Tempted by an iPhone 16 upgrade? Check out these iPhone 17 specs rumors first
The iPhone 16 series is likely almost here, with all signs pointing to a September launch. But whether you want to buy one of these phones is another matter entirely, especially since much bigger upgrades could be coming to the iPhone 17 series next year.
In a message to investors seen by 9to5MacAnalyst Jeff Pu has argued that the iPhone 17 line could be much more popular than the iPhone 16 series, thanks to its many upgrades.
Pu claims the iPhone 17 line will feature a refreshed design, a new 24MP front-facing camera for every iPhone 17 model (up from the 12MP on current phones), and a new 48MP telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro models, in place of the current 12MP.
Pu also says the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a narrower Dynamic Island and that the Pro models will have 12GB of RAM, up from the current 8GB. This should help with AI capabilities.
Additionally, Pu reiterates reports that we will see a new model in the form of an iPhone 17 Slim or an iPhone 17 Air, which could slot between the standard and Pro models and would feature a much slimmer design than the other iPhone 17 models.
All of this, combined with the fact that Apple loyalists still using the iPhone 12 will likely want to upgrade their phones next year, could lead to huge revenue growth for Apple, according to Pu.
A limited upgrade
As for the iPhone 16 series, Pu echoes Mark Gurman, who suggests that these phones probably won’t appeal to many people. He says the iPhone 16 line will have “limited spec upgrades.”
As a reminder, major rumored upgrades include larger displays for the Pro models, a new camera control button (likely to be called the Capture button) for the Pro models, the Action button making its way to the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, a new 48MP ultra-wide camera for the Pro models, 5x zoom for the iPhone 16 Pro, and a new A18 chipset.
These upgrades are clearly not insignificant, but they’re also unlikely to make a huge difference. Pu thinks Apple Intelligence could also entice buyers, but it apparently won’t be enough to drive strong revenue growth.
So it might not be a great year for Apple. If you’re not necessarily looking for a new phone, it might be worth waiting for next year’s potentially even more exciting iPhone 17 line.
That said, the iPhone 17 series is still over a year away, so we have a long time to wait. And since those phones are still a long way off, we should take any leaks about them with a grain of salt.
