For the iPhone, 2024 was all in regards to the software program, as Apple made its long-awaited — some would say a lot overdue — push into AI options on board its smartphones. And that is prone to proceed into 2025, because the Apple Intelligence launch is much from over. Apple nonetheless has options it promised final summer season to ship, after which there are the brand new additions to Apple Intelligence at the moment within the works that can doubtlessly arrive subsequent fall.
Nonetheless, whereas software program figures to be a key driver of the iPhone’s fortunes within the coming yr, 2025 may additionally deliver with it some {hardware} surprises. We are able to depend on the standard fall iPhone launch, after all, and it appears possible an iPhone SE replace will get right here sooner quite than later. However there additionally rumblings of a wholly new iPhone that might usher in a brand new design in what figures to be essentially the most substantial overhaul since 2017’s iPhone X launch.
In different phrases, it appears to be like like one other large yr is forward for the iPhone, as Apple works to maintain its telephone lineup vibrant some 18 years after the unique iPhone’s debut. Here is what the subsequent 12 months may deliver, based mostly on rumors surrounding Apple’s software program and {hardware} efforts.
Apple Intelligence
After introducing Apple Intelligence options to the iPhone in October with the iOS 18.1 replace and augmenting that suite of AI instruments with extra capabilities by iOS 18.2, we’re in a little bit of a lull interval for brand spanking new AI-powered options. The iOS 18.3 replace will not arrive till early 2025, and based mostly on the at the moment out there public beta, a lot of the modifications seem like tweaks, bug fixes and aesthetic modifications. There isn’t any indication of great Apple Intelligence additions coming by way of iOS 18.3 as of this writing.
However that does not imply the Apple Intelligence rollout is full. Again when it previewed its AI instruments at WWDC 2024, Apple outlined a imaginative and prescient for a revamped Siri, the place the digital assistant would pay attention to your private context and be capable to take motion on no matter occurred to be in your iPhone display screen on the time of you summoning the assistant. Although Siri has seen some updates courtesy of Apple Intelligence — there is a new full-screen animation when the assistant is lively, you should use a extra conversational tone when interacting with Siri and there is now ChatGPT integration — however that last piece of the puzzle has but to reach.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg has pointed to the iOS 18.4 replace — arriving sooner or later between the beginning of 2025 and Apple’s annual developer convention initially of sumer — because the one that can deliver extra options to Siri. Along with higher contextual consciousness, the Siri revamp guarantees a extra natural-sounding assistant that can boast extra in-app controls, together with third-party apps.
Along with delivering the options promised this previous summer season, Apple will possible deliver extra Apple Intelligence options to its units in 2025, although particulars on what this future spherical of updates will ship have but to emerge. Apple Intelligence figures to be a giant focus on the 2025 version of Apple’s Worldwide Developer Convention, which usually takes place in June. We would count on a preview of forthcoming Apple Intelligence additions at the moment alongside sneak peeks at the remainder of Apple’s 2025 software program updates, together with iOS 19. (Extra on that iPhone software program replace in a second.)
iPhone SE 4
Apart from the iOS 18.4 replace, the opposite large iPhone-related occasion prone to occur within the opening months of 2025 is an iPhone SE launch. After releasing the iPhone SE 2022 two years after the earlier SE mannequin, Apple skipped an replace in 2024, however most Apple observers assume an iPhone SE 4 will likely be arriving this coming spring.
When it does present up, the iPhone SE figures to look very totally different from the present mannequin, which nonetheless sports activities the Contact ID button and chunky bezels discovered on 2017’s iPhone 8 launch. The brand new iPhone SE is tipped to adapt a extra fashionable design — assume the iPhone 14 with an edge-to-edge show interrupted solely by a notch on the prime of the display screen to accommodate the entrance digital camera and Face ID sensors. That may imply an even bigger display screen for the iPhone SE with most rumors pointing to a 6.1-inch OLED panel, probably changing the LCD display screen discovered on the present iPhone SE.
In reality, you can have a alternative of display screen sizes with the iPhone SE 4. Some rumors counsel Apple will supply a second mannequin — an iPhone SE Plus — with a good bigger 6.7-inch display screen. If true, it might acknowledge that folks desire bigger screens on their handsets than the present iPhone SE’s 4.7-inch panel.
Apple may have one other large change in retailer with the iPhone SE 4, assuming it sticks with its traditional chipset plans for the rumored telephone. Earlier iPhone SE fashions have used the identical silicon discovered within the flagship iPhone fashions launched the earlier fall. If that sample holds this time round, the iPhone SE 4 would flip to the A18 system-on-chip powering the iPhone 16. And that may imply the lower-end iPhone SE would help Apple Intelligence options, broadening the viewers for Apple’s AI instruments.
The iPhone SE 4 might be in line to usher in a primary for Apple, with rumors suggesting this mannequin will introduce the world to Apple-built modems. Qualcomm has equipped modems for Apple’s previous telephones, however Apple is trying to deal with extra of its personal components internally.
