iPhone 17 Air -- All the rumors about Apple's thinnest iPhone yet
Apple is rumored to be shaking up its 2025 iPhone lineup, with a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. Here's what the rumor mill thinks is coming.
Apple is expected to debut an ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air or iPhone 17 Slim in 2025.
The long-rumored iPhone 17 Air, or iPhone 17 Slim as it's sometimes called, is set to launch alongside the standard iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. It will, however, replace the Plus variant of the iPhone, which hasn't seen significant popularity with end consumers.
Just as the iPhone 14 Plus replaced the iPhone 13 mini in 2022, the iPhone 17 Air will appear in place of the Plus model for 2025. Rather than simply being a larger version of the standard iPhone, Apple's new iPhone Air model will focus on thinness above all else.
Leakers and analysts alike have provided specifics about the dimensions and features of the slim iPhone, and they have a lot to say.
iPhone 17 Air will be noticeably thinner than previous models
Though the name of the device is still up for debate, Apple's ultra-thin iPhone will undoubtedly echo the design philosophy of the original MacBook Air. The main selling point will be its thin and lightweight design.
The iPhone 17 is expected to be less than 6mm thin.
Though it won't be as thin as the M4 iPad Pro, which is Apple's thinnest product ever at just 5.1mm, the iPhone 17 Air could still be thinner than any iPhone to date.
An October 2024 rumor suggested that the device would be 6mm thick, and that claim was later reiterated by analyst Jeff Pu in November of the same year. The battery of the iPhone 17 Air reportedly influenced the device's thickness, in that it was a limiting factor.
In January 2025, however, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo chimed in, saying that the iPhone 17 Air would be even thinner than initially believed, at only 5.5mm. Leaker "Ice Universe" said the same thing in March 2025, while YouTuber Jon Prosser claimed in February 2025 that the device would have a thickness of 5.64mm.
After alleged CAD files were shared by multiple leakers, more and more dummy units of the iPhone 17 Air began appearing online. A March 2025 video indicated that the device would be around 5.6mm thick. This means it's set to be Apple's thinnest iPhone yet, even surpassing the iPhone 6, with its infamous "Bendgate" problem.
According to a July 2024 rumor, Apple decided on a titanium-aluminum alloy frame for the iPhone 17 Air. The claim was later echoed by Jeff Pu in February 2025. Apple could have chosen a stronger titanium-aluminum alloy to prevent the device from bending.
In October 2023, a rumor suggested that Apple would use thinner and lighter motherboard technology with the iPhone 17 range, through the use of resin-coated copper. Apple likely had to overcome significant engineering challenges to achieve the desired sub-6mm thickness, which may have lead to some compromises with the iPhone 17 Air design.
The iPhone 17 Air might be eSIM-only
Specifically, reports from November and December 2024 suggested that the iPhone 17 Air would ship without a physical SIM slot to achieve the desired sub-6-mm thickness. More recently, in April 2025, dummy units showed the iPhone 17 Air without a SIM card slot, giving this rumor some additional credibility.
Alleged iPhone 17 range dummies.
The absence of a physical SIM card slot wouldn't make much of a difference in the United States, as every iPhone sold in the country is already eSIM-only. This could be an issue for users in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, however, as iPhones offered in these regions only support two physical SIM cards.
It seems unlikely that Apple would create a model unsuitable for use across different countries and regions. Even with its ultra-thin design, dummy units indicate that the iPhone 17 Air will retain the Camera Control button currently found on the iPhone 16 range. It wouldn't be impossible for Apple to include a SIM card slot, and the iPhone maker needs to do so if it wants to sell the iPhone 17 Air worldwide.
In terms of cellular connectivity, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to feature the C1 modem -- a carryover from the budget-friendly iPhone 16e, announced in February 2025.
The iPhone 17 Air might be equipped with Apple's C1 modem.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo first suggested in July 2024 that Apple's in-house modem would be available on the iPhone 17 Air, and then repeated this claim the same month the iPhone 16e made its debut. This rumor aligns with two separate reports, which said Apple's in-house modem would appear in more affordable products.
While the C1 lacks select features, such as mmWave and Wi-Fi 7, it offers better power efficiency relative to the Qualcomm modems found in most iPhones. Apple's already believed to be working on updated versions of its in-house modem, but Kuo has suggested they won't debut with the iPhone 17 range.
iPhone 17 Air might have a 6.6-inch OLED panel with ProMotion
The iPhone 17 Air may be thinner than Apple's current Plus model, but it won't necessarily be bigger.
In May 2024, Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants said that the Plus variant in the 2025 iPhone range would have a smaller display than its 6.7-inch predecessor. It's safe to assume that this claim pertains to the iPhone 17 Air, as multiple sources have mentioned the device featuring a 6.6-inch display, such as Jeff Pu in October 2024. YouTuber Jon Prosser, however, believes the device will feature a 6.7-inch display.
The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly feature a 6.6-inch Samsung OLED display with ProMotion.
According to a February 2025 report, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to feature Samsung's M14 OLED panels. The M14 panels in the iPhone 16 offered some benefits over the preceding M13 panel, including a 30% boost to brightness and a better lifespan. This was in part instigated by switching blue fluorescence with a blue phosphorescence, which also reduced power consumption.
As for the display resolution, Kuo insisted that the panel on the iPhone 17 Air would have a resolution of 2,740 by 1,260, which would be close to the 2,796 by 1,290 display of the iPhone 16 Plus.
Multiple sources have said that the entire iPhone 17 range would receive ProMotion support. The claim was first made by DSCC in April 2023. It was then reiterated in February 2024, after which it was repeated by leaker "Ice Universe in July 2024. The most recent mentions date to September 2024, November 2024, December 2024 and March 2025.
