Mystery iPhone 17 Slim tipped alongside rumored Dynamic Island upgrades and more in for the 2025 lineup

While it’s true that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro families of handsets have only been on sale for a few months, it’s also true that attention turned to what comes next almost immediately. That’ll be the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro of course, but with those updates still months away from being announced we’re already starting to hear rumblings of what we can expect in 2025.

We’ve seen rumors relating to the iPhone 17 before, but this latest report adds fuel to the fire in terms of claims we can expect some big changes in 2025. Not only will those changes impact the handsets and their features, but we’re also told to expect big changes to the way the entire lineup looks as well.

If the report is accurate, gone are the days of the standard, Plus, Pro, and Pro Max models. It’s time to start readying ourselves for a newcomer. It’s time, apparently, to get comfortable with the iPhone 17 Slim. And that’s just the start. If everything comes to fruition, the iPhone 17 lineup could represent the biggest change to the iPhone in years.

It’s all change

The iPhone 17 Slim, Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu said in a research note reported by 9to5Mac, will take the place of the iPhone 16 Plus in the lineup come September 2025. If Pu is correct, the new lineup will include a rethink in terms of display sizes as well, with the iPhone 17 Slim sporting a whole new 6.6-inch display.

If he’s correct, we’re told to expect a lineup that looks like this:

• iPhone 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

The new display sizes won’t be the only complication here, either.

9to5Mac reports that Pu expects the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Slim, and iPhone 17 Pro to all sport a new aluminum design while the range-topping iPhone 17 Pro Max will maintain the titanium construction we’re accustomed to. That phone will also feature a “narrowed Dynamic Island” but the other models will continue to use the current design.

Apple reportedly intends to use a new “metalens” technology for the proximity sensor that will help make the Face ID components smaller, reducing the overall size of the Dynamic Island.

Other tidbits to come out of Pu’s note include the suggestion that the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Slim will both have 8GB of RAM and use an A18 or A19 chip. Choosing an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max will apparently bump the RAM to 12GB and buyers can expect a new A19 Pro chip as well.

It’s worth noting that if this report is accurate, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will both ship with more RAM than a base model MacBook Pro although that could change when the M4 version of Apple’s best laptop arrives.

Finally, Pu believes that the 2025 iPhones will all feature upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing cameras, something that had previously been suggested by supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Such a move would be a big upgrade and a welcome one at that.

It’s important to remember that Apple is still around 18 months away from announcing the iPhone 17 lineup and that means that there is plenty of time for its plans to change. However, with Pu’s claims matching up with some that came from other sources previously, it’s clear there is definitely some fire to go with the smoke on this one.

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Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to ‘explain’ those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn’t looked back. Since then he’s seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He’s been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.