Ahead of iPhone 17 Air release date, new leak says it'll be thinner than we thought
The mysterious iPhone Air gets more and more
📱 Apple’s mysterious iPhone 17 Air might be even thinner than we thought
🤏 A new report suggests it’ll be just 5.5mm thin
👀 That makes it nearly as thin as the 11-inch iPad Pro
🛜 The phone will likely be eSIM-only in order to accommodate
📅 Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 Air this September
All of the iPhone 17 Air rumors lately have suggested the phone will be really thin, but a new report suggests that it’ll be even thinner than we initially thought.
According to famed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the mysterious successor to the iPhone 16 Plus is set to be just 5.5mm thin, which is 0.2mm thicker than the 11-inch OLED iPad Pro. Rumors indicated the phone would be around 5-6mm thin, but it was anyone’s guess where that number would specifically land.
If the iPhone 17 Air winds up being just 5.5mm thin, it’ll set a new record for the thinnest iPhone ever, beating the 6.9mm iPhone 6 by a mile. Of course, in order to get a phone that’s that thin, some physical features have to be either sacrificed or limited. One such area is the SIM card slot, which will reportedly be missing entirely from the 17 Air. That may cause an issue with selling the device in China where SIM card trays are still required, but in markets like the United States, it won’t be an issue.
Meanwhile, other rumors say the iPhone 17 Air will ship with a single rear camera, one less speaker, and (presumably) a slim battery. It’ll also come with a new 5G modem custom-designed by Apple that’ll combine Wi-Fi and 5G into a single chip. The screen is expected to include a 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate, which is nice, but the phone likely won’t be as capable as the thicker iPhone 17 Pro will be.
That being said, the sleek and slim form factor of the iPhone 17 Air could be enough to convince people to upgrade. Combined with Apple Intelligence, it might make for quite the showcase for what Apple wants the future of the iPhone to be.
Apple is anticipated to announce the iPhone 17 Air in September alongside the regular iPhone 17 and 17 Pro. Before then, we expect the company to unveil a new MacBook Air with M4, its first smart display, a new HomePod mini, an updated Apple TV, potentially new iPads, and more.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop.