Other Why assume iPhone 17's are going to be 'the one' to upgrade to after disappointment?

[3Rock]

I’ll solve the problem for everyone. Trade in your current iPhone and get the 16, and if the 17 Pro isn’t much better next year, go ahead and wait for the 18, and if not the 18 pro, then wait for the 19 pro and so on. That’ll solve the problem. I’ve stopped listening to rumors about the next year is gonna be the model to get, many times it’s not. I’ll get what I want today and think about tomorrow………tomorrow. 👌

 

[winxmac]

I would say iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are good enough replacement for iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max as well as iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max... The camera design is way better compared to iPhone 11 and iPhone 12... The diagonal arrangement justifies the bigger bump on iPhone 13, 14, and 15 while on iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 does not seem to serve any functional or useful purpose...

 

[satchmo]

unless 16 sales are bad I'm not holding out that the 17 will be much different, apple is meticulously drip feeding us features

Apple's been beholden to shareholder return that they fear messing with their cash cow.

This rumoured slim model iP17 is likely Apple's response to do give customers a reason to be excited again about iPhone. All the while still providing shareholders the predictability and profits they demand.

But is it enough? Thinner is hardly a feature many will see as a must have. And while it's a divisive issue, a foldable iPhone would probably move the needle more.

I suspect real change will only come under new leadership. Perhaps it's naive to believe this person wouldn't be any different in how they serve shareholders. I suppose I just miss the days when Apple truly did 'think different'.

 

[deaglecat]

It is early days for AI on smartphones, in particular I expect Apple 8Gb RAM devices to struggle as the technology develops.

12Gb would be much better, if available in the iphone 17 models. Also the chips will be more optimised.

We are at the start of a long development cycle for this technology.

 

[Bootleg Gucci]

This rumoured slim model iP17 is likely Apple's response to do give customers a reason to be excited again about iPhone. All the while still providing shareholders the predictability and profits they demand.

But is it enough? Thinner is hardly a feature many will see as a must have. And while it's a divisive issue, a foldable iPhone would probably move the needle more.

With Apple’s customer fan base, if they make 17 air look different by moving the camera lens around (like in a weird black bar) + being slimmer, they should be able to boost iPhone sales again.

 

[steferrari]

The whole concept of upgrading yearly is wrong imho, and it seems that most people still haven't understood this.

They launch a new iPhone, and 90% of the comments are:

- It's the same phone!
- And you call this innovation?

What are they supposed to change after so many years and between two consecutive models? 😅

It's not like early days where we had big differences even year by year, the innovation curve has obviously flattened.

It takes a lot more time to really notice improvements.

Televisions are also released yearly (2023 lineup, 2024 lineup, etc.) but nobody says: "It's still the same TV..." because you don't really expect anything shocking anymore, and the same should happen with phones.

When you buy an iPhone, or even a Samsung (especially when we talk about high-end models) you should start thinking: "Ok, I'll keep this phone for a few years..."

And if you do so, when you eventually go for a new one, you'll probably appreciate the differences much more.

I kept iPhone X for six years before upgrading to 15 Pro Max and obviously for me the jump was quite noticeable.

It would be silly to upgrade to 16 already, probably it would be silly to get the 17 as well.

Maybe, since I'm into photography, the only tempting factor would be having the same resolution for all three lenses, right now the 16 only lacks 48MP in the telephoto.

But other than that there's probably no point.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

The whole concept of upgrading yearly is wrong imho, and it seems that most people still haven't understood this.

They launch a new iPhone, and 90% of the comments are:

- It's the same phone!
- And you call this innovation?

What are they supposed to change after so many years and between two consecutive models? 😅

It's not like early days where we had big differences even year by year, the innovation curve has obviously flattened.

It takes a lot more time to really notice improvements.

Televisions are also released yearly (2023 lineup, 2024 lineup, etc.) but nobody says: "It's still the same TV..." because you don't really expect anything shocking anymore, and the same should happen with phones.

When you buy an iPhone, or even a Samsung (especially when we talk about high-end models) you should start thinking: "Ok, I'll keep this phone for a few years..."

And if you do so, when you eventually go for a new one, you'll probably appreciate the differences much more.

I kept iPhone X for six years before upgrading to 15 Pro Max and obviously for me the jump was quite noticeable.

It would be silly to upgrade to 16 already, probably it would be silly to get the 17 as well.

Maybe, since I'm into photography, the only tempting factor would be having the same resolution for all three lenses, right now the 16 only lacks 48MP in the telephoto.

But other than that there's probably no point.

