Everything We Know About the ‘iPhone 17 Air’
Credit: iPhone Air concept [4RMD / YouTube]
Toggle Dark Mode
It’s almost a tradition for Apple to launch a new iPhone every fall. Unfortunately, this yearly cycle has made Apple’s latest models feel stale. Sure, you get some new features and changes here and there, but the iPhone has looked and felt mostly the same since at least the iPhone 12.
Apple knows this, but it still bides its time between significant changes to the iPhone lineup. Luckily, this year might bring a bigger shakeup in the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup. While we’re still expecting the usual four iPhones, one will be entirely new: instead of the usual Plus model, Apple will launch its first-ever “iPhone Air.”
This new iPhone, also known as the “iPhone Slim” (Apple hasn’t likely decided on the final name yet), is said to feature a couple of significant changes to make it stand out from the rest and make you want to buy it instead of the regular iPhone 17.
If you’ve been looking to have the thinnest iPhone ever created, this might be your year. Here’s everything you need to know about the so-called “iPhone 17 Air.”
Apple Is Saying Goodbye to the iPhone Plus
Remember when Apple used to launch a smaller iPhone called the iPhone mini? This was a smaller 5.4-inch device for people who like more pocketable devices. Sadly, it didn’t sell as well as Apple expected, so the company decided to go the other way and create an iPhone Plus, which was bigger and more expensive than the entry-level iPhone.
It’s been a little over three years since the first iPhone Plus was introduced, and, like the iPhone mini, the bigger iPhone has been a commercial failure.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, iPhone Plus sales have been abysmal, forcing Apple to develop another new iPhone model for this year’s lineup.
Enter the iPhone 17 Air, a device that, if the rumors are true, will be the thinnest iPhone ever.
iPhone 17 Air: Design
The most significant difference in the design will be the thickness. According to current rumors, the iPhone 17 Air will feature a body between 5 and 6.5 mm thick. According to Kuo, the iPhone Air will be 5.5 mm thick, making it one of the thinnest devices Apple has ever created. Other sources suggest it may be a bit thicker, at around 6.25 mm, but that’s still remarkably slimmer than the 6.9 mm iPhone 6, which is the thinnest iPhone that Apple has made to date.
For comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro is 8.25 mm thick. On the other hand, the 2024 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the thinnest Apple device, is 5.1 mm thick. The iPhone 17 Air would sit between these two devices, making it the thinnest iPhone ever.
Of course, it’s worth noting that this iPhone is rumored to be 5.5–6.25 mm at its thinnest point, which means the camera bump in the back will make the overall iPhone a bit thicker.
Speaking of the camera bump, Apple is expected to also change its design. While we’re already used to a square-shaped bump in the top right corner of the iPhone, sources say the new slim iPhone will feature a horizontal, more rectangular camera bump similar to the Google Pixel 9. This bump is said to make the iPhone 17 Air 9.5 mm thick, which would definitely be noticeable since the iPhone’s body will be so thin.
These changes to the camera system will also reportedly be present on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. The entry-level iPhone 17 is rumored to keep the pill-shaped camera system the current iPhone 16 has.
iPhone 17 Air: Display
Just a few months ago, there were rumors that the iPhone 17 Air would feature a larger screen than the iPhone 16 Plus. For reference, the iPhone 16 Plus has a 6.7-inch display, and some rumors pointed out that the iPhone 17 Air would feature a larger 6.9-inch screen.
Unfortunately, it seems that’s not happening. To avoid any bending issues with the iPhone 17 Air, Apple will reportedly use a smaller display. Some rumors say that we might see a 6.6 or 6.7-inch display.
The good news is that, according to the rumors, ProMotion will finally be available on all iPhone models. You won’t have to get the more expensive iPhone Pro models for a faster 120 Hz refresh rate.
This technology means the more affordable iPhones could also feature an Always On display. However, there haven’t been many rumors about that, so we’ll have to see if Apple adds this feature to the entry-level iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Air. Always-on technology requires a display with a lower refresh rate so it doesn’t eat up a ton of battery, and Apple may not use the same displays as the ones in its Pro models; not all 120 Hz displays can drop below 60 Hz.
iPhone 17 Air: Cameras
Yes, we’ve already mentioned that the iPhone 17 Air will feature a more prominent horizontal camera bump, but that’s not all; rumor has it that Apple will only feature a single camera system on the back.
That’s right. This new iPhone, which will be more expensive than the entry-level iPhone 17, might only have a 48 MP camera on the back, which is rumored to be the primary “Fusion” camera of the iPhone 16. This decision is because of the iPhone Air’s thickness, which limits the space inside.
With a single camera, the iPhone 17 Air could miss some features like Spatial Video and macro photography, as these require the second ultrawide lens to do their thing.
On the front, the iPhone 17 Air, as well as all the other iPhone 17 models, is rumored to feature a much better 24 MP front-facing camera instead of the 12 MP one the iPhone 16 models have.
iPhone 17 Air: Internals
Despite the thinner design, the iPhone 17 will still be a performance machine thanks to the upcoming A19 chip and 8 GB of RAM. The A19 Pro chip will still be exclusive for the Pro models this year, but the iPhone 17 Air will still be really powerful.
There are also rumors that Apple will implement a “vapor chamber heatsink,” which will help regulate the temperature and reduce overheating. This technology is already used on Android devices, and it distributes the heat evenly across the device to help it maintain a decent temperature and performance. However, it’s unclear whether that’s coming to the standard iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air or if Apple will reserve this for its Pro models.
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to feature Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3, the same as those on the iPhone 16.
Another significant change is that Apple will use its own 5G modem chip, the C1, which was introduced earlier this year in the iPhone 16e. While this change won’t mean much for end users, it would be the first main series of iPhones to feature this new chip. We haven’t heard of any problems with it in the iPhone 16e, so fingers crossed.
iPhone 17 Air: Battery Life and Charging
We know what you’re thinking: with such a thin body, how is the battery going to be any good? Unfortunately, there aren’t any rumors about this part yet.
While a thinner body could mean a thinner, less durable battery, that might not necessarily be the case; for instance, the 2024 iPad Pro, which is incredibly thin, still has excellent battery life despite its thickness. So maybe Apple will also find a way to give us great battery life despite the thin body. Apple’s new C1 modem chip may help here, as it’s said to be 25% more efficient than the Qualcomm chips that Apple has used previously.
As for charging, the iPhone 17 Air and all the other iPhone 17 models are rumored to support up to 35-watt wired charging speeds, which is basically the same as the iPhone 16.
iPhone 17 Air: Release Date and Price
Like the other iPhone 17 models, we expect Apple to launch the new iPhone 17 Air near the end of the year. Specifically, we expect Apple to continue its tradition and launch the latest iPhone 17 models during its September event this year.
Despite early rumors of a “luxury” price tag, as a replacement for the iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be the same price as that model. The new iPhone 17 Air is rumored to start at $899. Of course, now that there are some changes with tariffs worldwide, Apple may be forced to increase the price of all of its upcoming iPhones.
Will You Get an iPhone 17 Air?
This new iPhone might be a breath of fresh air (pun intended) that Apple fans have been waiting for a long time now. Sure, the larger camera bump and the single camera system on the back might be a turnoff for some people, but there’s no doubt that Apple needs to shake things up to drive more sales for the middle child of the iPhone family.
The good news is that it won’t be more expensive than the iPhone 16 Plus so that you can save money before the big reveal in September 2025.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
