We’ve started to hear several rumors about an upcoming “slim” model in the future iPhone 17 lineup. However, since sources said that this upcoming smartphone would have an aluminum chassis, a smaller 6.6-inch display, and some form of a lesser camera setup, this seems to be like a bizarre middle-ground between the standard and Pro models.
Now, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg has come out with the latest edition of his Powered On newsletter that provides an idea of how Apple will market this so-called iPhone 17 “Air” as he described to customers:
“If you want something snazzier than a standard iPhone ”” but don’t really need the performance, screen size, or cameras of a Pro model ”” you can get something that looks much cooler while still having the specifications of a regular iPhone.”
This would be a similar approach to Apple’s MacBook lineup in the past when we had the MacBook as the entry-level model, the MacBook Air as the premium ultra-thin model, and the MacBook Pro as the high-end model back in 2008. If we take a look at the iPhone lineup over the past few years, Apple has offered four distinct models for each series starting in 2020 with the addition of the iPhone 12 mini, which was a smaller iPhone model that offers the same flagship features that the regular 12 offers. It was aimed at customers who preferred smaller phones. However, the “mini” didn’t sell particularly well in the iPhone 12/13 series. Apple took a different approach and offered a “Plus” model that was a larger version of the regular (non-Pro) iPhone model, and it was aimed at customers who wanted a larger screen but didn’t want to spend the extra hundred bucks towards the “Pro Max” model. But that model wasn’t a particular success either. Apple wants to make an iPhone for everyone and has been experimenting with different models that will satisfy particular preferences that people may be looking for. With that said, Gurman expects that this ultra-thin version will be a “bigger hit” than either the “mini” in the iPhone 12/13 series or the “Plus” in the iPhone 14/15/16 series.
Additionally, he expects this future “slim” model will be like a “step gap” towards something more ambitious down the road, where Apple will “want to squeeze the power of a Pro model into this smaller design.” However, we won’t see such an “Ultra” iPhone model until 2027 at the earliest. Gurman also expects Apple to continue development of a foldable device, with a foldable iPad model to launch before a foldable iPhone in a few years. Last but not least, he expects the next-generation iPhone SE 4 will launch early in 2025 with significant improvements across the board and the upcoming Apple Intelligence features.
So, that’s a lot to look forward to in Apple’s iPhone category. In the meantime, we expect Apple to introduce the iPhone 16 lineup next month with solid improvements like the A18 chip series.
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