First
Apple tried a version of the iPhone with a smaller screen but the iPhone mini didn’t catch on. So Apple created a non-Pro version of the Pro Max with a huge screen, long-lasting battery, and a cheaper price tag. It even played the nostalgia card by calling it the iPhone Plus. But like the iPhone mini, the iPhone Plus failed to catch on. So next year, Apple will replace the iPhone Plus with an ultra-thin model dubbed, for now, the
iPhone 17 Air.
One part of the iPhone 17 Air will be larger than any other iPhone ever made. Unfortunately, that is expected to be the price tag. The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly cost more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max which might lead you to believe that the phone will have better specs than the top-of-the-line 2025 iPhone. But that is not the case as the iPhone 17 Air will supposedly be powered by the non-Pro A19 application processor (AP). The A19 Pro AP will be reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro series although both SoCs will be built by TSMC using its third-gen 3nm process node (N3P).
Render of the iPhone 17 Air which should be the thinnest iPhone ever made. | Image credit-FPT
At a rumored 6.6 inches, the
iPhone 17 Air’s display will be smaller than the 6.9-inch panel used on the
iPhone 17 Pro Max. Taking a page from
Google, which for years got great mileage out of placing a single rear camera on the Pixel, Apple will rely on computational photography as the
iPhone 17 Air will sport only one rear camera. The device will come with 8GB of RAM which it needs to support
Apple Intelligence.
The iPhone 6 is currently the thinnest iPhone ever made as it measures just 6.9mm thin. | Image credit-Apple
Apple is apparently hoping that the ultra-thin design of the phone will result in heavy demand for the
iPhone 17 Air because the specs won’t be able to do any heavy lifting. The new svelte model will feature Apple’s in-house 5G modem chip which will debut earlier next year in the
iPhone SE 4. Using its own custom modem chip instead of the Snapdragon 5G modem chip used on the rest of the 2025 iPhone models, Apple will be able to fit camera, battery, and display systems into the thinner body of the slimmest iPhone..
It will be an interesting experiment for Apple as it tries to gauge whether the public will pay more for a new iPhone not because of its features or specs but because of its design.
