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Apple gets much-needed good news from China amid ‘iPhone 17 Slim’ rumours

Apple has launched its smallest tablet, the iPad Mini, with the A17 Pro chip enabling it to run Apple Intelligence

According to data from research firm Counterpoint, sales of Apple’s new iPhones have increased by 20% in China in the first three weeks since their release when compared to the company’s 2023 model.

On September 20, both Apple and Huawei released their most recent smartphones in China, highlighting the fierce rivalry in the largest smartphone market globally, where the American tech giant has been losing market share to local competitors in recent quarters.

“We’re seeing strong unit sales of the iPhone 16 series in China,” Counterpoint stated, noting that sales of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max models had increased by 44% when compared to their respective 2023 versions.

However, due to declining sales of older models and heightened competition from Huawei’s Mate and Pura series, overall iPhone unit sales in China fell 2% y-o-y over the three weeks, the report said.

Meanwhile, Apple has launched its smallest tablet, the iPad Mini, with the A17 Pro chip enabling it to run Apple Intelligence. With the A17 Prochip, which powers Apple’s latest iPad Mini, the tablet can now run Apple Intelligence, the company’s new AI suite of features.

With the A17 Pro processor and an 8-point 3-inch Liquid Retina display, the iPad Mini can better meet the demands of AI applications. It has a faster CPU and GPU, as well as a 16-core Neural Engine that is twice as fast as the previous version.

It has two cameras: a 12MP wide back camera that supports Smart HDR 4 and a 12MP ultra-wide front-facing camera.

It automatically recognises documents within the Camera app using a neural engine, and it can eliminate shadows from documents using the new True Tone flash feature.

According to Apple, it offers twice the performance of the previous model, supports Apple Pencil Pro, and has an all-day battery life. It also supports Wi-Fi 6E.

Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly planning a significant overhaul of its iPhone line-up with the introduction of an iPhone 17 Slim variant in 2025, which will feature a sleek design inspired by the new iPad Pro.

According to a report by 9To5Mac, the tech giant will prioritise form factor with the iPhone Slim over functionality. The report further indicated that the Tim Cook-led venture possibly compromised on the flagship device’s camera capabilities and display size to achieve a thinner design.

Bloomberg too reported that Apple intends to position the Slim variant between the standard and Pro models, likely replacing the “Plus” model in the 2025 iPhone series.

According to the analyst Jeff Pu, whom 9To5Mac contacted for its story, the iPhone 17 Slim will feature only a single 48MP rear camera sensor, omitting the ultra-wide-angle camera sensor found in the Plus model it is said to replace. The device is also expected to sport a 6.6-inch display, smaller than the current generation iPhone 16 Plus, which features a 6.7-inch panel.

“However, Apple could equip the Slim variant with a 24MP front-facing camera sensor, which is expected to be standard across all iPhone 17 models. In terms of performance, the iPhone 17 Slim is likely to be powered by a new A19 chip, similar to the standard model in the 2025 iPhone series, and will include at least 8GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence features. The Pro models of the iPhone 17 series are expected to be powered by A19 Pro chips, coupled with 12GB of RAM,” Pu noted.

Apple is reportedly planning to make the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 series narrower, incorporating a new FaceID sensor.

“The narrowed Dynamic Island will reportedly be made possible using a new metalens technology for the proximity sensor, significantly reducing the size of the hardware required for FaceID,” Pu concluded.

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