The iPhone 17 might still be a year off given that we haven’t even had the iPhone 16 yet, but there are still rumors abound that give us a fleeting glimpse of what 2025 might have in store for us. One of the most prolific rumors has been that the iPhone 17 is going to have a ‘slim’ version, and now we have a better idea of what it’s going to be called — the iPhone 17 Air.
Traditionally, the ‘Air naming convention denotes the slimmest and lightest of the Apple product at hand — while that’s shifted slightly after the unreasonably thin iPad Pro M4 (that’s thinner than the new iPad Air M2), it looks to mean the same for the iPhone 17. According to Youtuber FrontPageTech, the iPhone Air will sit between the standard models and the Pro models, just like the iPads with the same moniker.
More slim devices
With any luck, the iPhone 17 Air will not suffer the same fate as the notorious, and also extremely thin, iPhone 6. The 17 Air is pegged to have a waistline of just 5mm, a whole 2.8 inches slimmer than the iPhone 15. That’s a mighty thin phone — and one that without significant structural work would likely bend like a banana. Cue flashbacks to unintended flexible iPhones in 2014, and the BendGate scandal that still puts some buyers off iPhones today.
Thankfully, it seems like we’re going to be getting an iPhone Air made from some strong materials to put your mind at ease. While FrontPageTech reckons there won’t be as much Titanium as the Pro models, there could be some to keep the phone rigid in those skinny jeans pockets, and make sure it stays ruler straight. The chip inside isn’t going to be as impressive as the Pro and Pro Max chips, but will likely match those found in the iPhone 17 when it releases — and, of course, support Apple Intelligence.
The sticking point? Price. The iPhone could cost as much, apparently, as $1,299 — a whole lot of money for a phone that doesn’t have the screen, processor, or power of the Pro line. We’d expect it to land between the Pro and standard iPhones instead. Even then, as TechRadar points out, a lot of this rumor feels more like speculation rather than solid, well-sourced rumors, so any one of the predictions at hand could be wrong. We’ll only know for sure when the iPhone 17 starts to come closer into view, and before that, we’ve got the iPhone 16 family and Apple Intelligence to worry about.