Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
The 2025 iPhone 17 Plus could sport a smaller screen than previous Plus models. This could make the phone more compact and fit better in Apple’s lineup.
Apple currently uses a 6.7-inch OLED panel on the iPhone 15 Plus. This is the same display size as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, albeit the latter uses a superior 120Hz panel.
iPhone 17 Plus could get a screen size reduction
Rumors suggest Apple plans to increase the display size of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max by 0.2 inches this year. So, the iPhone 16 Pro should ship with a 6.3-inch screen, while the Pro Max could sport a 6.9-inch panel.
This will be followed by the iPhone 17 Plus using a display smaller-than-6.7-inches in the following year. Such a move from Apple can help widen the gap between its large Pro and non-Pro iPhone models.
The leak from display analyst Ross Young is light on other details. So, there’s no clarity on how much the iPhone 17 Plus display will shrink in 2025. It also does not mention other planned improvements that Apple might be considering for the panel.
A 6.5-inch iPhone 17 Plus would sit nicely in Apple’s lineup
Apple’s current iPhone lineup consists of four models, but there are two screen size options: 6.1 and 6.7 inches.
If the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max get a screen size bump to 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, an iPhone 17 Plus with a 6.5-inch display would be a perfect fit in the lineup. It will also give users four screen size options to choose from: 6.1, 6.3, 6.5, and 6.7 inches.
This would also fit nicely with the rumor that Apple is considering using 120Hz ProMotion displays with always-on display support across its entire iPhone 17 lineup.