If leaks to date are to be believed, the iPhone 16 Plus will be replaced by the iPhone 17 Air, and the latest rumor to emerge from Apple's supply chain is that the 2025 flagship phone will have an improved display attached.
According to the normally well-informed DigiTimes (via 9to5Mac), Taiwanese display maker Novatek could begin mass production of its next-generation OLED displays during the second quarter of 2025 (April, May, and June).
These OLED displays are said to come with TDDI (Touch and Display Driver Integration) technology built in, meaning the same chip handles both touch input and output, meaning thinner, more efficient displays.
And the first customer for these thinner and more efficient screens? Apple, quite possibly, according to DigiTimes. The link is described as “speculation” at this time, but the timing would coincide, as would the introduction of a slimmer iPhone model.
The history of the iPhone 17 so far
Aside from the possibility of a thinner and lighter iPhone 17 Air (or Slim), we don't know much about the phones coming next year. Of course, it's still early: our iPhone 16 review hasn't been available for long, after the series was unveiled last month.
We've heard that the iPhone 17 could arrive with another new button, or rather, that the Action button and volume buttons could be combined into one, at least on the Pro and Pro Max versions of next year's phones.
As for the two non-Pro models, they'll apparently get display upgrades that allow for an always-on display option, as well as a variable refresh rate for smoother animations and transitions (in addition to the other display upgrade mentioned above).
However, it might be the iPhone 17 Pro Max that gets the most updates: we've heard it will come with more RAM, improved on-device AI capabilities, and an improved cooling system to further improve performance.
