This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
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It’s no secret - Apple takes its sweet, precious time to give us new iPhone hardware, which makes every new iPhone redesign exciting - for millions of people.
Of course, the last major redesign to the iPhone was back in 2017 when the modern iPhone X replaced the tired look of the current iPhone SE model (which for some reason is still a phone… that exists).
Ever since the launch of the iPhone X, Apple has been refining the look of its lineup - make it flat; then make it slightly less flat; place the cameras vertically; then in a diagonal; then vertically again; big notch; slightly smaller notch; hole, etc.
But if you’re a smartphone nerd (like me), none of these “refining” touches hit the spot.
Luckily, according to OG analysts and leaksters Ming-Chi Kuo and Ice Universe, this is about to change. But in 2025. Not this year.
2025 iPhone lineup: More choice than ever, better than ever, more exciting than ever, more expensive than ever
Long-awaited iPhone SE 4 might be the biggest challenge to Android in 2025; unseen-before opportunity to enter the Apple ecosystem for $500
In a nutshell, the seemingly big 2025 iPhone lineup leak (pictured above) tells a story of choice, long-awaited upgrades, high prices and… exciting new iPhones. Shocker!
Starting with the “least exciting” new iPhone for next year, the iPhone SE should FINALLY turn into a modern smartphone. However what makes this well-familiar iPhone exciting is the rumored $500 price.
Designed like an iPhone 14 and expected to come with a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, a class-leading A18 chip (from the iPhone 16) with 6-8GB of RAM, and a 48MP camera with 2x lossless zoom, the iPhone SE 4 should challenge every single Android phone on the market.
Why buy a $300 Android phone when you can pay $200 more and get an iPhone? And why buy a $500 Android phone when the new $500 iPhone SE is there? And why buy a $1,000 Android when you can spend half as much and get into the Apple ecosystem?
Of course, these are rhetorical questions I’m not really seeking an answer to. However, you better believe that many people who need a new phone in the beginning of 2025 will end up asking themselves the same questions - but for real. And the answer might be the “unexciting” iPhone SE 4.
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Especially considering that the iPhone 14 outsold every single Android flagship in the world in Q2 2024. While being older, and costing more than the upcoming iPhone SE 4.
iPhone 17 - the most boring 2025 iPhone is finally getting a 120Hz ProMotion display
Expected to look like the unreleased iPhone 16 (which should look a lot like the iPhone 15), the iPhone 17 will be just another vanilla iPhone upgrade - and the real candidate for “least exciting iPhone of 2025”.
However, “boring” doesn’t equal “bad”, and the rumored to stay at $800 iPhone 17 should have one major upgrade that makes it special - at least as far as vanilla iPhones go.
As you can see in the leaked Excel sheet, the standard iPhone 17 is expected to FINALLY get a 120Hz ProMotion LTPO display - for the first time ever on an $800 iPhone.
In other news, nerds (like me) should rejoice and stop poking fun at Apple for selling $800 iPhones with 60Hz displays, when a $70 phone can give you a 90Hz screen. I’m not making this up - the $70 phone with a 90Hz display is the Motorola E14.
Meanwhile, “regular users” who never cared about Pro iPhones, should notice a significant increase in smoothness when scrolling through their iPhone 17, which should be aided by the presence of 8GB of RAM - an upgrade expected to come to the vanilla iPhone 16 first.
Finally! iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are getting a triple 48MP camera with 10x lossless zoom (+12GB of RAM)
Moving on to the “Pro” lineup, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will be bringing two very powerful features. The first is 12GB of RAM - a first on an iPhone (unless iPhone 16 Pro gets 12GB of RAM).
However, the more exciting upgrade will be to the camera hardware of Apple’s 2025 flagships - a 48MP periscope zoom camera, which should (finally) put the iPhone on par with the likes of the Galaxy S24 Ultra when it comes to long-range zoom.
The higher resolution means Apple will be able to utilize sensor-cropping to give you 10x lossless zoom in photo and video mode, and even better 20-30x zoom images.
This means iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will be the first iPhones to ship with a triple 48MP camera - something I actually predicted a while ago.
iPhone Slim could be the first big iPhone redesign since iPhone X - can it make the iPhone exciting again?
Fan-made render/example of what the 2025 iPhone Slim might look like next to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
And then, there's the wildcard - the iPhone “Slim”, expected to become the most expensive iPhone ever ($1,300), introducing the first radical redesign since iPhone X.
According to very early reports, the iPhone “Slim” won’t be Apple’s highest-end iPhone - this should still be the iPhone 17 Pro Max. But the rumors for a higher price tag make this whole situation confusing.
The claims are that the reason the “Slim” might end up being more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro series is purely the engineering effort Apple will put into creating a brand new, much thinner iPhone.
In fact, some reports go as far as to saying the iPhone Slim might have only one rear camera - presumably, in order to stay as “Slim” and light as possible, which sounds totally crazy for a phone with a rumored price tag of $1,300.
All in all, it’s extremely difficult to predict what the iPhone Slim is all about, and that’s because the leaks and rumors about this “premium” iPhone are conflicting. One thing seems quite likely, and it is that the iPhone Slim does indeed exist - at least in Apple’s future plans.
iPhone 17 could be Apple’s most exciting iPhone lineup since 2017; but there's still one missing piece of the puzzle
Come on, Apple! It’s time for a foldable iPhone. It’d be the best “One More Thing” for 2025.
In conclusion, this iPhone 17 leak makes it look like you should only buy an iPhone 16 if you really need to upgrade… Because 2025 is looking like a far more exciting year for the iPhone.
A big reason for that should be the alleged “iPhone Slim” - a completely redesigned iPhone, which tries to look and be different, and that’s something we rarely see from Apple.
Moreover, for the first time ever, Apple will offer five unique iPhones, with different selling points, giving people more choice than ever. Starting at $500 with the iPhone SE 4 (which should sell like hotcakes), and going all the way to the vanilla iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and the mysterious, “super-premium” iPhone Slim.
All that being said, I must admit Apple’s 2025 lineup seems to be missing something, and thi is a foldable iPhone.
I haven’t been the biggest folding phone aficionado, but this is starting to change, and the primary reason for that is that folding phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 seem more reliable than ever - both in terms of software and hardware.
Of course, the "problem" for millions of Apple willing to spend a lot for an iPhone is that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 doesn't run iOS, which is why I think it's time Apple gave folding phones a shot. And you know… make the 2025 iPhone lineup even more exciting…
As it stands, the latest leaks and rumors say a foldable iPhone (in the style of the Galaxy Z Fold 6) might indeed be in Apple’s plans… but for 2026. Is there a chance Cupertino’s plans will change? This probably depends on the success of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 series.
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Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.
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