Later this year, Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 models. The rumors claim that Apple will introduce one new model to its portfolio. This comes in the form of the iPhone 17 Air, a newer and slimmer model. A report from South Korea has now revealed information about the iPhone 17 Air, including its thickness and price.
Going super thin
In a report from Sisa Journal, we get some details on how thick the iPhone 17 Air is. Apparently, Apple is targeting a thickness of 6.25mm. For context, this is about 20% thinner than the iPhone 16 which measures 7.8mm thin. This means that Apple will have reduced the thickness of the iPhone 17 Air by close to 1.6mm. That is honestly quite impressive. If the rumors are true, then the iPhone 17 Air will be almost 10% thinner than the thinnest iPhone to date, which is the iPhone 6.
Apple’s chief rival, Samsung, doesn’t even come close. The base Galaxy S24 is 7.8mm thick, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra measures 8.6mm thick, thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro.
The report also reveals the potential pricing of the iPhone 17 Air. The report claims the iPhone 17 Air starts at around $800. Prices will likely increase based on storage configuration, but it remains cheaper than the current iPhone 16 Plus, which starts at $900.
Replacing the iPhone 17 Plus
Rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Air will replace the Plus model while being cheaper than the iPhone 16 Plus. This means that there will not be an iPhone 17 Plus, with the Air model taking its place.
So why would Apple release a cheaper iPhone to replace its more expensive model? This is because Apple could potentially compromise on certain features to achieve the thin form factor. A report from The Information back in 2024 suggested that the iPhone 17 Air will only have a single earpiece speaker at the bottom.
This is versus current iPhone models, some of which have two speakers at the bottom. Rumors suggest Apple will equip the iPhone 17 Air with a single rear camera. The report claims the camera will be centered, an unusual design choice compared to previous iPhone models. Another interesting feature is that the iPhone 17 Air could be the first to feature the use of Apple’s own in-house modems.
In any case, take this report with a grain of salt for now. Only time will tell if the iPhone 17 Air’s thickness and price match the rumors.
2025-01-03 15:04:49