A few months back, we got a very surprising report of Apple planning to abandon the Plus iPhones for a new model, starting from the iPhone 17 series. Ever since then, this new model has drawn a lot of attention from the tech community.
After all, it is not often that Apple introduces a completely new product. In the time following the initial reports, we have also had a handful of leaks and rumors about this new iPhone model. For instance, it will most likely be called the iPhone 17 Air based on these bits of information. Now we have more details regarding its design, thanks to a report by The Information.
Thinnest iPhone Ever
The iPhone 17 Air has apparently entered the early production stage at Foxconn. As per the report, the prototypes of the device measure somewhere between 5-6mm in thickness.
If these dimensions stay the same till the device comes out, it will gain the title of the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever made. To put this into perspective, the base models of the iPhone 16 are 7.8mm thick, and the Pro models are slightly thicker at 8.25mm.
Compromises Made
While it would be exciting to see a device so thin, the reduced volume does come with its own downsides. For instance, the battery capacity will most definitely take a hit. Word is that the tech giant is currently struggling to fit a suitable battery in the phone, among other things.
There is also a possibility that the device will have only a single speaker setup, which would be the earpiece. The reason for this is said to be a lack of room on the bottom of the phone. However, the biggest cost cut will likely be in camera setup. The report states that the device has only one camera on the rear, housed by a large centered rectangular bump.
The report also mentions the absence of a physical SIM card tray on the smartphone. All recent iPhones come with support for one physical SIM card and one eSIM globally, excluding the US. The last three generations of iPhones have all been eSIM exclusive here.
Lastly, the iPhone 17 Air will supposedly feature a 5G modem designed by Apple. This in-house modem will apparently have a smaller footprint and better power efficiency than the Qualcomm modems that the current iPhones use. There is one downside here, though. The data speeds are going to be slower than Qualcomm modems due to the lack of ultra-fast mmWave 5G support.
Other Details
Besides all that is mentioned above, we also have a few other details about the iPhone 17 Air. The device is going to feature a 6.6-inch display with Dynamic Island and Face ID. The rear camera will use a 48MP sensor, while the front will use a 24MP one.
Recent reports state that Apple will use an aluminum body for all of the iPhone 17 series, including the Air. Additionally, the phone will come with the A19 chip under the hood paired with 8GB of RAM, the same as the standard iPhone 17. The A19 Pro chip will be exclusive to the iPhone 17 Pro models.
Before we wind up, the sources of the information provided here are pretty reliable. However, some changes in the final product are still possible, considering we are more than three-quarters of a year away from the possible launch of the iPhone 17 series. We also expect Apple to sort out the shortcomings of the iPhone 17 Air by then.
