Summary:
Expected updates:
- Thinner at 5.5 mm
- Smaller hole and pill-shaped cutout for the front camera
- 120 hz promotion display
- Only one speaker at the top
- A titanium aluminum frame
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be a major redesign in Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 lineup. As the name suggests, it’s rumored to be much thinner and lighter than previous iPhones. While everyone expects it to be slim, there are conflicting rumors about exactly how thin it will be.
Rumors initially suggested the iPhone 17 Air would be around 6mm thick. However, a recent report from respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts it will be even thinner, at approximately 5.5mm. This would make it the thinnest iPhone ever, surpassing the 6.9mm iPhone 6 (released in 2014). To put this in perspective, a 5.5mm iPhone would be roughly 30% thinner than the 7.8mm iPhone 16 and 33% thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro models, which are about 8.25mm thick.
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The iPhone 17 Air’s anticipated thinness is comparable to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro released last year, which measures a mere 5.1mm—Apple’s thinnest device to date. While analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the iPhone 17 Air will be 5.5mm at its thinnest point, this suggests a likely camera bump. Due to space constraints within the ultra-slim chassis, Apple is reportedly planning a single 48-megapixel rear camera. In short, these thickness rumors alone point to a dramatically different design. The device’s anticipated extreme thinness and lightness promise a significantly altered user experience. This single 48-megapixel rear camera is expected, and screen size rumors suggest a display between 6.55 and 6.65 inches.
The iPhone 17 Air may feature a smaller hole-punch and pill-shaped cutout for the front camera, leading to a narrower Dynamic Island. Like all other iPhone 17 models, it’s expected to have a 120Hz ProMotion display across the entire lineup for the first time. Due to the thin design, the bottom speaker is likely to be removed, leaving only a top speaker, which could impact sound quality compared to current iPhones. The frame is rumored to be a titanium-aluminum alloy, with a higher proportion of aluminum than the current Pro models. The primary focus of this new iPhone appears to be its design, rather than significant internal upgrades.