How much of a difference exists between the iPhone 16 and the upcoming next-gen iPhone 17? As far as the leaks are concerned, the next-gen iPhone 17 might not be that big of an upgrade as the industry may have hoped.
The iPhone 16 marked a notable upgrade over the iPhone 15 last year by introducing a new design, a next-gen 3nm chipset, access to Apple Intelligence features and a new Camera Control key for photography enthusiasts. All the upgrades, despite an unchanged price tag, made the iPhone 16 more popular with the masses, thus making it a successful launch for Apple in many markets across the world.
However, with leaks of the iPhone 17 now out in the wild, it seems that the iPhone 17 may not be a big upgrade like its predecessor.
Design
Based on the rumours so far, the iPhone 17 won’t look any different from the iPhone 16. The vertically aligned rear camera setup and the Camera Control key are said to be retained like their predecessor. However, the display size is likely to be enlarged, thus making the iPhone 17 bigger than the iPhone 16. You can also expect Apple to reduce the bezels around the display panel further to liberate more space.
Display
One of the key complaints that people had with the iPhone 16 was the OLED panels’ basic 60Hz refresh rate. The iPhone 17 is now rumoured to come with a 120Hz OLED panel, thus upgrading the viewing experience. A faster refresh rate may not only improve battery life but also make animations and scrolling a lot smoother.
Performance
The iPhone 17 is expected to share the same core internals as the iPhone 16. The rumours suggest that Apple is retaining the tried-and-tested combination of A18 chip and 8GB RAM for the iPhone 17. This won’t give the new model any performance advantage over the iPhone 16. However, Apple could tweak the GPU to show some difference over the iPhone 16, at least on paper. Additionally, it could get a couple of new Apple Intelligence AI features to justify an upgrade from the iPhone 16.
Cameras
The iPhone 17 could retain the same camera combination of a 48MP main shooter and a 12MP ultrawide shooter from the iPhone 16. However, the front camera sensor may finally see an upgrade from the 12MP unit to a new 32MP sensor, thus improving both photo and video recording clarity.
Battery
There may be no notable difference in the battery capacity between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17. Hence, the battery stamina might remain unchanged from the previous model.
Expected prices
With all the cost-cutting in place, Apple could retain the starting price of the iPhone 17 at Rs 79,999, thus making it a tempting deal for those seeking a premium smartphone experience. The iPhone 16, meanwhile, may see a further price reduction to make it a much better value than its Android competition. The price adjustment may also reduce the price of the iPhone 16e.
