Base iPhone 17 to Get Bigger Screen and iOS 26 Instead of iOS 19

Apple will increase the screen size of the iPhone 17 compared to the iPhone 16, Ross Young, Vice President of Counterpoint Research research firm said on X platform.

According to Young’s sources, the iPhone 17, expected to be launched this fall, will feature an OLED display with a diagonal size increased from 6.1 to 6.3 inches. This marks yet another change in screen dimensions for Apple's smartphones.

Currently, the base iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models have displays measuring 6.1 and 6.7 inches, respectively. The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max, also released in 2024, feature larger displays — 6.3 and 6.9 inches, up from 6.1 and 6.7 inches, respectively.

This means the iPhone 17 will be nearly identical in size to the iPhone 17 Pro. However, the most affordable model in the lineup is likely to retain a 60 Hz screen refresh rate, while the Pro version is expected to feature a ProMotion front panel with 120 Hz refresh rate and higher brightness.

Ross Young’s predictions about Apple often prove accurate as he has a solid track record.

At the end of May, Bloomberg sources said that Apple was considering a major overhaul of its operating system naming pattern. The tech giant plans to ditch the traditional numbering system and move to year-based naming. This could see iOS 26 introduced this fall instead of the expected iOS 19.