iPhone 17 again said to kill off plus size in favor of iPhone slim

AppleInsider

More details have emerged about Apple's iPhone model that will replace the iPhone 17 Plus, spelling out expected screen size, resolution, and more.

iOS on an iPhone 14 Pro Max

Ming-Chi Kuo is having a busy Wednesday. Just hours after discussing the iPhone 17 camera supplier situation, he's revealing what he says he knows about a rumored "iPhone 17 slim" device.

Kuo is mostly reiterating previous reports on the subject in his report. He says that the device will be 6.6-inches diagonal, larger than the non-Plus iPhone, but smaller than the Plus.

He also says that the resolution will be 2740x1260 and still have a Dynamic Island. He also believes that the A19 chip will be in the device, all housed in a titanium-aluminum alloy frame.

The shift is said to be mostly because the Plus-size iPhone accounts for less than 10% of any given year's sales. The report on Wednesday says that it is not specifically replacing the iPhone 17 Plus, but is instead the company responding to other design and usage trends.

Other rumors have put the price of the device at a pricey $1299, with a ProMotion display. The codename is said to be "D23," and the iPhone 17 Slim is also rumored to sport a thinner chassis with a smaller cutout in the display.

The problem with a slimmer device is battery capacity. There's a reason why the Plus and Pro Max sizes have batteries that live longer. None of the rumors to date have discussed Apple's battery plans for the device, but a thinner device means less battery area, and therefore, less life, all other factors equal.

The thinnest currently-shipping iPhone is the iPhone SE (3rd generation) at 0.29 inches. The iPhone 15, for comparison, is 0.31 inches.

Rumor Score: Possible

Read on AppleInsider

bloggerblog

They probably have better power management module that can make do with a smaller battery. But yes to a thinner iPhone.

apple4thewin

If this is true to price one should be expecting the same or higher internal and camera specs compared to what would be inside of a 17 pro or pro max. With maybe the same or slightly less battery life of the 17 pro and who knows maybe tandem OLED in the iPad Pro made it to the iPhone Slim and that’s why we got it slimified. It’s also great to have the screen size kind’ve in the middle ground so it’s not too small for max users while being small enough for Pro users.

Edit: I just noticed the screen is only 0.1 smaller than the 15 Pro Max and 0.5 bigger than 15 pro. (Which according to previous rumors the screens will increase by 0.1 for the 16 Pros)

M68000

Would iPhone Air be a better name than slim?  Slim reminds me of the iPhone mini.  Great
phone but the name makes you think you missed out on something.

apple4thewin

M68000 said:

Would iPhone Air be a better name than slim?

It would seem off for Apple to call it Air but more expensive than something called Pro Max. Ultra is a basic choice but too similar to Samsung Ultra phones so 🤷🏻‍♂️

DAalseth

WTH is going on?
This is 2024. The iPhone 16 is coming out in about two months. Yet not just AI but every site is filled with articles about the iPhone 17, due out over a year from now. It’s like the whole press corps has forgotten that a really good phone is coming out in September. Forgotten that some of us are in the market for a new phone THIS YEAR and would like to get some info on what they will look like. And that’s not even mentioning that rumours about something coming out a year from now are written on tissue paper in a rainstorm. Historically rumours a year out are wildly inaccurate. 

Afarstar

Who cares about slim. Apple have been there before with Jonny, but a lot of customers don’t like it. Give me a bigger and longer lasting battery any day. 

gatorguy

DAalseth said:

WTH is going on?
This is 2024. The iPhone 16 is coming out in about two months. Yet not just AI but every site is filled with articles about the iPhone 17, due out over a year from now. It’s like the whole press corps has forgotten that a really good phone is coming out in September. Forgotten that some of us are in the market for a new phone THIS YEAR and would like to get some info on what they will look like. And that’s not even mentioning that rumours about something coming out a year from now are written on tissue paper in a rainstorm. Historically rumours a year out are wildly inaccurate. 

The specs and design of that phone, assuming it exists, and all signs point to it being real, are already set in stone. So are the iPhone 18 models for the most part. Apple, along with other phone designers and engineers, are working two years out and more. Whatever is coming next year, the 17 series, is already a done deal. 

I do like getting clues about what's coming after the 16's. I don't have any interest in this upcoming model line, since anything of significance in AI features won't come until next year anyway, and maybe even later.  One of those iPhone 17's might be enough to get me to upgrade my current iPhone 11. This year's 16's aren't much of an upgrade over the already discounted 15's which are not a major step up from the 14's as far as I see it. 

IMO It would be as unwise to buy an iPhone 16 as buying, for instance, a Pixel 9, if knowing that the big changes and upgrades in both lines won't come until 2025.  That's a good reason to begin having discussions about the iPhone 17. 

My 2 cents. 

9secondkox2

Nah. The plus will simply BE slim. 

