Apple's new mantra will apply to its major devices including iPhone
Last month we first heard about a new iPhone model that is expected to replace the iPhone 16 Plus in 2025, the iPhone Slim. Haitong Securities' Jeff Pu discussed this model almost exactly one month ago. The phone would carry a slimmer design, a 6.6-inch display, and a price tag that would exceed that of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
A subsequent report said that this device will feature an aluminum body, smaller cutouts at the top of the screen for the Dynamic Island, and an improved front-facing FaceTime camera. The rear camera module will move from the left corner of the rear panel to the top center.
Today, Bloomberg's chief tech correspondent Mark Gurman passed along some more information about the iPhone 17 line in his weekly Power On newsletter. According to Gurman, who has many sources and contacts inside the company, what Apple has done with the incredibly svelte iPad Pro (2024) tablets released last month is just the beginning of a trend toward thinner Apple products including the MacBook, the Apple Watch, and the iPhone.
The impressively thin M4 iPad Pro starts a new trend for Apple products. Image credit-Apple
Gurman says that he has been told that Apple is working on developing a "significantly skinnier phone in time for the iPhone 17 line in 2025." This sounds like Gurman is talking about one specific model within the iPhone 17 series which would second the earlier reports about the iPhone Slim that would be released in 2025. The Bloomberg scribe states that Apple wants to offer consumers the thinnest and lightest products in each category of device it sells.
At one time, Apple was forced to add some thickness to its devices to accommodate larger batteries, improved cameras, and more features. But thanks to impressive new chips and the tandem OLED technology that results in a thinner display on the new M4 iPad Pro tablets, the latter is much thinner than the previous 2022 iteration of the premium slates.
For example, the 13-inch iPad Pro (2024) is only 5.1mm thick which is 20% thinner than the 6.4mm thickness of the 2022 model. And the 13-inch iPad Pro (2024) also tips the scales at 1.28 pounds compared to 1.5 pounds for the previous model. Thinner and lighter might end up Apple's mantra over the next few years.
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