Starting next year, Apple is rumoured to discontinue the iPhone Plus model and replace it with the iPhone 17 Slim. In the same way that Apple’s new iPad Pro is the thinnest tablet ever, this iPhone should also be record-breakingly thin.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo, longtime industry analyst and purveyor of Apple-related rumours, some more details about the iPhone 17 Slim have been leaked today. Apple is getting rid of the iPhone Plus because it currently makes up only 5% to 10% of iPhone shipments.
The iPhone 17 Slim will feature a 6.6″ screen with 1260×2740 resolution, and the A19 chip will be found at the heart of the device (the iPhone 17 Pro models will use the A19 Pro). Similar to the current iPhones, it will have a Dynamic Island area and a titanium alloy frame with a lower percentage of titanium than the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
A single rear camera and Apple’s long-delayed 5G chip are also said to be included in the iPhone 17 Slim. The iPhone 17 Slim represents a big step backwards in terms of mobile trends, but Kuo emphasizes that Apple will focus on “innovations in form factor design” rather than “competing on hardware specifications”. It’s all about the looks of this one. It’s all about style over substance if you will.
Apple’s gamble may just pay off – after all, for it to be successful, it would only have to capture about 15% of all new iPhone sales, which would still make it two or three times more successful than its predecessor.
