iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16: the biggest expected improvements

The new iPhone 16 series has just been launched, but that doesn’t mean people are no longer waiting to see what comes next. iPhone 17 rumors have already begun, with the likely radical new iPhone 17 Air/Slim among them.

If you’re on the fence about upgrading to this year’s model, knowing what’s coming next can help you decide whether to buy now or wait. This is where the iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16 comparison comes into play.

At this point, we don’t have a full picture of the iPhone 17. But we’ve heard enough details to compare what you could get from Apple’s next phone to what the iPhone 16 currently offers. Here’s how the iPhone matchup is shaping up at this early stage 17 with iPhone 16.

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: models and price

Rumors talk about the thickness of the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Slim

(Image source: Tech on front page)

The most famous rumor about the iPhone 17 line concerns the model changes that Apple is likely to make. The standard iPhone and the two iPhone Pro models don’t seem to be going anywhere, but the just-released iPhone 16 Plus could be the last of its kind.

Instead, analysts are advising Apple to launch a new phone called the iPhone 17 Slim. This is not a direct replacement for Plus; instead, it will be Apple’s new premium phone, even surpassing the iPhone 17 Pro Max in next year’s lineup.

The main feature of the iPhone 17 Slim is already in the name – it is supposed to be the thinnest iPhone ever created. Considering the iPhone 16 isn’t exactly thick at 7.8mm thick, we’re talking about a very slim phone.

Early rumors seem to indicate that the iPhone 17 Slim will be a significant addition to Apple’s product line, with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman calling it part of a “new class of Apple devices that should be the thinnest and lightest products in the entire tech industry.” As such, expect a premium price to match, with the Slim likely to cost more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

When it comes to actual pricing, it’s impossible to predict how much Apple will charge for smartphones a year from now. Apple has actually maintained prices for the iPhone 16 models, so you’d imagine it will try to stick to the same ranges for the iPhone 17 ($799), iPhone 17 Pro ($999), and iPhone 17 Pro Max ( $1,199), assuming no component price fluctuations.

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: design and display

iPhone Air rendering

(Image source: Tech on front page)

Apart from the ultra-thin look of the iPhone 17 Slim, early rumors don’t have much to say about the design changes in the iPhone 17 lineup. We imagine that the action button added a year ago and the camera capture button that debuted on the iPhone 16 lineup they will stay here forever. It’s unclear whether Apple has plans for additional buttons up its sleeve.

The biggest story here may be the displays, now that the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max have new fixed sizes of 6.3 and 6.9 inches, respectively. The iPhone 17 Slim is expected to sit in the middle of these phones with a 6.7-inch panel, and we imagine the iPhone 17 will still offer the most compact 6.1-inch screen.

This should finally be the year Apple joins the rest of the smartphone world in offering adaptive refresh rates All their flagship phones. This means that the iPhone 17 will soon receive an LTPO OLED panel with the ability to increase the refresh rate to 120 Hz, which will provide smoother scrolling and better graphics. iPhone 16 is stuck at a constant 60Hz, so this will be a significant improvement, even if it’s long overdue.

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Cameras

iPhone 16 Pro Max shown in hand

(Photo: Tom’s Guide)

Apple just refreshed every rear camera on the iPhone 16 Pro (and two of the three lenses on the iPhone 16 Pro Max), so you’d think that’d be it for camera improvements. However, the iPhone 17 Pro Max may come with 48MP sensors for all three rear cameras, while the telephoto lens will get a higher resolution sensor.

It’s unclear what this could mean for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17, but considering iPhone 16 Pro models will add a 48MP ultra-wide lens this year, it’s a potential feature that could be implemented in Apple’s standard flagship. There are precedents, as the iPhone 15 gained a 48MP main camera a year after iPhone 14 Pro models received the feature.

A more likely scenario is an upgrade to the 12MP TrueDepth camera on the front of all current iPhones. One of the rumors suggests Apple to change the 24 MP sensor in the iPhone 17 to support selfies and FaceTime calls.

It is also worth paying attention to a rather embarrassing rumor about the iPhone 17 Slim – some people expect that the phone will be equipped with only one rear camera. This would be a space-saving maneuver aimed at making the new phone as thin as possible.

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Performance and battery life

A18 Pro chip

(Image: Apple)

The A18 and A18 Pro chipsets powering the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models respectively have provided a big boost to Apple’s phones, and the A18 Pro benchmarks in particular have shown that the Pro models are the speed kings of the mobile world. (That said, phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor still set the pace for graphics performance). However, while the A18 silicon performs well, the A19, which will likely appear in the iPhone 17 family, could be even better.

This is because the A19 chips will likely be made on a 2 nanometer process, as opposed to the 3 nm of A18 silicon. The smaller the chipsets, the more closely the transistors are packed, leading to increases in both performance and energy efficiency. So the A19 system-on-chip could see a significant speed bump over the A18.

This improvement in power efficiency also has an impact on battery life, as the better the chipset manages power, the longer the phone can last on a charge. iPhone 16 models have already made huge strides in this regard thanks to larger batteries. In fact, the iPhone 16 Pro Max had the best performance of any Apple phone in the history of the Tom’s Guide battery test, topping our list of the best phone battery lives.

You might think that any iPhone 17 model would struggle to meet or beat this standard, but the A19 system-on-chip could be a big help.

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Software

iPhone 16 Pro Max shown in hand

(Photo: Tom’s Guide)

There probably won’t be much difference between the software running the iPhone 16 and iPhone 17. It’s almost certain that the new phones will debut with iOS 19 next fall, but Apple will also release the software as an update for older iPhones. Considering how recent the iPhone 16 models are – they still have that new phone smell, for example – you’d imagine they’d have no problem running iOS 19 fully.

Future Apple Intelligence features may be another matter. Apple’s AI-powered capabilities will be available in an October software update for all compatible phones, including iPhone 16 models. But those phones will also eventually gain visual intelligence features – essentially Apple’s take on Google Lens – that won’t be available on the models iPhone 15 Pro that might otherwise support Apple Intelligence features.

Could Apple take a similar approach next year by introducing an Apple Intelligence feature specific to the iPhone 17? It’s too early to say anything yet, but it’s worth following the development of this technology.

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16: Outlook

Even at this early stage, the iPhone 17 sounds promising, and the iPhone 17 Slim in particular seems to be a big step forward for Apple in terms of design. But should all this be enough to discourage you from upgrading to the truly fantastic phones in the iPhone 16 lineup?

The challenge with buying a phone is that there’s always something potentially better just over the horizon. So you need to decide if the features available here and now are the ones you need. According to our tests, the iPhone 16 Pro is the best camera phone, but other iPhone 16 models also excel at taking photos and videos. All four new models last long after charging and deliver lightning-fast performance.

In short, if you’re looking for the best iPhones, each of the iPhone 16 models now has a lot to offer. iPhone 17 may look promising, but delivering on that promise is still a long way off.