Apple is getting ready to announce the iPhone 16 soon with the Apple event reportedly taking place September 10. But he rumor mill has been going crazy with iPhone 17 leaks. In fact, we've heard that brand a new model, called the iPhone 17 Slim, could be coming.
With all these iPhone 17 rumors looming, we're questioning how smart it would be to buy an iPhone 16 or any of its variants. Analyst Jeff Pu sent out a note to investors (seen by 9to5Mac) with huge optimism for the iPhone 17 and a less-than-stellar outlook for the iPhone 16.
In the note, Pu lists several reasons why the iPhone 17 would be a more worthwhile upgrade, calling out "limited spec upgrades" as a reason the iPhone 16 might be something you would pass over in favor of waiting.
Pu said the iPhone 17 will come with a refreshed design while the iPhone 16 will look familiar from the last few iPhone models. He also cited changes to the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 Pro Max (and possibly other models). He claims it'll be narrower, thus giving it more screen area to work with.
The report also spoke about the greatly improved iPhone 17 cameras. It could get an upgraded front-facing camera with a 24MP sensor across all models, which would be a big upgrade from the 12MP camera predicted for the iPhone 16. The iPhone 17 Pro models could get a 48MP periscope lens for even better optical zoom.
The final major spec upgrade the 17 Pro models could get over the 16 is 12GB RAM. This could potentially improve multitasking and overall device performance.
Of course, there's also the rumored iPhone 17 Slim model, which could be a game-changer for the phone market. This would be the thinnest iPhone ever by far, although you may get only a single rear camera. In fact, our Global Editor-in-Chief, Mark Spoonauer, plans to skip the iPhone 16 in favor of the iPhone 17 Slim.
The iPhone 16 models won't be devoid of upgrades, though. If you need a new iPhone, we've heard about Spatial Video recording coming to the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, and the powerful new A18 chip should power all four models. You can also expect larger displays on the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max and a dedicated camera capture button on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.
More from Tom's Guide
- The best camera phones tested
- iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: Biggest expected upgrades
- iOS 18 — all the new features coming to your iPhone
