Apple will shift away from its standard launch strategy of unveiling three high-end iPhones in the year. The company has been reported on innumerable occasions to be announcing four iPhone 17 models. With the iPhone 16e already released in major markets, the grand total will come to five handsets that occupy varying pricing brackets. The sales of the four models are rumored to drive the overall market, at least according to one tipster, who states that two upgrades are arriving to the lineup that will make them excellent selling points amongst buyers; an LTPO OLED panel and high-density batteries that sport a varying shape and will be encased in a metal enclosure.
iPhone 17 Air is also reported to ship with a high-density battery, but Apple might not shift to silicon-carbon technology this early
On Weibo, the tipster Digital Chat Station does not provide sales estimates for the iPhone 17 but claims that the launch will drive the overall market. We have mentioned that LTPO OLED technology, which was only exclusive to the ‘Pro’ models and what ultimately allowed them to flaunt high refresh rate displays, will arrive to the less expensive versions too. However, at the time, we did not realize that the iPhone 17 Air would be treated to the same panel, and assuming that the machine translation turns out to be correct, this upgrade will arrive to all four models.
Another change is high-density batteries covered by a metal chassis. Apple introduced these enclosures with the iPhone 16 lineup, but not all models featured this internal change. Based on the tipster’s words, the entire iPhone 17 family could ship with batteries that offer these protective covers, which will help in heat transfer. Unfortunately, we have yet to receive confirmation if these high-density batteries will employ silicon-carbon technology or stick with lithium polymer.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo mentioned that the iPhone 17 Air will rely on such batteries but still gave no word on whether these cells will be based on the silicon-carbon variant. The advantage to leveraging this technology is that manufacturers can increase the battery’s capacity without resorting to increasing the device’s thickness. Since the iPhone 17 Pro Max is said to be 5 percent thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, we can assume that Apple will stick with lithium-polymer for this year.
Additionally, the Dynamic Island is said to be maintained for all four models, suggesting that Apple is not ready to shrink or eliminate that pill. We can foresee the less expensive iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air gaining in popularity thanks to the LTPO OLED upgrade, but that might drive customers away from the ‘Pro’ models unless Apple offers exclusive features that compel buyers. Since there are more details to arrive, we advise our readers to treat this information with a pinch of salt, and we will return with more updates.
News Source: Digital Chat Station
