Mark Gurman clarifies some details about next year’s slim iPhone 17, which he calls the iPhone 17 “Air.” Gurman also discusses Apple’s future iPhone plans, including a slimmer “Pro” model and folding phones.
In 2020, Apple introduced the iPhone 12 mini, its fourth flagship iPhone model. Starting in 2022, the mini iPhone was discontinued and replaced by an iPhone 14 Plus. The company is also trying something new since that model wasn’t as successful as it should have been.
The thin iPhone 17 model has been rumoured since early this year, though its purpose has not yet been revealed. There was already speculation about the model having a smaller Dynamic Island, aluminium casing, a smaller 6.6-inch display (compared to the existing iPhone Plus models), and some form of lesser camera setup. An odd mix of premium and entry-level.
According to Gurman, the iPhone 17 is going to be ultra-thin, and some sort of “Air” iPhone will sit between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro. This is how he gives a rough idea of how Apple will market the model to consumers.
Furthermore, he anticipates that this new slim model will be a “bigger hit” than the iPhone 12/13 mini and iPhone 14/15/16 Plus, returning the iPhone lineup to “meaningful growth” by 2025. Additionally, he describes some details about other future iPhone models.
iPhone Ultra/ Foldable iPad:
Likely, Apple won’t achieve this feat until at least 2027 when it will want to integrate a Pro model into a smaller design. It seems likely that Apple could make a successful “Ultra” iPhone with Pro features in a slimmer form factor, which would be a lot more appealing than the current iPhone 17 Slim rumours.
As Gurman points out, Apple is just as eager to make a foldable iPad as it is to make a foldable iPhone. We may see the foldable iPad model released first.
Mark Gurman confirms that the iPhone SE 4 will launch in 2025 with an OLED display and Apple Intelligence.
