iPhone 17 Air: Everything Leaked So Far About Apple's Thinnest iPhone

Apple's iPhone lineup next year may undergo an important change. Multiple reports have pointed to a new iPhone 17 Air, or iPhone 17 Slim, in the series that will replace the Plus model and come across as Apple's thinnest-ever iPhone device. From its thickness to its design to its specifications, a lot has already been leaked about the iPhone 17 Air, but since the proposed launch timeframe of the next flagship iPhone series is more than 10 months away, there is always a possibility of changes to how the Air is shaping up to be. Nevertheless, here is everything that has leaked so far about the iPhone 17 Air.

Thinnest iPhone ever

According to some early leaks, the iPhone 17 Air could be the thinnest smartphone from Apple, surpassing the iPhone 6s. Corroborating those leaks, industry insiders Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu have said the iPhone 17 Air could be 6mm thick, compared to the thickness of 6.4mm thickness on the iPhone 6s. However, more recently, The Information said the prototypes of the iPhone 17 Air are between 5 and 6 millimetres thick, hinting that the device could even be 5mm thick. If these rumours hold any water, the iPhone 17 Air could be among the thinnest smartphones ever made.

Design

A thin design on the iPhone 17 Air would not be possible without other necessary tweaks to the device's aesthetics. The Information said Apple is focusing on form over function, which is why the iPhone 17 Air may not be eligible for a titanium upgrade for its body. Apple could retain the aluminium frame on the Air model next year. While other changes are unclear, reports are also rife that the iPhone 17 Air could adopt the display size of the Plus model and measure about the same.

Specifications

The reduced thickness on the iPhone 17 Air would potentially come at the cost of premium specifications and features.

As pointed out by Kuo and Pu, the iPhone 17 Air may miss out on the mmWave 5G, which could impact the user experience, especially in the US. That is because Apple could be piloting its in-house 5G modem with the Air model. Apple's own 5G model is a first-generation component, so it cannot match Qualcomm's 5G chips, which Apple currently uses across its devices with cellular connectivity. It could also lack a physical SIM card slot, much like the recent iPhone models sold in the US. While customers in the US may not feel the change, the lack of a physical SIM card slot could be a major shift for customers elsewhere, especially in markets where eSIMs are not popular or even supported. At the same time, selling the iPhone 17 Air in China where eSIM functionality is not supported, could be a challenge for Apple.

The iPhone 17 Air could also forgo the secondary speaker to make up for the thinness. The upcoming iPhone model may not have a second speaker at the bottom, according to The Information. That means the Air model may not offer a stereo sound experience and that may not sit well with customers at its price.

Apple may also let go of the secondary camera on the iPhone 17 Air in favour of a "large, centred camera bump" on the back. The Information has reported that the change in the camera design could be one of the outcomes of the attempt at reducing the thickness. It could be a 48MP camera with better features. The front camera, however, may be upgraded from 12MP to 24MP, according to multiple reports.

While there could be some key trade-offs on the iPhone 17 Air, it could come with features that Apple's standard iPhone models never had. Both Kuo and Pu have indicated that the iPhone 17 Air could be Apple's first non-Pro model to use a ProMotion display, which can refresh at up to 120Hz. Apple's standard iPhone models have stuck to 60Hz since the first generation, while the Pro models offer a better display experience using the ProMotion technology. That could change with the iPhone 17 Air next year if the analysts are to be believed. The iPhone 17 Air's display could measure 6.6 inches, along with the possibility of it even being 6.55 inches. The display would retain the Dynamic Island, but it could be smaller than the regular. According to Pu, Apple is using a new "metalens" technology to cram the sensors and the front camera into a smaller pill-shaped cutout. The iPhone 17 Air could also come with a new anti-reflection layer for better scratch resistance.

The iPhone 17 Air will use the A19 chip much like the rest of the models in the series. While there is also a possibility the device could be powered by an A19 Pro, reports suggest it may end up with 8GB of RAM only even though the Pro models may pack 12GB of RAM.

Price

According to The Information, the iPhone 17 Air could cost $1,300 or higher, making it significantly more expensive than the Plus models, which have remained at the price of $899.