Wesley Hilliard

DAalseth said:

WTH is going on?
This is 2024. The iPhone 16 is coming out in about two months. Yet not just AI but every site is filled with articles about the iPhone 17, due out over a year from now. It’s like the whole press corps has forgotten that a really good phone is coming out in September. Forgotten that some of us are in the market for a new phone THIS YEAR and would like to get some info on what they will look like. And that’s not even mentioning that rumours about something coming out a year from now are written on tissue paper in a rainstorm. Historically rumours a year out are wildly inaccurate. 

Would you prefer we ignore the news that's more than a year out? That's like asking the news not to cover an election in 2028 in 2027 because that's a whole year away. I agree it's annoying that these rumors come out earlier and earlier, but news is news. We got the scoop on Apple Car in 2014, would you have preferred we save reporting on that until we knew it was less than a year from being released? Vision Pro started rumors around 2016. Apple Watch was rumored from about 2010.

You can always choose to just ignore these rumors posts. They are clearly labeled.

mike1

Afarstar said:

Who cares about slim. Apple have been there before with Jonny, but a lot of customers don’t like it. Give me a bigger and longer lasting battery any day. 

Here you go.

gatorguy

mike1 said:

Afarstar said:

Who cares about slim. Apple have been there before with Jonny, but a lot of customers don’t like it. Give me a bigger and longer lasting battery any day. 

Here you go.

Oh my gosh, I didn't have that specific phone, but a Moto close to it back in the day. I had to stick a wired antenna out my truck window and stick it on the roof with a suction cup just to get a signal.  THAT'S antenna-gate.
 

nubus

DAalseth said:

WTH is going on?
This is 2024. The iPhone 16 is coming out in about two months. Yet not just AI but every site is filled with articles about the iPhone 17, due out over a year from now.

What should AI write about iPhone 16? 12/13/14/15/16 all share design, 5G, MagSafe, and OLED. We're talking marginal improvements to brightness, new colors (or lack thereof), a single new button, updates to Bluetooth and Wifi, lens adjustments, and Dynamic Island. It will stay on 3nm for several generations and the candy bar shape is the only form factor. The main improvement in iPhone 16 is to enable use of AI functionality in iOS 18.

mac_dog

I want to hear about the iPhone XXV. Screw the 17. 

baconstang

I want to hear about an iPhone that will fit in my pocket...

iadlib

Nobody needs a slimmer iphone. That is the dumbest design move ever. Make an ultra variant, like the apple watch. or maybe give it some shape, a little curve, sick and tired of the slab of glass. Especially when they cant even have the camera be flush with the body, imagine the camera bump on the slim? 🤥

DAalseth

Wesley Hilliard said:

DAalseth said:

WTH is going on?
This is 2024. The iPhone 16 is coming out in about two months. Yet not just AI but every site is filled with articles about the iPhone 17, due out over a year from now. It’s like the whole press corps has forgotten that a really good phone is coming out in September. Forgotten that some of us are in the market for a new phone THIS YEAR and would like to get some info on what they will look like. And that’s not even mentioning that rumours about something coming out a year from now are written on tissue paper in a rainstorm. Historically rumours a year out are wildly inaccurate. 

Would you prefer we ignore the news that's more than a year out? That's like asking the news not to cover an election in 2028 in 2027 because that's a whole year away. I agree it's annoying that these rumors come out earlier and earlier, but news is news. We got the scoop on Apple Car in 2014, would you have preferred we save reporting on that until we knew it was less than a year from being released? Vision Pro started rumors around 2016. Apple Watch was rumored from about 2010.

You can always choose to just ignore these rumors posts. They are clearly labeled.

Ignore? No. But going up and down the site there’s one article about the 15, how it’s not selling, nothing about the 16, but next year’s models…

iPhone SE 4 rumored to feature FaceID, OLED display in substantial redesign

Apple has reportedly dropped Qualcomm modems on two 2025 iPhones

iPhone 17 again said to kill off plus size in favor of iPhone slim

iPhone 17 cameras may get variable aperture for better bokeh

It’s like the 16 doesn’t exist. And it’s not just AI. Every site I visit is treating this year’s model like the red headed stepchild. It’s giving the impression that the 16 is garbage not worth talking about. What’s more I’ve been around this business a very long time. Rumours this far out are approximate at best and wildly inaccurate at worst. Rumours were still saying the Apple car was going ahead a year before it was axed. I’m sorry @gatorguy but the designs may have been finalized a year out but Apple keeps those held tightly close to their vest, plus there are detail changes. You really can’t trust tech world rumours this far out. 

So what I’m saying is that while yes you should mention these rumours, and to your credit you’ve rated them as merely Possible, there’s a bigger story much closer. How is production on the 16 going? Any word on possible announcement/release dates? Pricing? Availability? Options? Specs? Last minute hardware changes? By this point there are at least a few leaked hardware shots.  I just find it astounding that nobody on any site seems to be talking about the 16. It’s giving the 16 a strong smell of doom. Like it’s just trash and nobody should bother. Well, I’m getting a 16. I’m coming from an 11 so it will be a huge step up. What’s more I’ve learned to avoid the first production year of any new model. So if the 17 is going to be an all new design with new internals, I’ll stick with an older model until the bugs get worked out. 

