Massive iPhone overhaul in the works for 2025: Report

Apple will “bring a bigger shake-up to the iPhone line-up” in 2025, predicts Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. 

Apple will host its fall event in September. It’ll introduce its next-generation devices like the iPhone 16 lineup, the latest version of iOS, and more.

However, Apple analyst Gurman, ahead of the all-important hardware-focused event, is looking to next year. 

Gurman said, “as early as the beginning of 2025” that the company will give a meaningful bump to the iPhone lineup.

In his latest Power On Newsletter, Gurman says he doesn’t expect the iPhone 16 lineup to get the cash registers ringing. 

“… If the latest financial guidance is any indication, the company doesn’t either,” he says.

Gurman also claims that Apple is hopeful about the next generation of iPhones to offer up even more reasons for Apple users to upgrade.

Compact yet powerful

Regarding the new iPhone SE, Gurman says that it will look similar to the iPhone 14. However, it’ll feature an OLED display, and have “Apple intelligence“. 

The iPhone SE line-up doesn’t see annual upgrades. Apple’s last iteration of the budget iPhone was released in 2022.

While its pricing is not confirmed, Gurman feels that Apple should aim to price the phone below $500. The analyst predicts this could make it a “hot seller.”

The upcoming iPhone SE is rumored to be the most powerful in its lineup. Unlike its previous iterations, this budget iPhone will have a modern design and flagship-grade internals. 

While the design overhaul was overdue, Apple’s decision to offer “Apple Intelligence” on this device has paved the way for powerful specifications.

iPhone 17 “slim” roadmap

That said, the main draw of Apple’s renewed iPhone lineup will arrive at the year-end event. 

Gurman reconfirms that the iPhone 17 Slim or the iPhone Air will be introduced as the fourth phone in the iPhone 17 lineup and will sit between the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro.

This will also bring an end to the “Plus” versions of iPhones. Gurman compares this new device to the MacBook Air, which is somewhere between the regular MacBook and MacBook Pro.

This new device will be aimed at people who “want something snazzier than a standard iPhone.” 

Gurman breaks this down by saying that those who don’t need “performance, screen size or cameras of a Pro model” will have a “much cooler” option. 

Gurman also envisions what happens if Apple’s experiment with the slimmer device succeeds. 

We may eventually see the Pro devices shedding some weight and gaining a thinner profile. That will have to wait until 2027, however.

Lastly, Gurman predicts that Apple is years behind in the race for foldable phones. The foldable iPhone will become a reality, but “all signs internally point to a foldable iPad being just as big of a priority.” 

This means the foldable iPad will likely arrive sooner than the foldable iPhone.