Apple Will Have To Market The iPhone 17 Lineup’s Hardware Upgrades Aggressively To Boost Sales, Claim Analysts, Stating That Lack Of Promising AI Features Will Decelerate That Momentum

Jul 19, 2025 at 06:10am EDT
Analysts detail what Apple needs to do to sell the iPhone 17 series better than the iPhone 16

The failure to capitalize on the AI boom has called for Apple CEO Tim Cook to be replaced by a product-focused individual, but since the current Chief Executive is likely going nowhere, the Cupertino firm is expected to focus on what generates the most revenue, and that is the iPhone. According to analysts, Apple currently does not have an arsenal of compelling AI features to convince consumers to upgrade, so it should focus on the hardware specifications expected to arrive with the iPhone 17 series.

Revamped Siri features will arrive in 2026, but Apple has failed on its promise with its AI additions once before, and it will need to convince buyers to upgrade to the iPhone 17 series by highlighting other areas

The iPhone continues to make up more than half of Apple’s annual revenue, meaning that increased iPhone 17 sales are absolutely pivotal for the technology giant’s growth. Unfortunately, the road will be rocky because HSBC analysts wrote in an investors’ note spotted by MacDailyNews that there were initial hopes that artificial intelligence would accelerate the renewal cycle, but that period was short-lived. The analysts also mentioned that AI features showcased during the WWDC 2024 keynote did not improve the user experience.

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Instead, what Apple should do is go back to the drawing board and draft up graphs that heavily market the capabilities of the iPhone 17 hardware. HSBC analysts believe that better specifications compared to the iPhone 16 family should fulfill demand, but when talking about the A19 and A19 Pro, Apple is rumored to focus more on efficiency this year rather than performance, with both SoCs potentially getting beaten by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 and Dimensity 9500. Fortunately, this could result in the iPhone 17 models featuring some of the best runtimes when comparing other flagship smartphones, save for the iPhone 17 Air.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is rumored to ship with a 5,000mAh cell, and for the first time, Apple will reportedly bring 12GB of RAM to the upcoming models, allowing more memory to be allocated for background apps, games, and on-device generative AI features slated to arrive next year. Even if Apple trails behind in the artificial intelligence race, we can all agree that customers will be compelled to upgrade to the new flagships if their hardware specifications are enticing enough. As for those extra details, we shall provide further updates in the near future, so stay tuned.

About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.

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