Latest rumors on iPhone 17 “slim”

[Cmaier]

iPhone 17 Slim's too thin for SIM tray, may not have mmWave

The iPhone 17 Slim won't have a SIM card tray because it is too thin to have one, and it probably won't have mmWave either.

appleinsider.com

This sounds like a terrible phone. Missing the bottom speaker, just one rear camera, weaker radios, etc. I don’t get it.

 

[MacPoulet]

iPhone 17 Slim's too thin for SIM tray, may not have mmWave

The iPhone 17 Slim won't have a SIM card tray because it is too thin to have one, and it probably won't have mmWave either.

appleinsider.com

This sounds like a terrible phone. Missing the bottom speaker, just one rear camera, weaker radios, etc. I don’t get it.

It's like the original MacBook Air...

 

[Herdfan]

So does this mean the days of the SE/Mini are over?

 

[Cmaier]

So does this mean the days of the SE/Mini are over?

this will actually have a big screen, so who knows.

 

[Eric]

iPhone 17 Slim's too thin for SIM tray, may not have mmWave

The iPhone 17 Slim won't have a SIM card tray because it is too thin to have one, and it probably won't have mmWave either.

appleinsider.com

This sounds like a terrible phone. Missing the bottom speaker, just one rear camera, weaker radios, etc. I don’t get it.

Have to wonder if it's going to be at a lower price point.

 

[Cmaier]

Have to wonder if it's going to be at a lower price point.

it seems to be a replacement for the “plus” model, so I doubt it.

 

[Herdfan]

T

 

[Altaic]

iPhone 17 Slim's too thin for SIM tray, may not have mmWave

The iPhone 17 Slim won't have a SIM card tray because it is too thin to have one, and it probably won't have mmWave either.

appleinsider.com

This sounds like a terrible phone. Missing the bottom speaker, just one rear camera, weaker radios, etc. I don’t get it.

Na, it’ll be svelte, and plenty of people will go for it.

The lack of mm wave is a nothing burger since one would be hard pressed to notice the difference between it and 5G (if it’s even available in one’s area). If it suffers disconnects, that would be really bad and likewise damage Apple’s reputation, but barring that, it’ll be lower energy and serve to establish future Apple modems. Consider how crappy and unreliable Bluetooth audio was before Apple made its own radios— sometimes I forget I put my phone down and go outside when on a call, and my AirPods Pro 2 suddenly starts getting choppy… like 50ft away with two walls in between. Deploying their first cellular modem is a no-fuckup situation, IMHO, so I’d hope it exceeds expectations.

The speaker could be a problem if it sounds crappy, but Apple’s track record there is also exemplary.

Finally, cameras are a passion point for a lot of people, so that’s hard. I will say that there are a ton of ML enhancements that may do the trick. However it’s probable that this phone simply won’t be the one for photography enthusiasts. And that’s fine, because there’s the whole Pro lineup.

 

[fischersd]

But Jony left...so who has this thin obsession in their R&D department now?! Bendgate 2 in 3, 2, 1....

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

But Jony left...so who has this thin obsession in their R&D department now?! Bendgate 2 in 3, 2, 1....

At this point I feel like the battle on thinness and weight is only done to impress other engineers. The average user doesn’t care. Absolutely nobody is freaking out if there is a slight gain on either.

 

[theorist9]

Thinness will become very important once they release a foldable, since that obviously doubles the thickness.

 

[Yoused]

Thinness will become very important once they release a foldable, since that obviously doubles the thickness.

Only because that is what everyone else does. There is really no reason the fold-out part should not be screen thickness and no more. Or, as I said in the other thread, Apple could leapfrog the competition with a slide-out instead of a folder.

 

[theorist9]

Only because that is what everyone else does. There is really no reason the fold-out part should not be screen thickness and no more.

Good point. And the advantage of keeping most of the thickness on one side would be that it gives you enough depth for the cameras.

But how would you keep the screen-thickness half from being excessively fragile? I suppose the screen could be spring-loaded, and lock into place when you open it fully. Then, when the phone's accelerometers detect the phone is falling, they release the lock and the phone snaps shut.

I recall that's something that's been considered for other foldables. The advantage of having a thin side is that you wouldn't need as strong a spring to close the phone in time (lower moment of inertia).

Or, as I said in the other thread, Apple could leapfrog the competition with a slide-out instead of a folder.

Also an interesting idea. Though today's WSJ report (which I just posted on another thread) indicates the screen will be on the inside; if true, that would preclude the slide-out.

