Cast your mind back to the hazy days of the early iPhone launches… Steve Jobs’ every word felt like magic, and Apple fans lined up for hours to get their hands on one of the revolutionary devices. In comparison, the recent launch of the iPhone 16 rather feels like a damp squib. Not only were there few meaningful hardware updates, but the significant delays to the Apple Intelligence features mean that there isn’t really much of a reason to upgrade – even for the most hardcore Apple supporters. Is it any wonder that iPhone 17 rumors are already beginning to appear?
Before I dive into exactly why the iPhone 17 could potentially blow the 16 out of the water, it’s worth mentioning that this feature is based purely on rumors and speculation. However, with competition heating up from the best Android phones, such as the anticipated Samsung Galaxy S25 series and Honor Magic7 Pro, it’s crucial Apple doesn’t squander its market-leading position by again offering something that doesn’t feel like an upgrade. With that in mind, let’s get into why I think that holding out for the iPhone 17 is the best call.
1. Air model
The iPhone Plus model has always been a bit of an outlier, struggling to sell as many units as the other three options. Next year, Apple reportedly plans on mixing things up by shelving the Plus and introducing the new Air, a 5.1mm thick iPhone with similar specs to the base model.
For context, the iPhone 16 Pro is just over 8mm thick, so that’s a massive reduction, making for a slimline form factor I could find more tempting than going for the same old vanilla version. While we’ve not had confirmation of this change from the brand itself, we’ve already seen reliable sources such as Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo report on the iPhone 17 Air, so it seems likely.
2. Selfie camera upgrade
The iPhone 16’s 12MP selfie camera isn’t bad, but it’s nowhere near as capable as some of the front-facing cameras on some of the other best 5G phones. Both the Honor Magic6 Pro and Xiaomi 14 Ultra, two flagships that arrived much earlier in 2024, pack better selfie cameras. We’re expecting new and upgraded versions of those phones in the coming months, which isn’t great news for Apple’s underwhelming iPhone 16 series.
We’re hoping Apple finally upgrades this feature next year, with industry whispers pointing to a 24MP front-facing camera for the iPhone 17 series. This upgrade would provide higher-definition selfies and finer image detail, making for the biggest change to the iPhone selfie camera since the 14 series back in 2022.
3. 120Hz Pro-Motion displays
120Hz Pro-Motion displays are currently exclusive to the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models, but we expect that to change with the iPhone 17 series. Reports suggest that Apple is bringing this technology to both the iPhone 17 and 17 Air, enabling a variable refresh rate from 1-120Hz.
Not only is the boost to 120Hz great for gamers, offering smoother visuals than the current 60Hz cap for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus, but dropping down to 1Hz when high refresh rates aren’t necessary is incredibly efficient, saving you some sweet, sweet battery life. Honestly, it’s almost criminal that we didn’t get 120Hz displays on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus this year, but it looks as if Apple could finally boost the refresh rates across the board in 2025.
4. Apple Intelligence delays
While Apple Intelligence is technically the iPhone 16’s big selling point, we’re still not getting the entire package of new AI features for a while yet. With this in mind, I’d personally prefer to wait until all the fresh features are available and Apple has patched out any bugs to give it a proper go.
This time next year, we’ll know how impressive Apple’s foray into AI is and whether it’s worth the entry price of picking up a new iPhone. We might also have a better idea of whether Apple plans to implement a paywall for Apple Intelligence, as Bloomberg’s Mark Guman has suggested it might. That could be the sort of thing that could make you contemplate opting for one of the best Google Pixel phones instead.
So, there you have it, these are the reasons I’m skipping the iPhone 16 and waiting on the next generation of Apple flagships. Of course, a lot could change between now and next year’s launch. The arrival of the rumored iPhone SE 4 could be a big win for Apple, offering a more affordable iPhone to rival the best mid-range phones on the market. There’s also a chance Apple could jump on the folding phone bandwagon, with consistent whispers over the last few years that one is in the pipeline. Either way, we’re hoping Apple steps up its game in 2025, with this year turning out to be a staggeringly disappointing one from one of the biggest tech brands in the world.