The new iPhone 16 series has just launched, but that doesn't mean there aren't people already looking forward to what's next. The iPhone 17 rumors have already begun, which includes a possibly radically new model in the iPhone 17 Air / Slim.
If you're on the fence about whether to upgrade to this year's model, having some idea about what's coming in the future might help you make the decision to buy now or wait. That's where this iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 comparison comes in.
We don't have anywhere near a complete picture of the iPhone 17 at this point. But we have heard enough details to compare what you could get from Apple's future phone with what the iPhone 16 brings to the table right now. Here's how the iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 face-off is shaping up at this early stage.
iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Models and price
The most prominent rumor about the iPhone 17 lineup involves a shakeup to the models Apple is likely to introduce. It appears the standard iPhone as well as the two iPhone Pro models aren't going anywhere, but the just-released iPhone 16 Plus may be the last of its kind.
Instead, analysts tip Apple to roll out a new phone called the iPhone 17 Slim. This isn't a one-to-one replacement for the Plus; instead, it will be Apple's new premium phone, topping even the iPhone 17 Pro Max in next year's lineup.
The iPhone 17 Slim's main feature is right there in the name — it's supposed to be the thinnest iPhone Apple's ever created. Considering the iPhone 16 isn't exactly thick at 7.8mm thin, we're talking a very slender phone.
Early rumors seem to indicate the iPhone 17 Slim will be quite a significant addition to Apple's product line, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman calling it part of "a new class of Apple devices that should be the thinnest and lightest products in the whole tech industry." As such, expect a premium price tag to match, with the Slim likely costing more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
As for the actual prices, it's impossible to predict what Apple is going to charge for smartphones a year from now. Apple did hold the prices on the iPhone 16 models, so you'd imagine that it would try to stick to the same ranges for the iPhone 17 ($799), iPhone 17 Pro ($999) and iPhone 17 Pro Max ($1,199), assuming no fluctuations in component prices.
iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Design and display
The ultra-thin look of the iPhone 17 Slim aside, early rumors don't have much to say about design changes to the iPhone 17 lineup. We'd imagine that the Action button added a year ago and the Camera Capture button debuting with the iPhone 16 lineup are here to stay. It's unclear if Apple has plans for any more buttons up its sleeve.
The big story here could be displays, now that the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max have new established sizes at 6.3 and 6.9 inches, respectively. The iPhone 17 Slim is expected to slot right in the middle of those phones with a 6.7-inch panel, and we'd imagine the iPhone 17 will continue to offer the most compact screen at 6.1 inches.
This should finally be the year that Apple joins the rest of the smartphone world in offering adaptive refresh rates for all of its flagship phones. That means the iPhone 17 is in line to get a LTPO OLED panel with the ability to ramp up its refresh rate to 120Hz for smoother scrolling and better graphics. The iPhone 16 remains stuck at a fixed 60Hz rate, so this will be quite the improvement, even if it is long overdue.
iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Cameras
Apple just gave a refresh to every rear camera on board the iPhone 16 Pro (and two of the three lenses on the iPhone 16 Pro Max), so you might think that would be it for camera improvements. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could feature 48MP sensors for all three of its rear cameras, with the telephoto lens getting a higher-resolution sensor.
It's unclear what that might mean for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17, but with the iPhone 16 Pro models adding a 48MP ultrawide lens this year, that's a potential feature that could trickle down to Apple's standard flagship. There's precedents for this, as the iPhone 15 gained a 48MP main camera a year after the iPhone 14 Pro models picked up that feature.
A more likely scenario is an improvement to the 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front of all current iPhones. One rumor tips Apple to turn a 24MP sensor to handle selfies and FaceTime calls on the iPhone 17 lineup.
We should also note a rather perplexing rumor about the iPhone 17 Slim — some people expect the phone to only feature one rear camera. That would be a space-saving maneuver to make the new phone as thin as possible.
iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Performance and battery life
The A18 and A18 Pro chipsets powering the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models, respectively, have provided a big boost to Apple's phones, with A18 Pro benchmarks in particularly establishing the Pro models as the speed kings of the mobile world. (That said, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered handsets continue to set the pace for graphics performance.) As good as the A18 silicon performs, though, the A19 likely to show up in the iPhone 17 family could be even better.
That's because the A19 chips are likely to be bit on a 2-nanometer process, as opposed to the 3nm A18 silicon. The smaller chipsets get, the closer the transistors are packed together, which leads to gains in both performance and power efficiency. Thus, the A19 system-on-chip could see quite a leap in speed over the A18.
That power performance improvement also has implications for battery life, as the better a chipset is at managing power, the longer a phone can last on a charge. The iPhone 16 models already made great strides in this regard with the help of larger batteries. In fact, the iPhone 16 Pro Max turned in the best performance of any Apple handset ever on the Tom's Guide battery test, landing it near the top of our best phone battery life list.
You'd think any iPhone 17 model would be hard-pressed to meet or beat that standard, but the A19 system-on-chip could be a big help in pulling that off.
iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Software
There's not likely to be much difference between the software that powers both the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17. The new phones are all but certain to debut with iOS 19 on board next fall, but Apple also releases that software as an update to older iPhones. Given how recent the iPhone 16 models are — as in, they still have that new phone smell at this point — you'd imagine they'll have no problem running iOS 19 to its fullest.
Future Apple Intelligence features could be another matter. Apple's AI-powered capabilities are set to arrive via a software update in October for all compatible phones including the iPhone 16 models. But those phones will also eventually gain visual intelligence features — basically, Apple's take on Google Lens — that won't be available to the iPhone 15 Pro models that can otherwise support Aple Intelligence features.
Could Apple take a similar approach next year with an Apple Intelligence feature that's specific to the iPhone 17. It's too early to say at this point, but it's a development worth keeping an eye on.
iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Outlook
Even at this early stage, the iPhone 17 sounds promising, with the iPhone 17 Slim in particular sounding like a big leap forward for Apple in terms of design. But should all that promise be enough to dissuade you from upgrading to what are some pretty fantastic phones in the iPhone 16 lineup?
The challenge with any phone purchase is that there's always something potentially better just over the horizon. So you have to decide if the features available here and now are the ones you want. The iPhone 16 Pro is the best camera phone based on our testing, but the other iPhone 16 models also excel at capturing photos and videos. All four new models last a long time on a charge and provide snappy performance.
In short, if you're looking for the best iPhones, any of the iPhone 16 models has a lot to offer right now. The iPhone 17 may look promising, but delivering on that promise is still a long way off.
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