Sorry to unload on AI, but I just can’t believe nobody in the tech world is talking about the model that’s coming out in just two months. Imagine if the newest MCU/Star Trek/Star Wars/whatever movie was coming out but all the press wanted to cover were rumours about the one next year. There’s an election this year. Imagine if the New York Times filled their front page with speculation about the 2028 race. I’m sure there’s rumours about who might run. 

Yes the iPhone 17 rumours are interesting, but there are important stories much closer. 

bloggerblog

Afarstar said:

Who cares about slim. Apple have been there before with Jonny, but a lot of customers don’t like it. Give me a bigger and longer lasting battery any day. 

You can always MagSafe a battery or get a battery case

Wesley Hilliard

DAalseth said:

Wesley Hilliard said:

DAalseth said:

WTH is going on?
This is 2024. The iPhone 16 is coming out in about two months. Yet not just AI but every site is filled with articles about the iPhone 17, due out over a year from now. It’s like the whole press corps has forgotten that a really good phone is coming out in September. Forgotten that some of us are in the market for a new phone THIS YEAR and would like to get some info on what they will look like. And that’s not even mentioning that rumours about something coming out a year from now are written on tissue paper in a rainstorm. Historically rumours a year out are wildly inaccurate. 

Would you prefer we ignore the news that's more than a year out? That's like asking the news not to cover an election in 2028 in 2027 because that's a whole year away. I agree it's annoying that these rumors come out earlier and earlier, but news is news. We got the scoop on Apple Car in 2014, would you have preferred we save reporting on that until we knew it was less than a year from being released? Vision Pro started rumors around 2016. Apple Watch was rumored from about 2010.

You can always choose to just ignore these rumors posts. They are clearly labeled.

Ignore? No. But going up and down the site there’s one article about the 15, how it’s not selling, nothing about the 16, but next year’s models…

iPhone SE 4 rumored to feature FaceID, OLED display in substantial redesign

Apple has reportedly dropped Qualcomm modems on two 2025 iPhones

iPhone 17 again said to kill off plus size in favor of iPhone slim

iPhone 17 cameras may get variable aperture for better bokeh

It’s like the 16 doesn’t exist. And it’s not just AI. Every site I visit is treating this year’s model like the red headed stepchild. It’s giving the impression that the 16 is garbage not worth talking about. What’s more I’ve been around this business a very long time. Rumours this far out are approximate at best and wildly inaccurate at worst. Rumours were still saying the Apple car was going ahead a year before it was axed. I’m sorry @gatorguy but the designs may have been finalized a year out but Apple keeps those held tightly close to their vest, plus there are detail changes. You really can’t trust tech world rumours this far out. 

So what I’m saying is that while yes you should mention these rumours, and to your credit you’ve rated them as merely Possible, there’s a bigger story much closer. How is production on the 16 going? Any word on possible announcement/release dates? Pricing? Availability? Options? Specs? Last minute hardware changes? By this point there are at least a few leaked hardware shots.  I just find it astounding that nobody on any site seems to be talking about the 16. It’s giving the 16 a strong smell of doom. Like it’s just trash and nobody should bother. Well, I’m getting a 16. I’m coming from an 11 so it will be a huge step up. What’s more I’ve learned to avoid the first production year of any new model. So if the 17 is going to be an all new design with new internals, I’ll stick with an older model until the bugs get worked out. 

Sorry to unload on AI, but I just can’t believe nobody in the tech world is talking about the model that’s coming out in just two months. Imagine if the newest MCU/Star Trek/Star Wars/whatever movie was coming out but all the press wanted to cover were rumours about the one next year. There’s an election this year. Imagine if the New York Times filled their front page with speculation about the 2028 race. I’m sure there’s rumours about who might run. 

Yes the iPhone 17 rumours are interesting, but there are important stories much closer. 

If there isn't news about the iPhone 16, what do you want us to do? Make it up? We're reporting things as they happen and as information becomes available. How would we have an article about iPhone 16 if there's nothing to report?

charlesn

Skip the "Possible" rating of this rumor and just label it "Bonkers." Think about it. Assuming that iPhone Plus sales are poor--not sure they are, but let's go with it--who in their right mind would think that going with a somewhat smaller screen size, splitting the difference between the current iPhone and iPhone Plus is going to spur sales? Who could possibly believe there's an untapped market out there thinking, "I'd buy that iPhone Plus if the screen was 6.4" instead of 6.7!" About all this will accomplish is pissing off the people who buy the Plus and want the larger screen. The iPhone Plus is a pretty average size among larger screen phones and the $100 upcharge over the iPhone for bigger screen and bigger battery isn't a bad deal, so maybe most regular iPhone buyers simply aren't interested in a larger screen phone. How about that? The slimmer thing is also kind of a bizarre selling point considering the vast majority of iPhone owners slap their phone into a case anyway, choosing drop protection despite the added thickness of a case. 

avon b7

A thinner phone would probably mean a thinner battery so battery chemistry improvements will be needed.

Silicon Carbon is an option. The second and third generations are already on some phones today. Next year will see them cheaper and higher densities.