Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup is about to face a serious challenge in the market, according to analysts who argue that the lack of strong AI features could hinder its sales potential. 
With the iPhone still accounting for more than half of Apple’s annual revenue, boosting sales of the iPhone 17 is crucial for the company’s growth, but that might not come easy this time around.
Analysts at HSBC recently pointed out that Apple’s failure to capitalize on the AI boom could slow down the momentum for the iPhone 17. Despite hopes that AI advancements would lead to quicker upgrades, this strategy seems to have faltered, as the AI features showcased at WWDC 2024 didn’t quite enhance the user experience in the way many expected.
Instead, Apple is likely to double down on what it does best: hardware. According to the analysts, Apple should market the iPhone 17’s hardware upgrades aggressively, highlighting its better specifications compared to the iPhone 16 lineup. Rumors suggest that the new A19 and A19 Pro chips will focus on efficiency, with Apple looking to improve battery life rather than push for raw performance. However, this could put the iPhone 17 at a disadvantage compared to competitors like the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 and Dimensity 9500, which could outperform Apple’s latest silicon in terms of speed.
One of the key hardware upgrades in the iPhone 17 series is expected to be a 5,000mAh battery for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which would offer impressive runtimes compared to other flagship smartphones. Additionally, Apple is set to introduce 12GB of RAM for the first time in an iPhone, allowing for smoother multitasking, better background app management, and improved performance for next-generation AI features expected to arrive in future iOS updates.
Even if Apple lags behind in the AI race, the strong hardware upgrades could still make the iPhone 17 an attractive option for customers. The question remains whether Apple’s focus on hardware will be enough to maintain its dominance in the smartphone market.