iPhone 17 Air Could be Apple's Thinnest iPhone Ever

Apple's iPhone lineup in 2025 could undergo an interesting change, making a way out for the Plus model in favour of a new Air model. Reports are rife that Apple could introduce a slim iPhone, calling it the 'iPhone 17 Air' or 'iPhone 17 Slim'. While the jury is still out on what the name would be, a new leak has claimed the iPhone 17 Air will be Apple's thinnest iPhone ever, surpassing the iPhone 6.

Renowned Apple analyst Jeff Pu in a new research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong (via MacRumors) has corroborated the recent rumour that suggested the iPhone 17 Air will be just 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," Pu was quoted as saying in the report. Although the analyst refers to the thin iPhone as the iPhone 17 Slim, several reports have also pointed to the iPhone 17 Air moniker.

While that is not an official confirmation, Pu's word on the iPhone 17 Air's thickness indicates that it will be the thinnest iPhone. Currently, the title of the "thinnest" iPhone is held by the iPhone 6, which measures 6.9mm in thickness. It also means that the iPhone 17 Air will be about three-quarters as thick as an iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro model. For reference, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus measure 7.8mm in thickness, while the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are both 8.25mm thick.

Having the slimmest body would also mean that the iPhone 17 Air will avoid titanium or similar material for the frame. Chances are it could use high-quality aluminium just like the existing standard iPhone models.

While the iPhone 17 Air could arrive as the thinnest-ever iPhone, it would not be the thinnest Apple device. The 2024 13-inch iPad Pro currently holds that title with a 5.1mm thickness. Coming in second is the now-discontinued iPod nano, which measured 5.4mm.