Apple has confirmed that its AI plans have not panned out the way it would like, which means we might have to wait for a little longer before we get to see the AI-powered Siri roll out for iPhone users. The company even shared this news at the WWDC 2025 earlier this week, which makes us question one big thing about the brand. 

Does it still make any sense to buy the iPhone 17 this year, now that Apple is unlikely to have big AI upgrades coming in this year? We have been pondering on this thought for the last few days, and in some ways, we have managed to narrow down on the right way to answer this question. 

Should You Buy? 

Most rumours suggest Apple could make some hardware changes to the iPhone 17 series, and even offer a 120Hz OLED display on the regular variants this year. The promise of Apple AI is likely to be muted for these models, something that the brand was loud about during the iPhone 16 Glow time launch event. Hardware upgrades are appealing for buyers, especially if they are moving from the 3-4 year old iPhones, but that’s about it. 

The lack of new Apple AI features and Siri AI means the 2024 iPhone 16 models (Pros too) are good enough to handle your daily needs. And you can get a better deal on the older iPhone 16 variant around the time when the iPhone 17 series is announced. 

If you go through the yearly sales data, Apple sees the regular iPhones top the charts, which was once again the case with the iPhone 16 becoming the best-selling model in Q1 2025 as per industry reports. 

New Matters 

Having said that, people tend to eye the new iPhone models because it is new and latest from Apple. Some of them like to flaunt owning the latest before others, while most are happy to own a piece of the fruit in any form or budget. 

Apple had an enticing pitch for the iPhone 16 launch with its AI glitz but 2025 is likely to focus heavily on the hardware, which means the company needs noticeable upgrades in the pipeline. There are loud rumours about the iPhone 17 Air model coming out this year, which could have people waiting to see if the product is worth the hype. 

So, it seems like Apple will be back to the drawing board with the big iPhone 17 series launch later this year, when the new iOS 26 update with Liquid glass design is offered to the buyers with new features and impetus to get people to spend the big bucks on the shiny new toys.