The main feature that could attract buyers to the iPhone Slim might also be its downfall

First, Apple tried a smaller 5.4-inch iPhone mini that debuted with the iPhone 12 in 2020 and continued the next year with the iPhone 13 mini. But the mini models weren't selling too well even though we would always hear from iPhone users who wanted a smaller screen. So starting last year, Apple brought back the "Plus" branding last used with the iPhone 8 Plus and created the iPhone 14 Plus.

The Plus phones (including the iPhone 15 Plus) have the same sized display as the Pro Max models and sport huge batteries. They just don't have the Pro camera array, the latest application processor, and some of the other features you'll find only on the iPhone Pro models. Despite the lower price for a large screen and battery life that challenges what iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro Max users experience, the iPhone Plus models have had the same problem that the iPhone mini models had to deal with; namely, a lack of sales.

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So now it appears that Apple will be dumping the iPhone Plus model (the iPhone 16 Plus will be the last one) and replacing it with a phone that for now has been given the moniker "iPhone Slim." A previous rumor called for the device to sport a 6.5-inch screen although the size is believed to be somewhere between the 6.1-inch glass found on the basic iPhone and the 6.7-inch screen used on the iPhone 15 Pro Max (the iPhone 16 Pro gets a hike to 6.3 inches this year and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature a 6.9-inch display). The bezels on the iPhone Slim will be smaller.

While the iPhone Slim will have a thinner profile than any of the iPhone 16 phones, the latest report by The Information had a huge surprise. The iPhone Slim will be a premium model priced above the iPhone 17 Pro Max and this has led some to believe that the "Slim" will actually be the long-rumored iPhone Ultra that many have been expecting ever since the Apple Watch Ultra was debuted in 2022. For now, let's continue to call it the iPhone Slim.

The phone will have a new look according to the latest report with the rear camera array moving from the upper left corner to the top center of the rear panel. The phone would feature an aluminum build with a smaller pill and circle cutout that would result in a smaller Dynamic Island. 

For those expecting the iPhone Slim to be a new top-of-the-line iPhone, there is something that drooling iPhone fans are forgetting about while they are already daydreaming about purchasing the iPhone Slim. If this new iPhone is as thin as many believe it will be, you probably won't see any hike in battery life. Most likely the battery used to power the iPhone Slim won't run nearly as long as the one inside the iPhone 16 Plus. 

Remember, the Plus models are known for having long battery lives. But the slim body used on the iPhone Slim, which might attract some buyers, can also be a double-edged sword and force Apple to use a smaller battery on the phone dissuading many buyers from picking one up. While there probably aren't too many consumers willing to buy an iPhone priced higher than the iPhone 17 Pro Max with a shorter battery life than the latter model, that could change if the iPhone Slim turns out to be impossibly thin or the handset looks like nothing that we've ever seen before.

The report in The Information, which cited three people who have "direct knowledge of the matter," compared the magnitude of the iPhone Slim redesign to the difference between the iPhone 8 series and the iPhone X. If that's the case, consumers might be so dazzled by the iPhone Slim that the drop off in battery life won't matter.