Analyst sees changes coming to iPhone next year including the introduction of the iPhone 17 Slim

PUBLISHED: MAY 05, 2024, 9:35 PM 

Big changes are coming to the world of iPhone according to Jeff Pu, an analyst from Haitong International Securities who we've quoted many times before. Pu, in a note to Haitong clients seen by 9to5Mac, says that the iPhone 17 will feature a new, redesigned look. Additionally, changes will be made by Apple to the front-facing FaceTime camera, and the iPhone 17 series will replace the current iPhone Plus variant with the iPhone 17 Slim which will carry a slimmer design. 

Pu says in his note that the screen sizes for the iPhone 17 line will look like this:

• Phone 17: 6.1-inch display.

• iPhone 17 Slim: 6.6-inch display.

• iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display.

• iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch display.

All four models, says Pu, will sport a "more complex" aluminum build although the iPhone 17 Pro Max will still be made using titanium and will have a smaller Dynamic Island while the feature will keep the current design on the remaining three models. The smaller Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 Pro Max will depend on the use of metalens technology for the proximity sensor and the same technology could be used to reduce the Face ID sensor on the top-of-the-line 2025 iPhone model.

Pu says that the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Slim will be equipped with 8GB of RAM and will be powered by the A18 or A19 chipset. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature 12GB of RAM and will be powered by the A19 Pro chipset. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus carry 6GB of RAM while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone Pro Max feature 8GB of RAM. All four iPhone 16 models will be equipped with 8GB of RAM this year before differentiation returns in 2025.

Pu also notes that all four iPhone 17 models will come with a 24MP front-facing camera. That compares to the 12MP FaceTime cameras currently found on all four iPhone 15 models.