This year, Apple will introduce the iPhone 16, which will have several significant improvements, but still will not have any major changes. However, the iPhone 17, which will be presented in 2025, may receive a completely new fourth model, which will be thinner and replace the Plus version. This is stated in a new report from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg.
According to Gourmet, Apple has been experimenting with the fourth version of its smartphones for several years. While the set of regular, Pro, and Pro Max models remains unchanged, the iPhone 12 introduced a mini version. However, this version failed commercially.
After that, the company also tried to go in the opposite direction and with the iPhone 14 lineup brought back the Plus version with a larger screen. However, it was also a failure.
With the iPhone 17, the company will try again to release a fourth model that may still be able to attract customers and become successful. It will be a thinner smartphone model with the characteristics of the regular version and, as Gurman says, it should become what the MacBook Air was for Apple's laptop line in 2010 and stand between the regular iPhone and the Pro versions.
Apple will try to sell this version to users who want something more luxurious than the regular iPhone 17, but who don't need the better performance, screen size, or camera of the Pro models. Thus, buyers will be offered a slightly cooler version of the regular model.
Gurman predicts that the combination of the new slimmer model and the next iPhone SE could help Apple increase iPhone sales in 2025.
After releasing a slimmer model with a set of characteristics of the regular iPhone 17, the company will try to develop a similar slim smartphone, but with the best features of the Pro models. However, we should expect such a smartphone no earlier than 2027.
Earlier, another well-known analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, also reported about the thinner iPhone 17. He said that the smartphone would have only one camera and an A19 processor.