The iPhone 16 series is likely almost here, with all signs pointing to a September launch. But whether you’ll want to buy one of these phones is another matter entirely, especially given that much bigger upgrades could be coming to the iPhone 17 series next year.

In a note to investors seen by 9to5Mac, analyst Jeff Pu has argued that the iPhone 17 line could prove far more popular than the iPhone 16 series, thanks to numerous upgrades.

Pu claims the iPhone 17 line will include a refreshed design, a new 24MP front-facing camera for every iPhone 17 model – up from 12MP on the current phones – and a new 48MP telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro models, in place of the current 12MP one.

Pu also says the iPhone 17 Pro Max will have a narrower Dynamic Island, and that the Pro models will have 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB currently, which should help to power their AI capabilities.

On top of which, Pu echoes reports that we’ll see a new model in the form of an iPhone 17 Slim or an iPhone 17 Air, which could slot in between the standard and Pro models, and have a much slimmer design than the other iPhone 17 models.

All this, coupled with the fact that, according to Pu, those Apple loyalists who are still using the iPhone 12 will likely be looking to upgrade their phones next year, could lead to a massive sales boost for Apple.

A limited upgrade

As for the iPhone 16 series, Pu echoes Mark Gurman in suggesting that these phones probably won’t excite many people, saying that the iPhone 16 line will have “limited spec upgrades.”

As a reminder, the key rumored upgrades include larger screens for the Pro models, a new camera control button – likely called the Capture button – for the Pro models, the Action button making its way to the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, a new 48MP ultra-wide camera for the Pro models, a 5x zoom for the iPhone 16 Pro, and a new A18 chipset.

These upgrades aren’t insignificant, clearly, but nor are they likely to be game-changing, and while Pu believes that Apple Intelligence could also tempt some buyers, it apparently won’t be enough to drive strong sales growth.

So this might not be a big year for Apple, and if you’re not desperate for a new phone just yet then it could be worth holding out for the possibly more exciting iPhone 17 line next year.

That said, the iPhone 17 series is still over a year away, so there’s a long time to wait, and with those phones still a long way off we’d take any leaks about them with a serious helping of salt.

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