Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The iPhone 17 Air is said to include both low-end and Pro-level features.
- Despite being thinner, it could have a battery life on par with current iPhones.
- If the iPhone 17 Air is a success, we could see some of its features spread to other models in the future.
Apple is expected to shake up its iPhone 17 lineup by ditching the “Plus” model and replacing it with an ultra-thin phone, reportedly called the iPhone 17 Air. There’s still a lot of mystery behind this new form factor, but more details have emerged. A new leak says that the device will incorporate both low-end and Pro-level features and could usher in a sea of change for Apple’s other models.
In his latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg shared a bevy of new information about the iPhone 17 Air. From the front, the device is said to be a lot like the iPhone 16 Pro. It seems we can expect a 6.6-inch display, ProMotion, a Camera control button, and a standard-sized Dynamic Island.
Surprisingly, Gurman also states that the battery life could be on par with current iPhones. This would be an impressive feat, considering the phone is expected to shave about two millimeters off the phone’s depth. However, leaks suggest Samsung’s competing thin phone, the Galaxy S25 Edge, won’t be sacrificing much either compared to the vanilla Galaxy S25.
While the iPhone 17 Air may include some Pro-level features, Apple is making compromises in other places. One such area would be the rear camera, which is believed to include a 48MP shooter like the one on the iPhone 16e. On top of that, it looks like the phone will feature only an A19 chip and not the A19 Pro SoC found in the Pro models.
It was reported last year that Apple was having trouble figuring out how to fit a physical SIM card tray into the Air. This problem could be solved by an eSIM, however, that creates another issue with regulators in China. It looks like Apple is going ahead with that plan anyway as Gurman says the Air won’t have a physical SIM card slot.
In addition to Pro-level and low-end features, the Air is said to have some components that should make it into future devices. For example, the Cupertino firm is giving the Air its in-house modem chip that debuted on the iPhone 16e earlier this year. Dubbed C1, this chip is more power efficient than Qualcomm’s offerings, but the drawback is it lacks support for mmWave technology.
Apple reportedly wanted to be more ambitious by giving the Air a 6.9-inch screen and removing the ports. However, the company backed away from the larger screen idea to avoid creating a device susceptible to bending. Meanwhile, Apple was concerned that going port-free would upset European Union regulators after they mandated Apple switch to USB-C.
Gurman says that if the iPhone 17 Air is successful, Apple plans to move more models to this slimmer design. Apple may also consider going port-less again. As for price, it looks like the iPhone 17 Air may cost about the same price as the iPhone 16 Plus at $900.
