Enough with the iPhone 17 Slim stuff, give me an iPhone 17 Flip instead

We recently heard that Apple’s rumored iPhone Slim’s specs won’t be anything special, but rather, Cupertino seems to be looking for the slim form factor to attract customers to it.

And here I am, scratching my head at one obvious question: why isn’t Apple betting on an iPhone Flip instead of an iPhone Slim? For one, I’d rather have an iPhone Flip instead of an ultra-thin phone that differs by nothing from existing ‘vanilla’ iPhones apart from a slim profile. Like, come on Apple, what are you doing?

iPhone 17 Slim expected specs

Rumors about the iPhone 17 Slim are showing up online from reputable leakers, that is. The phone is expected to rock a 6.65-inch ProMotion display with 120Hz refresh rate, a non-Pro A19 processor, and 8 gigs of RAM (the iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to come with 12GB of RAM). So far, so good – a regular iPhone. But then comes the price: a $1,299 starting price is expected, which is $100 more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max! And it will have a single camera on the back (maybe with variable aperture, but still!). I feel staggered by that decision, and if the rumors are accurate (mind you, it’s still early to be very sure, we’re talking about 2025), this iPhone 17 Slim sounds super disappointing. Yep, there will be people who’d go for it because it’s thin… or will there be? If the phone only has its thinness on its side, how attractive would it be? Now, here’s something that, if I was able, I would’ve done.

iPhone 17 Flip and why I think it’s a better route

I recently had the honor to review the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and I can definitely say that I love this phone. It’s beautiful and fancy-looking, but that’s not all it has going for it. It’s the form factor, coupled with a powerful processor, capable camera, and gorgeous display that gets me.

It’s no secret that I am a die-hard fan of big screens on phones, and I’ve said it countless times already. But having to always carry a bag with me is a compromise I decided to make just to sport a Pro Max iPhone – for the battery and for that screen. The Flip form factor eliminates this compromise and I get the best of both worlds: the tiny-ness that allows me to carry this phone in my pocket and the big screen when I need it.

It’s beyond me why Apple would go for a Slim phone instead of a Flip phone, as I, for one, will be instantly buying an iPhone 17 Flip, as I reckon many other people would.

Here are the advantages of an iPhone 17 Flip for me:

• Enhanced portability: that I already mentioned, and many people who have never used a Flip phone before may actually be underestimating this. We’ve grown accustomed to carrying heavy big phones around and we don’t notice that anymore, but if I have you carry around a Z Flip 6 for a week or so as a daily driver, you’d instantly notice the positive difference. A slim iPhone may address the weight and thickness issue, but it doesn’t solve the issue of overall dimensions, while a foldable design does.

• More screen: well, what I really want is more display with no compromises. With a foldable iPhone, we can enjoy a larger display without the compromises I mentioned above. The slim iPhone 17 might be sleek, but it won’t offer the expanded screen size that a foldable phone can deliver.
• Versatility in usage. A foldable iPhone presents us with new ways to interact with it. It could allow us to open it half-way, in a “flex mode” and use the bottom half as a tripod for hands-free video calls, split-screen multitasking, or a mini-laptop setup with the bottom half acting as a keyboard. This versatility is something a slim iPhone simply can’t match. It’s not just about aesthetics; it’s about functionality that adapts to our daily needs.
• Durability concerns eliminated: I’ve heard people argue that foldable phones aren’t as durable and are more prone to wear and tear. But that’s no longer the case with recent advancements in technology. The Z Flip 6 is now more durable than ever. And as I know Apple (the master of meticulous engineering and quality control), a foldable iPhone will be even more durable and robust.
• It’s unique: a foldable iPhone will stand out. I’m still whining about the lack of real differences in iPhone designs in the past few years. I’m still picking up my mom’s iPhone thinking it’s mine… but a foldable iPhone will for sure stand out. A slim iPhone will be elegant, but I doubt its design will be much different from the iPhone 17.
• Multitasking prowess: an iPhone 17 Flip would be a game-changer for multitasking. Right now, iPhones don’t offer as many multitasking options as competitors, but this could be changed with a foldable iPhone. The concept makes me daydream of watching a video on one half of the screen while texting on the bottom half. We all know the pain of switching out of a YouTube video to quickly respond to someone and if you don’t have YouTube Premium, that video’s now gone silent…
• Making Apple interesting again: to put it quite frankly, Apple’s become somewhat boring in recent years. Of course, the iPhone 16 and rumors about it are raising my hopes for a more exciting release, but still, I’m looking at all of it with a grain of salt. However, an iPhone 17 Flip could bring back Apple’s reputation of being innovative and bold. We already have foldable phones. But I’m sure when Apple joins in, things will be different.

Conclusion

I think some people would be excited for an iPhone 17 Slim, but to me, it sounds rather strange. Why not make all the iPhone 17 series slimmer and reserve a special design for a foldable iPhone? Why isn’t Apple making foldable yet? An iPhone Slim isn’t that much special, while a Flip iPhone will turn heads. I sure hope Apple has something fancy in store for us that the leakers weren’t able to pick up on just yet.