iPhone 17 Air Size Feature.jpg
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be just 5.5mm thick at its thinnest point. Photo: Macrumors

About the name iPhone 17 Air

There has been some speculation about Apple's strategy for the thinner iPhone model and its place in its product line.

YouTuber Jon Prosser was the first to suggest that the device could be positioned as the “‌iPhone‌ Air.” Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman later chimed in on the idea, suggesting that Apple could use it to boost sales.

The elimination of the iPhone “Plus” – like the previous “mini” versions – due to poor sales, will open up a new direction for the iPhone lineup. The iPhone 17 Air will have a significantly thinner design, sitting between the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro.

According to Gurman, the iPhone 17 Air design is just the beginning of something better, as Apple will eventually “squeeze the power of the Pro model into this compact design.” However, he doesn’t expect that to happen before 2027.

About the thickness of iPhone 17 Air

According to The Information , Apple's all-new iPhone 17 will feature a "significantly thinner" design with an aluminum chassis, instead of the titanium case like Apple's Pro models.

Rumors about the iPhone 17 Air's thickness hover around 6mm. But according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 17 Air could be just 5.5mm thick at its thinnest point. If true, that would make it the thinnest iPhone ever, thinner than the iPhone 6 (6.9mm) from 2014.

At 5.5mm thick, the iPhone 17 Air will be about 30% thinner than the iPhone 16 (7.8mm) and 33% thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro models (8.25mm).

The device is said to have only a single speaker, as there doesn't seem to be enough room for a second speaker on the bottom edge. The leak also suggests that the device will have a narrower Dynamic Island. The redesign of the device, internally codenamed D23, is described as a larger design comparable to the iPhone X.

Screen size

According to Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 17 Air will have a 6.6-inch display. This is also agreed by Ming-Chi Kuo.

However, according to analyst Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), the iPhone 17 Air will have a 6.55-inch display. For comparison, the current iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch display.

Apple is still said to be experimenting with different designs for the thinner phone, so the screen size could always change between now and the device's launch.

Always on display

Apple plans to expand ProMotion technology to the entire lineup in 2025, including the iPhone 17 Air, allowing all iPhone 17 models to increase the refresh rate to 120Hz for smoother scrolling.

Previously, only the "Pro" models in Apple's iPhone lineup supported ProMotion. Notably, ProMotion will also allow the display on the iPhone 17 Air to drop to a more power-efficient refresh rate of just 1Hz, allowing the clock, widgets, notifications, and lock screen wallpaper to be displayed even when the device is locked.

Camera redesign

The Information claims that the iPhone 17 Air will have a camera placed in a position never seen on an iPhone before. According to a report in May, the rear camera cluster could be moved to the "top center" position of the device.

Some Android phones like the Google Pixel 9 Pro have the rear camera placed in the top center or in a horizontal "runway" bar, but the iPhone's camera system has always been in the upper left corner since the first model launched in 2007.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the device will have just one camera instead of two or three like previous models.

More durable screen with anti-reflective coating mat

According to Instant Digital , a Chinese leak source on Weibo, all iPhone 17 models will be equipped with anti-glare screens with better scratch resistance than the Ceramic Shield layer on the iPhone 15.

The outer glass of the iPhone 17 series is said to feature an "ultra-hard anti-reflective coating" for enhanced scratch resistance.

It's not yet clear whether Apple plans to use the Gorilla Glass Armor technology that Samsung is using on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but Corning's description of its latest technology matches up well with this rumor.

Improved front camera

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the entire iPhone 17 series will be equipped with a 24MP front camera with a 6-element lens. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 and 15 will only have a 12MP front camera with a 5-element lens, and the iPhone 16 series will still use the same hardware.

The improved resolution on the iPhone 17 should help photos retain better quality even when cropped or zoomed in, while the larger pixel count should capture more detail. The upgrade to a six-element lens should also slightly improve image quality.

More powerful RAM

Analyst Jeff Pu says the iPhone 17 Air will have 8GB of RAM, compared to 6GB on the iPhone 15 Plus. It's worth noting that all iPhone 16 models ship with 8GB of RAM — a hardware requirement for Apple's AI — so it's almost certain that this slim device will follow that trend.

A19 Chip

According to analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 17 Air will be powered by Apple's A19 chip, likely based on an optimized version of TSMC's 3nm process, possibly N3P or N3X.

In contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are expected to use the A19 Pro chip. Compared to previous 3nm chip versions, the N3P chip offers more efficient performance and increased transistor density.

Custom 5G modem and Wi-Fi chip

The iPhone 17 Air could be one of the first iPhone models to use Apple's self-developed 5G modem, second only to the upcoming iPhone SE 4.

Apple's new modem could bring improvements like faster speeds and better power efficiency.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, at least one iPhone 17 model will be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip. He also predicts that Apple's 5G modem will be used in the rumored ultra-thin iPhone 17 model.

No SIM card slot

The iPhone 17 Air will not have a physical SIM slot but will rely entirely on digital eSIM technology, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In the US, all iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 models have removed the physical SIM tray, but all iPhones sold in other countries still have SIM slots.

The iPhone 17's removal of the SIM slot globally has been reported before, but it's unclear how it will play out in the Chinese market, as eSIM is currently not licensed for use on smartphones in the country.

Selling price

The Information reports that the iPhone 17 Air model could cost more than the Pro Max version, which currently starts at $1,199, although it's believed the device won't have as many premium features as Apple's top-of-the-line Max line.

However, according to analyst Jeff Pu, this device will be a mid-range iPhone model to replace the Plus version. In addition, a report from China said that the price of the iPhone 17 Air will be equivalent to the iPhone 16 Plus, which starts at $ 899 in the US market.

Watch the super thin iPhone 17 concept video (Source: Multi Tech Media):

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