iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick (with a thicker camera bar area), making it the thinnest iPhone to date. With the iPhone 17 Pro models rumored to be around 8.725mm thick, there will be a notable difference between the iPhone 17 Air and the rest of the iPhone 17 models.
Hilsenteger was impressed by the thinness of the iPhone 17 Air, speculating on whether it would bend because of the minimal casing. Rumors suggest that Apple will use a titanium and aluminum chassis for the iPhone, with the aim of ensuring it's strong enough not to bend. Back in 2014, Apple dealt with "bendgate" after some users found that the iPhone 6 Plus started bending from being tucked inside a pocket. Hilsenteger's YouTube channel even went viral after he did one of the original iPhone 6 bend test videos.
Apple also decided to keep the display size to 6.6 inches because of fears that a larger display would make the iPhone 17 Air too susceptible to bending. Originally, Apple wanted to use a 6.9-inch display, which would put sizing on par with the iPhone 17 Pro Max. That Apple tweaked display size during development suggests it took the potential for bending into account while creating the super thin iPhone.
Hilsenteger also questioned what the iPhone 17 Air's battery life will be like because of the thinness of the design, but Apple is eliminating features like extra camera lenses in order to ensure enough room for the battery, as well as using a more efficient Apple-designed C1 modem and optimizing through software. Battery life is expected to be on par with current iPhone models.
More on what's expected from the iPhone 17 Air models can be found in our iPhone 17 Air roundup.
Popular Stories
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup.
If you skipped the iPhone...
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself.
Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed.
Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles."
If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes.
The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps.
In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner.
In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
This week saw rumor updates on the iPhone 17 Pro and next-generation Vision Pro, while a minor iOS 18.4.1 update delivered not just security fixes but also a fix for some CarPlay issues.
We also looked ahead at what else is in Apple's pipeline for the rest of 2025 and even the 20th-anniversary iPhone coming in 2027, so read on below for all the details on these stories and more!
iPhone 17 ...
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect.
As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