While an attractive addition for the iPhone 17 Air, especially if it is to be a featured model release, there is still some doubt to it actually happening. For Apple to add ProMotion to the model, it would mean the Pro models would lose one of the line's big selling points. Apple might want to highlight the iPhone 17 Air's radical design changes instead.
iPhone 17 Air -- Rear camera bar and key design aspects
Dummy units and 3D renders based on CAD files all suggest that the iPhone 17 Air will feature a single rear camera, located in a raised "camera bar" that hasn't been seen on previous iPhone models.
Cases for the iPhone 17 Air feature a rear camera bar design.
In November 2024, a report indicated that the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air would not feature a telephoto camera. In December of the same year, rumors of an apparent rear "camera bar" began popping up, though one leaker claimed this wasn't happening.
A month later, in January 2025, an image of what appeared to be an iPhone backplate or case showed off the rumored camera bar design. Since then, this same design has appeared on virtually every 3D render and dummy unit of the iPhone 17 Air, along with cases for the device.
The camera bar solves an internal space dilemma, as Apple could still fit a rumored 48MP camera in the iPhone 17 Air, while maintaining the sub-6-mm thickness originally envisioned for the device. As for the front camera, Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu both claim it will be upgraded to 24MP -- double that of the current iPhone 16 range.
The camera bar design of the iPhone 17 Air can be seen in leaked CAD files.
The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly use a 24-megapixel camera with a six-element plastic lens. For reference, the TrueDepth camera array in the iPhone 15 uses a 12-megapixel camera, with five lens elements made of plastic.
The remainder of the iPhone 17 Air design largely resembles the existing iPhone 16, complete with an Action button and Camera Control, meaning that the only major changes are the camera bar and the reduced thickness.
Other iPhone 17 Air rumors -- A19 chip, 35W fast charging
In terms of processing power, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to feature Apple's A19 chip. Rumors have suggested that the A19 chip in the iPhone 17 Pro will use TSMC's 2nm process, but it's not clear if this change will also apply to the iPhone 17 Air.
Analyst Jeff Pu believes the iPhone 17 range will be capable of 35W wired fast charging.
No specific claims have yet been made about the performance or processing hardware of the iPhone 17 Air, and there are no indications Apple plans to add groundbreaking features like the vapor chamber cooling rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro.
In February 2025, Jeff Pu claimed that the iPhone 17 range would support wired charging speeds of up to 35W. In our review of the iPhone 16 Pro, we hit 34W of power with suitable wired charging gear, and we've seen reports of some users getting 39W while charging.
According to leaker ShrimpApplePro, however, the iPhone 16 range is already capable of charging at speeds of up to 45W via a cable, which is faster than the purported iPhone 17 charging speed provided by Pu, though unofficial.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to debut in September 2025, alongside the base model iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. It might not be for everyone, but the device is sure to arrive, based on the sheer amount of rumors and the different sources behind them.
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Comments
So then... if the iPhone Air hits the rumored depth of 5.5mm, it will be 30% thinner than iPhone 16--while having the same size display (possibly larger!) and the same functionality. You see the problem here: how does Apple maintain current battery life specs, or at least come darn close, when there's 30% less volume inside the case? That's already enough of a conundrum to solve without reducing the depth even further to hit the 5.3mm measurement of the Pro 11" M4.
Apple knows exactly how many iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini units were sold and in what markets. They also know that their main competitors don't market smartphones in that size anymore. The handful of people like us (I'm still clinging to my iPhone 12 mini as my daily driver) moaning about it on online Q&A forums, social media, whatever aren't enough to change Apple's product roadmap.
It would have to take a major shift in overall consumer trends to see a significant group clamor for smaller phones. And it's not happening now nor does it look like it's going to happen. Consumers basically want a smartphone with the biggest and brightest screen they can hold in one hand. And clearly human beings are getting larger.
Remember that Apple's iPhones (and those of their competitors) ten years ago were smaller than the ones they market today. Companies need to go where their customers are. The technology is there, the market isn't.
Time to let this go.
And even if there's new battery technology to make an iPhone "Air" a reasonably good performer in terms of battery life, that same technology would definitely come to the primary models (iPhone Pro, regular iPhone) anyhow. Let's remember what hardware consumers really care about in smartphones: display, cameras, and battery life.
And let's face it, if this iPhone "Air" rumor ends up being true, the device that ships will be the sole one amongst dozens (if not hundreds) of prototype designs in a variety of sizes, thicknesses, BOMs, whatever that made it out of the lab and to the manufacturing line. It's not like Apple only makes one design attempt at any product and that's it.
A LOT of people here don't seem to understand the basics of designing a product. Even that chocolate chip cookie you bought at the local bakery was probably developed after dozens of test batches and recipe tweaks. That's basic prototyping for everyone, not just Apple, Toyota, or Nike.
For something like the iPad Pro or the iPhone there are probably 8-10 major reasons why that particular device has those specifications and components. It's not like Apple blindly grabs a handful of parts out of a fishbowl and sees what they can make with those components.
Remember that the typical iPhone ten years ago was way smaller than the mainstream iPhone 16. Apple knows how to make small phones. And they recognize that consumer tastes have evolved and Joe Consumer in 2025 doesn't really want a small phone. And that's why none of Apple's major competitors make small phones either. The only ones I've seen since the pandemic are some kids models in Japan for domestic use.
One thing for sure, if Apple has access to new battery technology, better battery life will come to the mainstream phones as well in the next generation. It's not like Apple is going hold back on that.
Nobody bought it.
That's not going to come back any time soon.
Well said - could have saved my comment!