12 was seen as a supercycle due to major upgrades such as a new design, 5G and MagSafe. Research shows that most users keep their iPhones for up to 3 years before buying a new one – and with the iPhone 12 starting to show signs of its age, owners of this model will likely want to upgrade next year.
- There are also rumors about the iPhone 17 Slim or iPhone 17 Air – a brand new iPhone model that will replace the iPhone 17 Plus and will sit between the base model and the iPhone 17 Pro. It is expected that this new iPhone 17 model will have a new, much slimmer design. Jeff Pu believes that there will be many people who will want to buy an iPhone 17 Slim because of the novelty factor.
Of course, Apple is still more than a year away from announcing the iPhone 17, so anything can change between now and then.
