The latest Apple products to launch were the new iPad Air and iPad Pro, and for the first time ever it’s the Pro that’s the thinnest and lightest option for Apple tablet lovers. In fact, the 13-inch iPad Pro is the thinnest product Apple has ever made, thinner even than the slimmest iPod nano. That trend seems set to continue with the company’s products as a new report suggests Apple wants to shave a few millimetres off its other gadgets including the all-conquering iPhone.
According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple is aiming to release a notably thinner iPhone 17 in 2025 – a choice that flies in the face of the firm’s recent decision with the iPhone 13, 14 and 15 to add a bit more thickness in order to fit in a larger battery.
It looks as though the expected iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, which are rumoured to arrive in September as all recent flagship iPhones have done, will keep a similar design to the iPhone 15 series. It means if you have an iPhone in your pocket and are thinking of upgrading soon you’ll be faced with a tough choice – either get the newest iPhone 16 later this year, or wait another 365 days to see if Apple does something special with a thinner iPhone 17.
This rumour comes the week after Apple announced Apple Intelligence, its take on artificial intelligence (AI) for its devices. The catch for iPhone users is the features, which include a smarter Siri, AI-generated emoji and a host of on-device AI to help you edit photos, write emails and more, will only work on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max – not even the regular iPhone 15 will get these tools.
We can only currently assume that the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro will be compatible, but if so, picking up one of them in a few months could be the best way for you to get all the latest iPhone goodies that will come with Apple Intelligence. It’s tempting, but you might not want to upgrade your smartphone a mere 12 months later if the thin iPhone 17 rolls around.
“Apple has figured out how [to] make its devices thinner again while still adding major new features,” Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said. “And I expect this approach to filter down to other devices over the next couple of years.”
Despite its thinness, the iPad Pro has stellar battery life, a new tandem OLED screen that is extra bright, and an M4 processor that makes it technically more powerful than most iPhones and MacBooks.
“I’m told that Apple is now focused on developing a significantly skinnier phone in time for the iPhone 17 line in 2025,” Gurman added. “It’s also working to make the MacBook Pro and Apple Watch thinner. The plan is for the latest iPad Pro to be the beginning of a new class of Apple devices that should be the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry.”
This is an interesting development given Apple has bulked up the iPhone and MacBook especially since the departure from the company of famed designer Jony Ive, who generally preferred thin and light hardware design. The thicker devices have pleased Apple fans with more battery and ruggedness, but it seems as though the tech giant wants to differentiate itself by wowing the world with thinness once again. Whether you get an iPhone 16 later this year or wait for a so-called ‘iPhone 17 Slim’ is up to you.
