iPhone 17 Air will have design compromises, but also will debut many engineering changes

AppleInsider · March 16, 2025 12:55PM

The iPhone 17 Air will herald the start of a new iPhone engineering ethos at Apple, with Apple said to have pulled off a herculean effort to come up with its design.

A render of what the iPhone 17 Air could look like

The 2025 iPhone lineup is expected to include quite a few changes. Alongside a radical iPhone 17 Pro camera bump alteration, speculation is that Apple will be bringing out hardware referred to as the iPhone 17 Air or iPhone 17 Slim.

In Sunday's newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman writes about the model's details, including how it won't look that different from a standard model when viewed from the front. It will have a 6.6-inch display with slim borders and ProMotion, as well as the Dynamic Island at the top.

The 6.6-inch claim is about the same as others about the screen, with the size ranging from 6.55 inches to 6.7 inches, depending on the rumor source.

The side will even have things like the Camera Control button, but there won't be that much space for it. The depth reduction is said to be about 2 millimeters, making it about a fifth thinner than the current-gen iPhone 16 range.

Making a smaller smartphone required Apple to go back to the drawing board to avoid making too many compromises. That resulted in engineering changes to the display, battery, and even silicon elements, to make it fit.

Not full-bore

While it tried to avoid them, Apple still had to make some choices that marginally reduced the iPhone 17 Air's capabilities. This includes switching to a single 48-megapixel camera on the back, similar to the iPhone 16e.

Though the iPhone range hasn't had a physical SIM card slot for a while in the United States, the new design will also lose the component in other markets. This was previously reportedon, but reaffirmed by Gurman in his report.

Though the drawbacks of the redesign are a problem for the slimmest on-the-way model, it also brings with it some benefits. For example, Gurman believes that the model will use the C1 modem, Apple's in-house design that will save power, but loses out on mmWave 5G support.

The new model will also apparently represent a sea change for Apple, and some technologies made for the Air will apparently be incorporated into future releases, like the long-rumored iPhone Fold.

Rumor Score: Possible

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ciaranf · March 16, 2025 6:42PM

I’m not really sure why  is pursuing this? Why is a phone that’s thinner yet again really needed? Does shaving 2mm really make a difference to everyone’s daily usage or are we going back to the old days of ’s aesthetic over function philosophy again? MBP Touchbar 2016-2020 comes to mind. Reduce ports why? Now look at that replacement. People want ports on a pro models not lack of so it can be slightly thinner. Thrash Can Mac is another example? Seriously , I think people would prefer a phone with a bigger battery that lasts longer and would forsake it being an extra 2mm thicker. I’m confused…. Again.

I’d like to hear what others think about this.

maclin3 · March 16, 2025 7:46PM

It’s the Air model they are rumoring here. Makes sense to make it thin. One would think the pro models will still focus on bigger batteries and won’t skimp on features for the sake of slimming.

isidore · March 16, 2025 9:06PM

I use a 13 mini. I hate large phones that you can't use with one hand and which when you put in your pocket makes it look like you're packing a Glock. But the real point is why should Apple's range of phones all be identical? Why conform to only one idea of the ideal iphone, just with minor differences in spec? I get a lot of unsolicited positive comments about the mini and I personally think it was a mistake not to continue this design alternative, but I accept that there are many that you would have to pry their phablets from their cold dead fingers. More variety is good for apple's ecosystem.

pulseimages · March 16, 2025 9:24PM

isidore said:

I use a 13 mini. I hate large phones that you can't use with one hand and which when you put in your pocket makes it look like you're packing a Glock. But the real point is why should Apple's range of phones all be identical? Why conform to only one idea of the ideal iphone, just with minor differences in spec? I get a lot of unsolicited positive comments about the mini and I personally think it was a mistake not to continue this design alternative, but I accept that there are many that you would have to pry their phablets from their cold dead fingers. More variety is good for apple's ecosystem.

I bet the iPhone 17 Air will be a sales dud just like the Mini models.

mattinoz · March 16, 2025 10:11PM

pulseimages said:

isidore said:

I use a 13 mini. I hate large phones that you can't use with one hand and which when you put in your pocket makes it look like you're packing a Glock. But the real point is why should Apple's range of phones all be identical? Why conform to only one idea of the ideal iphone, just with minor differences in spec? I get a lot of unsolicited positive comments about the mini and I personally think it was a mistake not to continue this design alternative, but I accept that there are many that you would have to pry their phablets from their cold dead fingers. More variety is good for apple's ecosystem.

