iPhone 17 Air GPU won't be as powerful as iPhone 17 Pro

AppleInsider

The iPhone 17 Air will not be quite as fast as the Pro models, as a leaker reiterates rumors about the specifications of the ultra-slim model.

Renders of what the iPhone 17 Air could look like - Image Source: AppleInsider

The iPhone 17 Air will be replacing the Plus model in the 2025 roster of iPhone 17 models. However, while the new version could prove a big success for Apple, it won't be the most powerful.

In a Tuesday post to Weibo, serial leaker Fixed Focus Digital posted that the iPhone 17 Air will have "almost all the configurations of the Pro," according to a machine translation.

Those changes will apparently include one fewer GPU core in the A19 chip powering it. The post also says that the screen and battery won't be "as good as the Pro."

The GPU core claim is not a new rumor, as it reiterates something Fixed Focus Digital has previously spoken about. In July, they said that the iPhone 17 will be the only model with the A19 chip, as well as the least amount of memory at 8GB.

Crucially, Fixed Focus Digital said that the A19 chip will be the same as the A19 Pro that will be used in the iPhone 17 Pro models, with one exception. It will potentially be a chip-binned version, with a five-core GPU instead of a six-core version.

The leaker has also posted about performance, insisting that while the A19 will be as fast as Qualcomm's competing Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset, Apple may go down a different route. Instead of performance, it may instead try to extend battery life by reducing consumption.

Battery and display

Previous claims about the iPhone 17 Air discussed the challenges of putting a battery into such a thin smartphone design, simply because space will be severely limited.

The concerns have been significant enough that some reports believed this would prompt the return of old accessories. These include the Apple Battery Case, which included a bulging battery in the rear, as well as the discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack.

Both would solve the problem of reduced power inside the iPhone 17 Air, but at the cost of negating the thin appearance with a Quasimodo-like battery add-on.

Reports have also proposed that Apple could use a new silicon-anode battery technology in the iPhone 17 Air. The change would mean the battery could store about 15% more energy in the same physical space compared to typical graphite-based batteries.

The current belief about the iPhone 17 Air display is that it will measure 6.6 inches diagonally, have a resolution of 2,740 by 1,260, and use Samsung's M14 material. There has been some debate about Apple introducing ProMotion to the non-Pro iPhones for some time, though that is still a claim that is unsettled so far.

A Weibo-based leaker, Fixed Focus Digital doesn't have a great track record or reputation for accuracy. However, they ere correct when discussing the iPhone 16e..

Rumor Score: Likely

Read on AppleInsider

anilu_777

It’s not a Pro phone therefore it’s not be as (fill in the blank) as the Pro. This is obvious. 

mplsp

Anilu_777 said:

It’s not a Pro phone therefore it’s not be as (fill in the blank) as the Pro. This is obvious. 

True, but having the same processor with one less GPU is essentially identical for most people. Past ‘non pro’ versions would have a completely different chip. Take the iPhone 15 that had an A16 while the 15 Pro had the A17 chip.

The bigger issue will likely be the battery. If the 17 has the same processor and screen as the 17 pro but a smaller battery the run time would be significantly impacted. 

charlesn

I have to think Cupertino is looking nervously at this headline for Samsung's Galaxy Edge--which I would argue is a better looking phone than the renders I've seen for the iPhone Air AND it has a far superior dual lens camera system. The Edge didn't even have a honeymoon phase of strong interest for a few months--it pretty much flopped from the outset, and Samsung has already been forced to slash production. This may prove to be a "one and done" model. But hey... maybe Apple has built a more exciting, more salable phone in some way, though it's hard to imagine what that would be. What seems clear is that thin is not a selling point for buyers when it comes with a high price tag, diminished battery life and fewer features. Plus, the VAST majority of people are going to stick the phone in a thicker case anyway. 

jintech

Color me shocked.

m68000

charlesn said:

I have to think Cupertino is looking nervously at this headline for Samsung's Galaxy Edge--which I would argue is a better looking phone than the renders I've seen for the iPhone Air AND it has a far superior dual lens camera system. The Edge didn't even have a honeymoon phase of strong interest for a few months--it pretty much flopped from the outset, and Samsung has already been forced to slash production. This may prove to be a "one and done" model. But hey... maybe Apple has built a more exciting, more salable phone in some way, though it's hard to imagine what that would be. What seems clear is that thin is not a selling point for buyers when it comes with a high price tag, diminished battery life and fewer features. Plus, the VAST majority of people are going to stick the phone in a thicker case anyway. 

It could come down to how much there is marketing for the phone.  We all know Apple makes exceptional TV ads.  Will this phone finally bring 120hz display to non pro iPhones?   I think they will still sell many millions of them.  It seems like it will be a unique screen size and probably lighter weight than expected from such a large phone. As for that Samsung edge S25,  yeah that is interesting looking and the camera specs seem impressive,  

victormortimer

A stupid thin phone is worse than the base model phone?

What a surprise!  I'd never have expected that! 

