The Information's Wayne Ma today published an in-depth report about the "iPhone 17 Air" rumored to launch next year, revealing several new details.
The report said prototypes of the device have a thickness of between 5mm and 6mm, which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever. In comparison, iPhone 16 models are 7.8mm thick and iPhone 16 Pro models are 8.25mm thick.
Due to this ultra-thin design, some design compromises are necessary.
The device currently lacks a physical SIM card tray, the report said, but the design is not yet finalized. This means the device could rely entirely on eSIM technology. In the U.S., all iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 models lack a physical SIM card tray already, but all iPhones sold in other countries still have one for now.
The device is said to have only a single speaker, in the earpiece, as there is apparently not enough room for a second speaker on the bottom edge.
As previously rumored, the "iPhone 17 Air" is expected to be equipped with an Apple-designed 5G modem that is smaller and more power efficient than Qualcomm modems used in current iPhones. However, the report said that Apple's modem will lack ultra-fast mmWave 5G support, and have slower overall cellular data speeds compared to the Qualcomm modems.
Unsurprisingly, the device will also have a "smaller battery" than current iPhones, but it remains to be seen how battery life ultimately compares.
One final compromise relates to cameras. The report said the "iPhone 17 Air" currently has a "large, centered camera bump on its back" with a single camera, whereas iPhone 16 models have two to three rear cameras.
The device is said to be in early production trials at Foxconn. Apple is apparently struggling to fit an adequate battery and some other components into the ultra-thin chassis, but it still has time to overcome these challenges.
Previously-rumored features for the "iPhone 17 Air" include a 6.6-inch display, aluminum frame, A19 chip, Face ID, Dynamic Island, single 48-megapixel rear camera, 24-megapixel front camera, and 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence.
The device should launch in September 2025 alongside the standard iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, with no iPhone 17 Plus expected. The report said the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature an aluminum frame, a rectangular rear camera bump, and more.
