Wild Apple rumors for 2025 and beyond: Foldable devices, new 'Slim' iPhone

The rumors for the next MacBooks and iPhones are wild. Credit: Mashable

Apple's got big plans for the (fairly) near future — if you trust a new report that may be just a tad too optimistic for reality.

No, we're not talking about the upcoming iPad event, scheduled for May 7. We're not talking about Apple's WWDC, scheduled for June 10, nor are we talking about the iPhone 16 launch, likely to happen in September.

iPhone 17 Slim

A new report by Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu (via 9to5Mac) claims significant changes will happen to Apple's iPhone lineup in 2025. According to the report, Apple will replace its "Plus" model with a new "Slim" variant, meaning the 2025 lineup would consist of iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17, and iPhone 17 Slim. There are no details about the Slimphone (we're totally calling it that, if it happens to be real), except that it'll be (doh) slimmer than the regular iPhones.

According to Pu, the iPhone 17 lineup of devices will have a "more complex" aluminum design (whatever that means), while the iPhone 17 Pro Max will be the sole exception as it will once again be made of titanium. The Pro Max will also have a smaller Dynamic Island, made possible by the new "metalens" technology which will enable Apple to dramatically reduce the size of the Face ID sensor, which sits in the Dynamic Island cutout alongside the front camera.

Finally, Pu also claims that the iPhone 17 and 17 Slim (we're warming up to the name) will have 8GB of RAM, and either an A18 or A19 chip, while the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will come with 12GB of RAM and Apple's A19 Pro chip. All four new models will have a 24-megapixel selfie camera, a huge upgrade to the 12-megapixel cameras on the current lineup of phones.

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New foldable

Pu's predictions for other Apple devices, due to come next year, are even wilder. He claims that Apple plans to ramp up mass production of a 20.3-inch foldable hybrid device in late 2025 (it's unclear whether it'll be labeled as an iPad, MacBook, or something entirely new). The company also plans to launch a foldable iPhone in late 2026.

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We've heard reports of foldable Apple gadgets many, many times before, but what's notable here is the timing. For example, a February report from The Information said that Apple was working on several foldable devices, but it didn't sound like any of these are anywhere near ready for mass production.

Likewise, a March report from reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said a 20.3-inch foldable MacBook is coming much later, in 2027. He also added that he doesn't believe Apple has a clear development schedule for a foldable iPhone, indicating that such a device won't be coming for quite some time.

Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.

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