/s

muthuk_vanalingam

charlesn said:

I have to think Cupertino is looking nervously at this headline for Samsung's Galaxy Edge--which I would argue is a better looking phone than the renders I've seen for the iPhone Air AND it has a far superior dual lens camera system. The Edge didn't even have a honeymoon phase of strong interest for a few months--it pretty much flopped from the outset, and Samsung has already been forced to slash production. This may prove to be a "one and done" model. But hey... maybe Apple has built a more exciting, more salable phone in some way, though it's hard to imagine what that would be. What seems clear is that thin is not a selling point for buyers when it comes with a high price tag, diminished battery life and fewer features. Plus, the VAST majority of people are going to stick the phone in a thicker case anyway. 

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge was doomed to fail at the design stage itself. With a measly 3900mah Li-Ion battery for a phone with 6,7inch diagonal, it has a very low battery capacity/life when compared to phones from Chinese OEMs with Si/C Li-Ion batteries (5500mah+). And it is running Android with Snapdragon SoC, which consumes much more battery than Apple's iPhones with iOS and A series SoCs. With S25 Edge, I think most of the users would need to charge it twice a day except for few people with very light usage. And that alone would have put off potential buyers of the S25 Edge. I suspect Samsung heard the rumours of iPhone Air and rushed out with a me-too product which does not appeal to its own user base. 

Apple won't repeat the silly mistakes with iPhone Air that Samsung made with S25 Edge. I do hope that Apple would use some form of Si/C battery with decent capacity and will definitely last a day of moderate usage (if not heavy usage).

It would have been ideal if the Chinese OEMs had come up with their take on slim phone instead of Samung. Once iPhone Air launches, it is possible that Chinese OEMs want to follow suit and feel compelled to come up with their own take on slim phones. And they would definitely do a much better job than Samsung.

mpantone

VictorMortimer said:

A stupid thin phone is worse than the base model phone?

Re-read the article knowing this fact: the non-Pro iPhone 17 is the base model.

This rumor claims that the iPhone 17 Air is less powerful than the iPhone 17 Pro which is not the base model. It is the premium offering. It is yet to be seen whether or not the purported iPhone 17 Air is closer to the base iPhone 17 or the premium iPhone 17 Pro. Technically the Air's SoC could be less than both other models but most likely it would be somewhere in between for product differentiation.

That said, I still have a lot of doubts about this iPhone Air concept.

We know that Joe Consumer prioritizes three features: cameras, display, and battery life.

My guess is that the iPhone 16e has a niche as a corporate-issued device where the employer doesn't intent for the employee to be doing a lot of personal photography with a work-issued smartphone. As we have seen from reports, even price-sensitive emerging markets like India have consumers who still prefer a slightly older device with better cameras.

As for shorter battery life, that might be sufficient for mostly desk-bound workers but it's not really optimal while traveling, when one is using the device much more heavily and for longer periods of time before they can get to a place where it is convenient to charge. As yes, people use their phones more traveling than they did ten years ago.

If the Air has a weaker camera module than the Pro and yet only costs a hundred less, my guess is that a lot of people will end up glossing over the Air.

Basically the Air needs to be better than the base iPhone 17 if it's going to have any chance at long-term sellthrough. As we saw from the Plus, just having a slightly bigger screen and slightly better battery performance wasn't reason enough to get people to buy it.

Sure thinness is nice but ultimately it won't be that much different than the old iPod touch. And hopefully Apple learned something from the Bendgate times.

edited August 12

charlesn

mpantone said:

As we saw from the Plus, just having a slightly bigger screen and slightly better battery performance wasn't reason enough to get people to buy it.

The failure of the Plus is a real head scratcher, especially when you look at the Pro/Pro Max. And the statement above about screen and battery differences isn't correct. Here's the thing: the screen on the iPhone Plus is .6 inches bigger than the iPhone. And the screen on the Pro Max is .6 inches bigger than the Pro. Same difference. Then there's this: battery sizes and their differences are just about identical between the regular iPhones and the Pro models. Regular iPhone 16 battery is 3,561 mAh. The iPhone 16 Pro is 3,582 mAh. The 16 Plus is 4,674 mAh--which is definitely more than "slightly" larger than the regular iPhone. And the 16 Pro Max is 4,685 mAh. Although the Pro Max had a better featured camera than the Pro for 2 model years, the main difference between them has mostly been the larger screen and the larger battery of the Max, Same advantage and to the identical degree that the Plus has over the regular iPhone. But the Max has always sold really well and the Plus did not. It's hard to argue that price was the problem--just a $100 difference for the larger screen and bigger battery seems like a bargain, especially by Apple standards. Meanwhile, the base Max is $200 more expensive than the base Pro. Non-Pro customers just didn't seem to care about a bigger screen and a bigger battery, even for just $100. 

Which brings me back to this question: WHO is the iPhone Air customer, other than the "gotta have and show off the latest toy" crowd? Pro models have always been ALL about their camera systems, and you're not going to get Pro customers trading three lenses and three sensors for one of each, just to get a skinnier phone with worse battery life. So they're not the customer. What about the regular iPhone buyers, the ones who rejected the Plus for $100 more--are they now willing to pay even more than what the Plus cost to get a skinnier phone with worse battery life and an inferior camera system? Does that make ANY sense? No, not to me either. So who is the iPhone Air buyer? Bueller? Bueller?

edited 1:48AM

citpeks

The engineering work done on the '25 Air helps the stage for the '26 Fold, or whatever it will be called.

If the Air can capture a respectable niche market of its own, that will be a bonus, but the money, effort, and experience expended to develop it will carry over to the Fold.