I went from the X to the 15PM also and it was definitely a noticeable improvement. I never say I won't upgrade to newer versions of the PM until they're released and I can see what they offer. This year I'll be keeping my phone. I actually believe the regular 16's are the stars of this years release. They offer nice improvements over the 13, 14 and 15 phones and should do well this cycle

 

[azhava]

I don't have any set timeline for upgrades. My decision process every year is pretty simple - are there any new features I really want? If yes, upgrade; if no, pass. So my upgrade cycle could be anywhere from 1 year to whenever the phone dies and I need a new one.

 

[chanerz]

I think all iPhone 17 will have a 120 HZ refresh rate. A lot of people will consider that, especially on nonpro models.

 

[Garethe86]

Maybe because the YouTubers are already suggesting it and planting the idea into everybody's heads.

As an enthusiast I buy a new phone every year, sometimes twice a year so this doesn't apply to me. But I wanted to point this out using the example that OP opened with: the 60 or 120 hz issue. I only became aware of screen refresh rate a few years ago when social media bloggers decided that was the year to complain about it, it seems when the top channels on YouTube bring it up, the rest of them jump onto the bandwagon. In a couple of years they'll come up with a new one and hammer it home every year until Apple "complies". The latest one I'm increasingly hearing is USB 2.0 vs. 3.0, something I doubt the average user even notices or cares about, but there you go.

 

[Jackbequickly]

Agree with this. Look at the PC market - when is the last time someone unveiled 'groundbreaking' desktop PC hardware? Software, on the other hand, is about to take center stage. If you aren't already using AI every day, you should start. We're on the cusp of a seismic shift in how we interact with computing devices. I would estimate I gained an additional 4 hours of productivity at work from AI this week alone. Apple AI is still in its infancy. I think next year's phone will be given the computing power it needs to take advantage of on-device processing models that will be developed over the next few years.

Agreed. Most of the AI features will all be software and little will happen on our personal devices.

 

[unobtainium]

I’m a tech enthusiast and have always upgraded yearly in the past. I liked having the best possible camera and getting a new battery and warranty to boot. But this year I just can’t bring myself to upgrade. Feels like we are really standing still. The phone is heavier and larger (it was heavy and large enough on the 15PM). The cameras are mostly unchanged - main lens completely unchanged afaik. The thing is just stale.

The M4 iPad Pros are awesome - powerful, thin, light. I do expect Apple to slim down the iPhone 17 — hopefully not just in a borked “air” model but in the Pro line as well. That would definitely get me to upgrade again.

 

[Treborray]

Smartphone tech has peaked, from here on in it’s only going to be incremental improvements most years.

I concur

 

[FlyingTexan]

unless 16 sales are bad I'm not holding out that the 17 will be much different, apple is meticulously drip feeding us features

60hz on the iphone 16 is criminal at this point and I expect a lot of tanking in the sales.

 

[SmugMaverick]

With Apple’s customer fan base, if they make 17 air look different by moving the camera lens around (like in a weird black bar) + being slimmer, they should be able to boost iPhone sales again.

Yep, the internals have peaked right now with nothing in iOS using A18 Pro chips full power, AI is getting the minimum RAM it needs as well so I think people are misunderstanding why the 16 Pro is a massive flop.

It's because it looks the exact same as 12,13,14,15 and the camera of the 11 as well, NOT because it doesn't fold or flip.

A new design will boost sales massively, the Air/ultra has the chance to be another iPhone X moment, ushering in a similar design for the rest of the iPhones in 2026.

I hope that Jeff Williams got the biggest smackdown by the higher ups for his LAZY hardware upgrades on iPhone, iPad and Watch.

I think all iPhone 17 will have a 120 HZ refresh rate. A lot of people will consider that, especially on nonpro models.

Yep, and hopefully AOD unless Apple really is scum.

60hz on the iphone 16 is criminal at this point and I expect a lot of tanking in the sales.

Exactly, they're trying to mug people off and its not working anymore.

Money is tight right now for many, Tim, Jeff and co don't realise from their ivory tower.

 

[icemantx]

I upgraded from the 12 Pro to the 16 Pro and have no regrets. I kept mine for 4 years and waiting another year for "the next one is the one to get" got old after hearing it for the 14 Pro, 15 Pro and then 16 Pro before they came out. If the 17 is that much better, then I will upgrade. If not, the 16 Pro will be plenty good for 2-3 years with no issue.

 

[The Game 161]

60hz on the iphone 16 is criminal at this point and I expect a lot of tanking in the sales.

Unlikely

iPhone 16 could be the best selling device in the world as it's still far cheeper and the feature differences aren't that big this year. Colours are also far more interesting

 

[MarkX]

iPhone 24 will be the one to get

I've heard it will no longer have PWM then too!