Sources: Apple is working on a significantly slimmer iPhone that could be released concurrently with the iPhone 17, a major redesign, similar to the iPhone X

Apple is developing a significantly thinner version of the iPhone that could be released as early as 2025, according to three people with direct knowledge of the project.

The Information 2024-05-18

Context & Ripple Effects

This report marks the start of a design-led iPhone roadmap: later coverage identifies the concept as the iPhone 17 Air and describes it as a foundation for more consequential device changes.

The slimmer-model idea did not remain isolated in subsequent reporting. It was followed by reports of a thin iPhone 18 alongside a foldable model and a longer redesign sequence, making this early project relevant to Apple's product-cadence strategy.

First-order effects

Apple's reported iPhone roadmap gains a distinct slim-model candidate alongside its next flagship generation, putting industrial design at the center of product differentiation.
The project creates the basis for the later-reported iPhone 17 Air, rather than treating a thinner enclosure as a minor specification refresh.

Second-order effects

A separate slim model would require clearer positioning among iPhone variants, as Apple balances a design-focused device against the rest of its flagship lineup.
The reported design direction becomes a bridge to adjacent form factors: later coverage explicitly connects the Air model to possible portless and foldable devices.

Third-order effects

If the reported sequence holds, Apple is moving toward a multiyear redesign cycle in which distinct form factors—not only annual internal upgrades—segment the iPhone lineup.
Later reports of thin, foldable, and staggered iPhone releases suggest the company may increasingly use launch timing and hardware shape together to differentiate models, though the plans remain report-based.

The trend: Apple's reported slimmer iPhone is an early data point in a broader shift toward using new iPhone form factors and release sequencing to renew a mature flagship line.

Discussion

@parkert Parker Thompson on threads
People who replace their iPhone every year: please just make one with a bigger battery. Apple:
@shiraovide Shira Ovide on threads
As unit sales are declining it makes sense (for Apple) to keep increasing the average sales price! https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
@bdsams Brad Sams on x
...who is asking for a slimmer iPhone? Idea: make it slimmer, then add in a bunch of extra battery to make it same size today but lasts 3 days on a charge
@gartenberg Michael Gartenberg on x
I see an iPhone Ultra Pro with a Liquid XDR OLED Tandem Display powered by Siri Max coming soon
@autismcapital @autismcapital on x
Apple won't stop until the phone bends and cracks in your pockets while sitting down. [image]
@parkerortolani Parker Ortolani on x
sure sounds like an iPhone Ultra to me
@saschasegan Sascha Segan on x
Literally nobody I've ever spoken to about the iPhone has ever said, “you know, this should be thinner.”
@yahoofinance @yahoofinance on x
$AAPL is set to release a slimmer, pricier iPhone in 2025, according to a report from The Information. “They showed what they could do with the new iPad Pros,” TECHnalysis Research analyst Bob O'Donnell says. “In the long run, I much rather see an Apple foldable.” [video]
@rsgnl Joe Rossignol on x
It seems like rumors agree there won't be an iPhone 17 Plus next year, but now it seems like the “slim” model would actually be a new top-end model above the Pro Max. That makes more sense to me than it directly replacing the Plus model, but we'll see how this rumor progresses.
@jessicalessin Jessica Lessin on x
Is thin a comparative advantage?
@rjonesy Ryan Jones on x
“iPhone Slim” rumors now make sense! It's a *new Ultra-tier*. Mini failed. Plus failed. This won't. - 6.6" size - large but universal - aluminum - minimal weight - thin - sexy - centered high-end cameras - likely higher end screen - Over $1,199+ https://www.macrumors.com/...
@rsgnl Joe Rossignol on x
From @theinformation regarding the “iPhone 17 Slim”: “The rear cameras could be relocated from the upper-left corner of the phone's back to the top center as part of the redesign.” The report says the device will have a “major redesign” akin to the iPhone X. This sounds big.
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
This sounds like it'll be the biggest redesign ever, seeing as the camera bump is being relocated to the top center of the back instead of the corner, where it's always been since the original iPhone.
@vadimyuryev Vadim Yuryev on x
So this means the iPhone 17 lineup will look like: iPhone 17 iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 17 Pro Max iPhone 17 Ultra
@gwanatu Nicholas Sutrich on x
Literally no one is asking for a thinner phone. Lighter? Definitely. Thinner? Absolutely not. [image]
@benbajarin Ben Bajarin on x
Do a design refresh and have some pretty great AI fucntionality and could be a nice uplift for iPhone sales. No, I won't call it a potential super cycle, but these things create more separation from old and new and that has proven to be effective.
@bzamayo Benjamin Mayo on x
So the body of the high-end 2025 iPhone (Ultra?) is gonna be thinner? what about the camera bump lol
@waynema Wayne Ma on x
Apple is planning a significant redesign to the iPhone in 2025 with the release of a significantly thinner version meant to be even more premium than the iPhone Pro Max. Check out my latest with @QianerLiu for @theinformation https://www.theinformation.com/ ...
r/apple r on reddit
Apple is working on a significantly slimmer iPhone that could be released concurrently with the iPhone 17, a major redesign, similar to the iPhone X (The Information)

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