The iPhone 17 “Slim” (as some are calling it) is one of the most interesting rumors to come out of Cupertino in a while. The bottom line is that next fall, Apple will introduce a new ultra-thin iPhone in addition to some of the usual models.
The rumors keep changing and evolving towards an iPhone like we’ve never seen before. The latest rumors come from a post by Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known supply chain analyst who has often been right in his past leaks (but whose track record has been more mixed lately).
According to Kuo, the new ultra-thin iPhone is expected to “focus on innovative design rather than hardware specifications.” To that end, he says that here are the specs of the slim iPhone 17 that he knows of so far:
- Screen size: about 6.6 inches
- Screen resolution: approximately 2740 x 1260 pixels
- Processor: A19 chip (high-end iPhones use the A19 Pro)
- Dynamic Island Zone: Similar to current models
- Metal Frame: Adopting a titanium-aluminum alloy metal frame, with a lower percentage of titanium than the current Pro and Pro Max metal frames (with other iPhone 17 models using aluminum metal frames)
- 5G Chip: Adoption of Apple’s in-house 5G chip
- Camera: Single rear camera (wide camera)
Most of the information matches previous rumors: screen size not as big as the Pro Max variants but close, Dynamic Island, etc.
This is the second time we’ve heard that it will use the entry-level A19 chip and not the Pro version of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Without knowing the differences between them, it’s hard to say whether this is a big deal or not.
The most notable new details are that the phone will use Apple’s 5G chip, which is now years behind schedule and never quite seems to cross the finish line. If it’s ready for what will likely be a high-end, expensive phone by next fall, that’ll certainly be news.
But just one rear camera? No ultra-wide or telephoto? That seems like a big step backwards, regardless of this phone’s priorities.
Kuo doesn’t give details on the price, which some rumors say could range from “similar to the iPhone 17 Plus” to “more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.”
