- An iPhone 17 Air has been rumored for some time
- It’ll apparently shave 2 mm off the iPhone 16 Pro
- Apple’s personal modems might be smaller
There’s been loads of discuss round a possible iPhone 17 Air (or iPhone 17 Slim) mannequin subsequent 12 months – changing the iPhone 16 Plus, apparently – and now we have got particulars on simply how skinny this upcoming handset could possibly be.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who tends to know what he is speaking about in terms of Apple data, the iPhone 17 Air goes to be round 2 millimeters (0.08 inches) thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro.
Considering the iPhone 16 Pro is simply 8.3 mm (0.33 inches) entrance to again, that is fairly a critical discount – knocking off some 24%. It can be Apple’s thinnest iPhone but, beating the iPhone 6 from 2014 (6.9 mm or 0.27 inches).
The slimming down is due partially to Apple’s anticipated change to utilizing its personal modem in subsequent 12 months’s iPhones, relatively than utilizing chips from Qualcomm. It’s a rumor we have heard earlier than, and which Gurman has now talked about once more.
Chipsets and screens
We’ll see the brand new Apple modem within the iPhone SE 4 to start with, in accordance with Gurman – that’s tipped to reach in March 2025. After that, it will present up within the iPhone 17 fashions, with an improved model set to be prepared in time for the iPhone 18 in 2026.
Apple is even planning to make use of its personal modem chipset so as to add mobile connectivity to Macs and the Apple Vision Pro, in accordance with the report – however that is unlikely to occur earlier than 2026, because the expertise must be additional developed.
As for the iPhone 17 Air, earlier leaks recommend it’ll do with no bodily SIM card slot to maintain it as skinny as potential, whereas it may also introduce a display screen that is thinner and extra environment friendly in comparison with the present iPhone shows.
All of this thinning down will ultimately assist Apple within the growth of its first folding iPhone, in accordance with Gurman. That system appears unlikely to launch earlier than 2026 on the earliest – however it’s now reportedly on the best way.
