For a while now, Apple has been rumored to discontinue the iPhone Plus model starting next year, and replace it with a tentatively called iPhone 17 Slim. As the name implies, this should be record-breakingly thin (at least for an iPhone), in the same way as Apple’s latest iPad Pro is its thinnest tablet ever.
Today some more details about the iPhone 17 Slim have been leaked by Ming-Chi Kuo, longtime industry analyst and purveyor of Apple-related rumors. He claims the iPhone Plus currently makes up only about 5% to 10% of iPhone shipments, and that’s why it’s getting the axe.
The iPhone 17 Slim will have a 6.6″ screen with 1260×2740 resolution, and the A19 chip at the helm (note that the iPhone 17 Pro models will use the A19 Pro). Its Dynamic Island area will be similar to that of the current iPhones, and its metal frame will use a titanium alloy that has a lower percentage of titanium in it compared to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The iPhone 17 Slim is also said to sport Apple’s long-delayed in-house 5G chip, and… one single rear camera. That’s a big step backwards in terms of mobile trends, but Kuo underlines that Apple will “emphasize innovative form factor design” with the iPhone 17 Slim “rather than competing on hardware specifications”. In other words, looks will be everything with this one. Style over substance, if you will.
It’s certainly an interesting gamble on Apple’s part, and one that may just pay off – after all, for it to be successful it only needs to pull in like 15% of all new iPhone sales, and that would still make it two or three times more successful than the model it’s replacing.
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