Apple’s September 9 “Glowtime” event has come and gone, and now we know everything there is to know about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. But what about next year?
If the release of the iPhone 16 didn’t do much for you, or you don’t need to upgrade for another year, the iPhone 17 is always worth looking forward to. Of course, Apple hasn’t officially revealed anything about the iPhone 17 yet. All we have to deal with is rumors, leaks, and news reports.
Thankfully, some of this information about the next-generation iPhone has already been released. Let’s take a closer look.
Apple’s 2024 ‘Glowtime’ event: iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, AirPods 4 and more announced
New model?
The most potential iPhone 17 development we’ve heard about so far is undoubtedly the new addition to the iPhone family. According to multiple sources, including analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and The Information, Apple plans to ditch the Plus model and launch a new, thinner iPhone to replace it. People are calling it the “iPhone 17 Slim” or the “iPhone 17 Air,” although we don’t know what its official name is yet.
According to reports, this new ultra-thin iPhone will be thinner than the existing iPhone, with a display size of about 6.5 or 6.6 inches. However, there isn’t much to say yet, as different sources have different opinions on what the phone will actually be used for. The Information says this will be the most expensive and highest-end phone in the new series, while Kuo says that won’t be the case.
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We’ll have to wait a while to find out more.
National promotion
When a new generation of iPhone comes out, one thing Apple usually does is add features to the new base model that were exclusive to past Pro models. It looks like ProMotion is next.
Mix and match speed of light
According to a MacRumors report, all four iPhone 17 models will feature a 120Hz refresh rate thanks to ProMotion display technology. It’s a godsend, not quite on the same level as Apple eventually adding a USB-C port to the iPhone, but not that far off. Apple’s base-level iPhones have been stuck with 60Hz displays for years, while rivals like Google have even bumped up the displays on their budget phones to 90Hz or higher.
This is one of the main ways that base model iPhones can feel outdated for a while, so ideally Apple will address this issue as soon as possible.
A19 chip
There isn’t much information about this yet, but Apple always It ships newer, faster chips in at least its Pro iPhone models every year. For example, the iPhone 16 Pro models are equipped with the A18 Pro chip, which is new this year.
Therefore, we have reason to expect to see some kind of A19 chip in the new iPhone. If precedent does matter, it may only appear in iPhone 17 Pro models, with the regular iPhone 17 using a slightly older chip. However, Apple is always doing weird things, so who knows what will happen with next year’s chips.
A better selfie camera
While selfies taken with an iPhone never look bad, they can always get better. There are rumors that the iPhone 17 will help solve this problem.
According to Apple analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors), all four new iPhone 17 models will feature 24MP front-facing lenses, up from the 12MP on the iPhone 16 models. Who knows how much this will actually improve things, but it’s a huge growth.
Other camera upgrades
In a separate report from Kuo, the noted Apple forecaster said that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will (at least) have three 48MP camera lenses on the rear for the first time. Next year’s wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle and telephoto lenses will all be 48MP, while the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max both only have 12MP telephoto lenses.
Hopefully this also means deeper scaling.
