Apple’s iPhone 17 Slim could offer high performance with the A19 chip and a sleek design, but may compromise on camera versatility.
Even though Apple has yet to announce the iPhone 16 series, work is on full swing for the next year’s lineup. In addition to the iPhone 17 series, Apple is already reported to be working on the iPhone SE4 and a folding iPhone. Joining them is an iPhone 17 “Slim” that could offer Pro-grade performance in a portable footprint, but may compromise in the camera’s versatility.
Notable supply chain analyst Mind-Chi Kuo added to speculations about the iPhone 17 Slim and spoke of its tentative specifications. The “ultra-slim” iPhone, Kuo notes, with feature a 6.6-inch display with a resolution of 2,740 x 1,260. The said dimension is marginally smaller than the existing iPhone 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max models — which the upcoming iPhone 16 Plus and 16 Pro Max are expected to retain.
Notably, Apple is expected to discard the Plus variant from the iPhone 17 lineup, owing to a much lower share in sales compared to the other three models. The iPhone 17 Slim is unlikely to serve as a replacement to the 17 Plus, but instead, perch as an entirely new variant above the standard iPhone 17 and potentially even the iPhone 17 Pro. It has been previously speculated to be priced as high as $1,200.
Like the rest of the lineup, the iPhone 17 Slim is expected to sport a Dynamic Island on the display. Kou did not remark on the expected refresh rate. However, the speculative $1,200 pricing suggests the display could come with ProMotion or a higher 120Hz refresh rate.
Single Сamera for the Sake of Slimness
The slim iPhone 17 may, however, depart from Apple’s typical Pro approach and end up with a single rear camera. This change might be in line with the 2024 iPad Pro, which is Apple’s slimmest product yet and ditches the ultrawide camera from the previous generations.
Whether the iPhone 17 Slim uses the same sensor as the iPhone 17 Pro or a smaller one that is more fitting to the slimmer footprint is something we aren’t sure of at the moment. While there’s no guarantee, we can expect this solo camera to be a tier above the single sensor on the iPhone SE 4, which is expected to arrive much sooner than the iPhone 17 series.
In a separate X article, Kuo mentioned Apple will begin sourcing camera sensors from Samsung, but only starting 2026. This means the iPhone 17 series, including the purported Slim variant, could continue using camera sensors from Sony, which is Apple’s sole supplier currently.
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) July 24, 2024
Likely to Sport Apple’s Own 5G Chip
Besides suggesting the single camera setup, the analyst also mentioned the possibility of the iPhone 17 Slim being powered by Apple’s A19 chipset, falling behind the A19 Pro on the Pro and Pro Max models. The slimmer iPhone is also suggested to feature Apple’s in-house 5G modem, cutting its dependence on Qualcomm.
Lastly, while the iPhone 17 Slim isn’t expected to return to a sleek all-metal chassis similar to the iPhone 6 and 6s, it will sport a metal frame. The said frame will be built out of a titanium-aluminum alloy, with a lower share of titanium than the existing iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models.
While there are no rumors on the exact thickness of this new ultra-slim iPhone, we would be delighted to see it attain the same slender profile as the recently-launched iPad Pro.