Rumors have been swirling for months that Apple could launch an all-new iPhone model this year: the so-called iPhone Air, a new, super-slim iPhone that could mark the first major design change for the lineup in years. .
More than a facelift, the iPhone Air is a completely different strategy, being neither a more affordable entry-level model nor a feature-packed Pro phone. Instead, the rumors describe a phone that aims to please people who are willing to sacrifice some features for a sleeker, slimmer design. Basically, it’s the iPhone version of the original MacBook Air.
Current rumors suggest the phone will debut as part of Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup this fall, dubbed the iPhone 17 Air. Of course, it is not yet a finished work. Apple could still change its plans or the rumors could turn out to be wrong. But enough reports have come out to suggest that something real is in the works. Here are all the rumors about the upcoming phone so far:
Thinnest iPhone yet
The 17 Air will be very thin, but the rumors haven’t quite settled on the exact number.
Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a 5.5mm phone in January, which would make it slightly thicker than the 5.1mm M4 iPad Pro that debuted last May. Two days later, Bloomberg Journalist Mark Gurman repeated a claim he made in December: that the new phone would be “about 2 millimeters thinner” than the 8.25mm iPhone 16 Pro. Supply chain analyst Jeff Pu has suggested it would be around 6mm.
Regardless of who’s closer, the 17 Air would be one of Apple’s thinnest products ever, even more so than the iPhone 6, which currently holds the record for thinnest iPhone at 6.9mm — and was especially keen on to bow down. Encouragingly, Apple managed to make the M4 iPad Pro surprisingly strong.
Battery problems
Apple is said to be working on new ways to fit enough batteries to meet its ultra-thin phone goal. A November 2023 rumor from ETNews said Apple was trying to create a new, denser type of battery that uses carbon nanotubes and a mix of materials like nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum for future devices.
But in November 2024, Korean leakster yeux1122 posted that Apple is using standard battery technology. They said the company had sought to get thinner internals to allow for more battery capacity and a thinner phone, but failed. information wrote later that month that Apple was having trouble finding space for the battery, SIM card and thermal materials inside, limiting how thin it can be.
A more recent rumor from Digital Chat Station suggested that Apple’s phone and the rumored Samsung Galaxy S25 will also have a 3,000 – 4,000 mAh battery and will be somewhere between “5.xmm-6.xmm”.
iPhone 17 Air screen
All signs at the moment are pointing to any iPhone 17 OLED display using the same LTPO panel technology found in the current Pro models. This could mean higher refresh rates and less power consumption, as it allows displays to increase their refresh rate to 120Hz and then drop down to 1Hz. This is part of the reason why Apple’s always-on display feature works without a significant battery cost.
As for the screen size, rumors generally agree that it will be around 6.6 inches. That’s slightly smaller than the 6.7-inch display of the iPhone 16 Plus, which the 17 Air may replace this year. The phone is expected to get a Dynamic Island with Face ID, like the rest of the flagship line.
Internal chips and Apple Intelligence
BloombergMark Gurman recently said that Apple will equip the iPhone 17 Air with internal Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, as well as its own custom cellular modem. This will be a first for the company, which has been trying for years to develop its own modem in an effort to ditch Qualcomm. Apple is apparently confident it’s done that now, and well enough to start putting it into phones, possibly starting with the iPhone SE 4 within the next few months.
Apple will probably put a regular A19 chip in the 17 Air, reserving the A19 Pro chip for its Pro phones. The phone may also have 8GB of RAM and support Apple Intelligence AI features as a result.
Camera diet
Rumors have been adamant that the iPhone 17 Air will only have one camera on the back. Quoting supply chain analyst Jeff Pu in October, MacRumors wrote that it will be a 48-megapixel camera and that the phone will have a 24-megapixel shooter for the front selfie camera.
How much will it cost?
The iPhone 17 Air can be expensive despite lacking the Pro phones’ impressive array of cameras or the base model’s dual-camera setup. information even wrote that it could cost more than the $1,299 iPhone 16 Pro Max now.
Not every rumor agrees. The Wall Street Journal wrote in December that Apple is aiming for something cheaper than the Pro phones. That would put it below $999, where the iPhone 16 Pro starts.
Why is Apple producing the iPhone 17 Air?
Gurman reported in August that sales growth is the big motivator for redesigning the Air after years of Mini and Plus phone failures. Later, in his January 12 newsletter, he wrote that the company sees the Air strategy as “a tried and true winner” for getting sales.
of diary’December’s story echoed that, saying Apple is trying to grow with the iPhone 17 Air after its years of “mostly incremental improvements.” Although the iPhone still accounts for about half of Apple’s revenue, the media outlet wrote, “the last big wave of sales gains was in 2021,” thanks to carrier subsidies amid their 5G push.
Apple has been trying since 2020 to increase sales using four flagships, and the 17 Air’s approach is no different. CNBC wrote in November. Apple started with the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, then replaced the Mini models with “Plus” phones starting with the iPhone 14. But the Mini and Plus models haven’t clicked with buyers. Finally, the iPhone 16 Plus accounted for just 10 percent of Apple’s display orders in 2023 and 16 percent of them last year, said Ross Young of display research firm DSCC. The Air could theoretically replace the Plus as a slightly higher-end option.
Sales growth isn’t necessarily the whole story, however, as Gurman also offered another explanation in January: Apple is using the phone as a testing ground for new technologies, including its internal wireless and cellular modem chips. But more than that, it’s a step toward the smaller technology needed to eventually build a foldable iPhone.