The larger display screen, extra highly effective processor and AI capabilities may translate to an even bigger value than the $429 value of the present iPhone SE. As long as Apple retains the value below $500 — and with the iPhone 14 nonetheless out there at a reduced value of $599, you’d think about Apple would wish to — the iPhone SE 4 may form as much as be top-of-the-line low cost telephones we see in 20225.
iOS 19
The annual WWDC occasion initially of summer season options previews of Apple’s software program plans, so we’re anticipating the 2025 developer convention to offer us our first have a look at iOS 19. Early rumors counsel this would possibly not be a significant overhaul for Apple’s iPhone software program, as plenty of Apple’s growth sources are at the moment targeted on Apple Intelligence.
Consequently, Bloomberg’s Gurman has reported that quite a few options deliberate for the iPhone software program replace may not actually arrive until spring 2026, even when they’re included within the iOS 19 preview at WWDC 2025. Particulars as to what these options may be have not develop into out there at this level.
The present iOS model, iOS 18, helps the identical iPhones that have been able to operating iOS 17 (although Apple Intelligence is proscribed to iPhones powered by an A17 Professional chip or later). That is apparently going to proceed with iOS 19, based on a report out of France, which claims that the iPhone XS and iPhone XR fashions will likely be included amongst supported units even when they first launched again in 2018. Not all options may go on older units, the report cautions.
iPhone 17
In regards to the most secure prediction anybody could make is that Apple can have new iPhones within the fall. The iPhone 17 lineup is predicted to maintain three of the present fashions round — the usual iPhone in addition to the iPhone 17 Professional and iPhone 17 Professional Max. (Extra on the iPhone Plus substitute in a second.)
Though we’re not less than 9 months out from a possible iPhone 17 launch, some early particulars have already began to floor about 2025’s large iPhone launch. We may lastly see the standard iPhone adopt a faster refresh rate after spending years locked at 60Hz. Different flagships within the iPhone’s value vary have lengthy since adopted fast-refreshing shows of their very own, so this may be a big step by Apple to shut the hole with its rivals.
Analysts assume the front camera on all iPhone 17 models will get an upgrade with sharper decision, although the most important digital camera enhancements might be set for the Professional lineup. Particularly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will reportedly use a trio of 48MP sensors for its important, ultrawide and telephoto lenses.
We count on all three iPhone 17 fashions to characteristic an A19 system-on-chip of some kind, with the Professional telephones possible getting a Professional variant. Preliminary rumors hinted on the A19 being constructed on a extra environment friendly 2nm course of, however now the expectation is that Apple will use a 3nm course of as soon as extra. The larger efficiency story might be a rise of RAM to 12GB throughout the iPhone 17 lineup, as Apple appears to be like to make its new telephones higher in a position to deal with on-device AI options.
After holding pricing regular on its iPhone 16 lineup, the iPhone 17 could see a price increase, although it is method too early to say something definitive about that risk. If true, although, it might be the primary value hike for the reason that iPhone 15 Professional Max jumped by $100 over its predecessor in 2023.
iPhone 17 Air
So if there isn’t any iPhone 17 Plus, what does Apple do as an alternative? Most indicators point out Apple is engaged on a thinner model of its telephone, with rumors initially calling this venture the iPhone 17 Slim. It is now anticipated to ship because the iPhone 17 Air, although.
As the unique identify would counsel, the standout characteristic of the iPhone 17 Air will likely be how skinny it’s. Proper now, the iPhone 16 is roughly 7.8mm skinny, however the rumored telephone is predicted to shrink down much more, with some floating the chance that it might be as skinny as the present iPad Air (6.1mm) or iPad Pro (5.3mm).
That type of slimness will not depart plenty of room for inner parts. It is anticipated that Apple would come with only one digital camera on the again of the iPhone 17 Air — a 48MP important digital camera that may do double responsibility on zooms by cropping in on pictures to create 2x zooms at optical high quality.
Although it might be knocking the iPhone 16 Plus out of Apple’s lineup, do not count on a Plus-like value. Early pricing rumors tip the iPhone 17 Air to be Apple’s costliest iPhone, costing more than even the Pro Max.
Like the remainder of the iPhone 17 lineup, the iPhone 17 Air would possible debut within the fall.
iPhone Flip
There’s one different potential Apple telephone within the works, although it is in all probability unlikely to be a part of Apple’s 2025 plans. Nonetheless, it is price protecting tabs on the rumored iPhone Flip to see if Apple makes any progress towards releasing a foldable telephone.
If we’ll see any foldable merchandise popping out of Cupertino, analysts appear to agree that will probably be a pill first. Particularly, analysts level to a 20.3-inch foldable device becoming a member of the iPad lineup sooner or later. When precisely that will likely be is the topic of some debate, with one analyst predicting a late 2025 launch adopted by a foldable iPhone in 2026. However the consensus appears to be {that a} foldable Apple pill could not floor till the center of 2027 on the earliest, pushing again an iPhone Flip launch even additional.
Regardless, Apple is seemingly engaged on design prototypes for a foldable telephone, with a flip-style system being the possible contender. Nonetheless, given all the opposite iPhone actions on its agenda for the subsequent yr or so, we would think about that iPhone Flip work will likely be confined to the background.