I bet the iPhone 17 Air will be a sales dud just like the Mini models.

I still see minis in use daily at various locations. For a dud product there sure a lot of them in the wild.

maggot777 · March 16, 2025 10:14PM

I personally support a thinner, lighter iPhone. For me, it would be the most important feature. I’ve been using the Pro models since their inception but I would trade any of the Pro features for a thinner, lighter phone. It’s that important. And I bet I’m not alone.

zimmermann · March 17, 2025 6:20AM

My wife has a Mini. Every time I pick it up it amazes me how light it feels. I’m handling a toy! But it can do everything.

bloggerblog · March 17, 2025 3:50PM

Remember how thick laptops were? That's why thin is important. Also, we haven't seen Apple's multi-year roadmap and we may never will, unless someone leaks it. But there's a buttload of research and countless studies that go into these products. You can rest assured that Apple's top money maker is not designed by some single dude's bright idea.

currentinterest · March 17, 2025 3:54PM

Thinner and lighter is something I have wanted for years. The problem is I need two cameras for spatial video. The rest of my family will be purchasing it. Thinner and lighter is THE killer feature for many people.

charlesn · March 17, 2025 5:32PM

Honestly, I keep thinking the rumor mill must be missing some killer feature(s) of the iPhone Slim because what has been reported seems so preposterous. To recap: if the rumor mill is right, the iPhone Plus is getting pulled from the lineup because it didn't sell--regular iPhone buyers weren't interested in paying $100 more to get the 6.7" screen and significantly increased battery life--according Apple's figures, about 25% longer for video playback, 33% longer for video streaming and 25% longer for audio playback. THAT, with the bigger screen, wasn't worth paying an extra $100. Okay, got it.

SO.. the replacement for the Plus is a phone with essentially the same size screen, but it now has a stripped out feature set: only one camera lens, no fast mmWave 5G (which now blankets big cities), almost certainly reduced battery life vs. the Plus AND... the icing on the cake... it will be more expensive than the Plus! And what is the big selling point that will justify to buyers this reduced feature set with shorter battery life at more expensive prices than a phone that Apple buyers have allegedly already rejected? It might be up to 2mm thinner... that's maybe a 20% slimmer phone. Spare me the comparisons to the Macbook Air introduction -- there is no magical "pulling a laptop from a manila envelope" moment that's going to happen. This will be, "Hey, if you look at the phone from the side you can see that the Slim is a little thinner than the Plus." If you doubt that this difference is as unimpressive as I'm saying, go look at Samsung's photos for its upcoming Galaxy Edge, which is practically a dupe for the rumored dimensions for the Slim, but will beat the Slim to market by several months. Is the side profile slimmer than the regular Galaxy S25? No doubt. Impressively so? Meh. You'll also note that the Edge will have two camera lenses, not one like the Slim.

Once Apple gets past the initial wave of buyers who simply like owning the latest, especially when its form factor identifies it as such, who is the iPhone Slim for? Certainly not Pro buyers since the main differentiator for Pro and Pro Max phones is their camera system. Does Apple think buyers who rejected the $100 upcharge for the iPhone Plus are going to embrace a phone with fewer features and a worse battery life for even more money because it's thinner? Good luck with that! This is a phone for nobody or, to be fair, it's for a niche that's going to be far smaller than the niches that existed for the iPhone Mini and Plus, a niche that's willing to pay more for *maybe* 2 millimeters of added thinness at the cost of features and battery life. So what is the point of this exercise in thinness to pursue a market that's smaller than the one for the phone you're replacing? That said, I really do hope that Apple will surprise us in some great way with the iPhone Slim that they've managed to keep secret from the rumor mill. Apple and the iPhone lineup, in particular, could really use a moment like that.

edited March 17

tshapi · March 17, 2025 11:40PM

You are all missing the obvious thing here. What is an iPhone fold? But essentially two connected iPhones. Now, we all know Apple. When the iPhone fold comes out and is as thin as an iPad mini. Since it has 2x the space for all the same components and a bigger battery. The standard iPhones will all look “chunky” so apples solution. Bend over backwards to make the standard iPhone 2 millimeters thinner. So this way, it looks like the iPhone fold is just two iPhones because all iPhones will be the same thinness.

