Plan to buy iPhone 16? You might want to know what iPhone 17 could offer first

Still undecided about whether to buy the iPhone 16 series? If you’re already an iPhone 15 user, you might feel even more conflicted. If you are mulling whether the next 2025 flagship iPhone may be a better buy for you, you may not be entirely wrong. While there are not any confirmed details from Apple about next year’s iPhone 17 series, however, leaks and rumours have been ample which have already given us a good idea about what to expect from the phones.
Next year, Apple is rumoured to shake up the lineup a bit. The Cupertino giant will launch four new iPhones as usual. However, the iPhone 17 Plus is speculated to be replaced by a new iPhone 17 Air, which is also said to be the thinnest iPhone ever. To do that, Apple will apparently be merging the action button and the volume rocker. The same feature is also expected to come on the iPhone 17 Pro. Which means, the future iPhones will also have just a single button for all the action button-things and volume, in addition to the Camera Capture button, which is pretty much embedded into the body.
Let’s look in detail at everything we know about the iPhone 17 series so far.
Apple is expected to make significant changes with its iPhone 17 series, slated for a September 2025 release. According to rumours, the iPhone 17 will feature ProMotion technology, introducing a 120Hz display for the standard models. This upgrade, previously reserved for Pro models, will offer users a smoother scrolling and video experience, marking a major step forward for the baseline iPhones.
Adding to the intrigue, Apple is reportedly planning to introduce a new model in 2025—dubbed the iPhone 17 Air. This model is expected to be slimmer and will also include a 120Hz display. Industry speculation suggests that the iPhone 17 Air might replace the current Plus series, with the iPhone 16 Plus potentially being the last Plus model released by Apple, barring changes based on sales performance.
Ross Young, a reliable source on Apple’s hardware, has fuelled these rumours, noting that ProMotion will bring a higher refresh rate to standard models, though it’s still unclear whether the display will include a 10Hz or 1Hz low-end refresh rate. This enhancement would likely push users to hold off on upgrading to the iPhone 16 series this year, as many will await this anticipated improvement in the next lineup.
The introduction of the iPhone 17 Air is especially notable as Apple continues to experiment with its lineup, similar to how it introduced the iPhone mini in 2020. However, the mini model failed to meet expectations and was phased out. Similarly, reports suggest the Plus model hasn’t achieved the anticipated sales, leading to the development of the slimmer Air model, which may provide better commercial success.
As the iPhone 16 series prepares to launch in September 2024, the tech world will be keeping a close eye on Apple’s strategic shifts in the coming years.