 

[Yoused]

But how would you keep the screen-thickness half from being excessively fragile?

That is pretty straightforward: you make the fold-out part flexible. All the folders I have seen use some sort of membrane-type screen (probably flexible OLED, I would guess). It would not have to be like a traditional iPhone screen such as you would be accustomed to. I imagine some sort of back that folds out into a sort of W-profile backing made of relatively flexible metal, so that if you drop it while it is open, it does not crack or dent – and the latch would be a ball type or a magnet, so that upon impact, it would just pop closed.

today's WSJ report (which I just posted on another thread) indicates the screen will be on the inside; if true, that would preclude the slide-out

Not necessarily. If the screen is slid closed, it would wrap around the inside back of the case, so it would be on the inside. How to make a slide-out close easily is something of a challenge, I think, but, to me, it still sounds like a better plan that a fold-out.

 

[theorist9]

That is pretty straightforward: you make the fold-out part flexible. All the folders I have seen use some sort of membrane-type screen (probably flexible OLED, I would guess). It would not have to be like a traditional iPhone screen such as you would be accustomed to. I imagine some sort of back that folds out into a sort of W-profile backing made of relatively flexible metal, so that if you drop it while it is open, it does not crack or dent – and the latch would be a ball type or a magnet, so that upon impact, it would just pop closed.

I'd need to see a picture. The screen needs to lie flat, so if it's flexible it needs a relatively rigid frame, and a thin, rigid frame is vulnerable to impacts, unless it could somehow be made collapsible in both directions.

If it were just the thin fold-out part falling by itself, it might not be damaged. But if the thin part hits first, driven by the weight of the thick part, that's a different story; if it's not collapsible in both directions, it would need to be closed before it hits the ground.

Not necessarily. If the screen is slid closed, it would wrap around the inside back of the case, so it would be on the inside. How to make a slide-out close easily is something of a challenge, I think, but, to me, it still sounds like a better plan that a fold-out.

Not following, would need to see a pic.

 

[Yoused]

would need to see a pic

Here is a very rough sketch,

The light grey lower frame slides out of the black upper frame, pulling the purple screen sheet down over the top roller. The SoC etc would be between the screen halves when retracted. I believe it would be possible to do it well, but there would be significant challenges. Would probably work better for iPad than for iPhone.

 

[theorist9]

Here is a very rough sketch,

View attachment 33163​

The light grey lower frame slides out of the black upper frame, pulling the purple screen sheet down over the top roller. The SoC etc would be between the screen halves when retracted. I believe it would be possible to do it well, but there would be significant challenges. Would probably work better for iPad than for iPhone.

Thanks for the drawing. When it's "closed" (when the gray frame is inside the black frame), wouldn't half the screen still be showing?

 

[Yoused]

When it's "closed" (when the gray frame is inside the black frame), wouldn't half the screen still be showing?

Yes. That is the point, really. Imagine having an iPad Mini that you could pull out for 40% more screen. You could use it as a Mini when that is what you want or as a full size iPad when that better suits your requirements. For the iPad, I would have one camera clinging to the side, facing a mirror that would let it serve as a FT camera or be pulled out on a gooseneck that would let you aim the camera instead of having to aim the whole tablet.

Slide out could be useful for a phone as well. If you are talking on it or scanning notifications, half the screen might be just fine. Perhaps even taking pictures. Or, slide it out when you want more screen.

I imagine the OS would have to adapt itself to screen size. If you do not pull it all the way out, it has to figure how big the active part of the screen is. And, the biggest hurdle might be developing a backing material that is flexible enough to roll down but still stiff enough when extended for touch to feel right (probably partly something to do with perfecting the tension).

 

[theorist9]

Yes. That is the point, really.

Right, that's what I meant when I wrote this...with a slideout, you can't have the screen entirely on the inside:

Though today's WSJ report (which I just posted on another thread) indicates the screen will be on the inside; if true, that would preclude the slide-out.

So I'm guessing when you wrote this, you mean that some of the screen (about half) would be on the inside, not that it would be entirely on the inside:

Not necessarily. If the screen is slid closed, it would wrap around the inside back of the case, so it would be on the inside.

 

[Yoused]

For the past nearly two decades, the majority of phones have had a screen that is always on the outside (and some people buy folios to protect them). That we would suddenly see a need to have the screen fully enclosed by the phone seems like a step into the past. I mean, the past had it upsides, like when you could go somewhere and be 100% out of touch with everybody (like everyone else around you, good times), but I am not convinced that a lot of people want to make that short step backward.