imax1 · March 18, 2025 1:40AM

charlesn said:

Honestly, I keep thinking the rumor mill must be missing some killer feature(s) of the iPhone Slim because what has been reported seems so preposterous. To recap: if the rumor mill is right, the iPhone Plus is getting pulled from the lineup because it didn't sell--regular iPhone buyers weren't interested in paying $100 more to get the 6.7" screen and significantly increased battery life--according Apple's figures, about 25% longer for video playback, 33% longer for video streaming and 25% longer for audio playback. THAT, with the bigger screen, wasn't worth paying an extra $100. Okay, got it.

SO.. the replacement for the Plus is a phone with essentially the same size screen, but it now has a stripped out feature set: only one camera lens, no fast mmWave 5G (which now blankets big cities), almost certainly reduced battery life vs. the Plus AND... the icing on the cake... it will be more expensive than the Plus! And what is the big selling point that will justify to buyers this reduced feature set with shorter battery life at more expensive prices than a phone that Apple buyers have allegedly already rejected? It might be up to 2mm thinner... that's maybe a 20% slimmer phone. Spare me the comparisons to the Macbook Air introduction -- there is no magical "pulling a laptop from a manila envelope" moment that's going to happen. This will be, "Hey, if you look at the phone from the side you can see that the Slim is a little thinner than the Plus." If you doubt that this difference is as unimpressive as I'm saying, go look at Samsung's photos for its upcoming Galaxy Edge, which is practically a dupe for the rumored dimensions for the Slim, but will beat the Slim to market by several months. Is the side profile slimmer than the regular Galaxy S25? No doubt. Impressively so? Meh. You'll also note that the Edge will have two camera lenses, not one like the Slim.

Once Apple gets past the initial wave of buyers who simply like owning the latest, especially when its form factor identifies it as such, who is the iPhone Slim for? Certainly not Pro buyers since the main differentiator for Pro and Pro Max phones is their camera system. Does Apple think buyers who rejected the $100 upcharge for the iPhone Plus are going to embrace a phone with fewer features and a worse battery life for even more money because it's thinner? Good luck with that! This is a phone for nobody or, to be fair, it's for a niche that's going to be far smaller than the niches that existed for the iPhone Mini and Plus, a niche that's willing to pay more for *maybe* 2 millimeters of added thinness at the cost of features and battery life. So what is the point of this exercise in thinness to pursue a market that's smaller than the one for the phone you're replacing? That said, I really do hope that Apple will surprise us in some great way with the iPhone Slim that they've managed to keep secret from the rumor mill. Apple and the iPhone lineup, in particular, could really use a moment like that.

The rumor mill is absolutely missing something including the name of this new super thin device. It will not be called the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone Slim or any other iPhone. While it will have an eSIM and the C1 cellular communication chip, Apple will once again resurrect the iPod moniker for this device. And, while its thinness will be a selling feature, it is not the main new feature. The primary new selling point missing in the rumors is the display. Although Promotion 120 hz (VRR) video is hinted, the display will up the ante to 4k XDR MicroLED.

noraa1138 · March 18, 2025 4:52AM

CiaranF said:

I’m not really sure why  is pursuing this? Why is a phone that’s thinner yet again really needed? Does shaving 2mm really make a difference to everyone’s daily usage or are we going back to the old days of ’s aesthetic over function philosophy again? MBP Touchbar 2016-2020 comes to mind. Reduce ports why? Now look at that replacement. People want ports on a pro models not lack of so it can be slightly thinner. Thrash Can Mac is another example? Seriously , I think people would prefer a phone with a bigger battery that lasts longer and would forsake it being an extra 2mm thicker. I’m confused…. Again.
I’d like to hear what others think about this.

Honestly, I think it's great that Apple is experimenting with different design philosophies for the iPhone. I could see the issue if all the 17-series iPhones had the same (potential, as this is all rumor at this point) design compromises as the 17 Air, but it sounds like the 17 and 17 Pro won't have those compromises.

iPhone 17 Air will have design compromises, but also will debut many engineering changes

Not full-bore

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