It's not about the thickness — this is surely Apple just flexing some of the engineering work that has gone into building a future foldable phone (which inevitably requires thinner hardware to fit two screens in the thickness of one).
So don't take this at face value, it's just a prelude to a foldable phone next year.
I agree but cynicism makes me think it’s a beta, not a flex. Shipping half your next flagship phone to learn about manufacturing, durability etc etc in the real world is kind of genius.
They often discard with the version number for the first release of a product bifurcating, and from then on it follows its own version path.
The first Apple Watch Ultra wasn't the Apple Watch Series 8 Ultra. Subsequent Ultras follow their own versioning. The same with the SE, Air Pod Pros, iPad Air, and so on.
Yet that's precisely what Apple has done repeatedly across product lines. Just yesterday they introduced the Apple Watch Series 11, and its low cost variant the Apple Watch SE 3. They also introduced the ruggedized larger variant the Ultra 3.
I’d place a bet that Apple does not go down the foldable route, they must have seen what happened with Samsung and their Z Fold. Much hyped but turned out to be somewhat of a dud.
Yeah I was first very excited to see a smaller iPhone again, but was very very disappointing that is about the thickness.
NO BODY cares about the thickness!!! I want something that I can hold like the iPhone 5!!!! Or iPod touch size!! Don't want a big screen to watch netflix!!!
This is freaking phone for god sake, back in the old iphone days there were a balance.
Stuff like this is what turns me back to dump phone. I want a phone, not a freaking computer in my hand!
So don't take this at face value, it's just a prelude to a foldable phone next year.