A few hours ago, a rumour surfaced indicating that the iPhone 17 Slim might be the replacement for Apple's iPhone 16 Plus. We believed it would be the thinnest iPhone 17 family member given the new name, but it doesn't really seem like a reason for such a significant shift.

It might begin to make more sense, though, if you take this into account along with the fact that its screen will be smaller than that of the impending iPhone 16 Plus and the now available iPhone 15 Plus. The diagonal display size of the iPhone 17 Slim will be precisely 6.55 inches.

The iPhone 15 Plus has a 6.7-inch screen now, and its direct replacement ought to maintain that as well. However, given that the Pro Max is increasing to be 6.9", we can only infer Apple wants individuals who need the largest screen on an iPhone to have to choose the Pro Max rather than the somewhat less expensive Plus. If the speculations about the iPhone 16 Pro Max increasing to 6.9" and the iPhone 17 Pro Max staying at that size while the iPhone 17 Slim becomes smaller come to pass, you won't have an option very soon.

Naturally, bear in mind that even if this is accurate, a lot—nearly everything—can change between now and the iPhone 17 family's arrival, which is approximately 18 months away. This is true regardless of how trustworthy a source is generally.