iPhone 17 Air: What to expect from Apple’s rumoured slimmest-ever iPhone

While Apple’s base and Pro iPhones have been staple additions to the lineup for years now, it is the fourth variant every year that the brand has been experimenting with for a while now. Since Apple launched the iPhone 12 series, we have gone from a fourth ‘mini’ phone to a ‘Plus’ phone, and yet another new change is on the horizon.

As per several leaks and industry rumours, Apple is set to discontinue the iPhone ‘Plus’ models, in favour of a more compact ‘Air’ model, which will be the first time the brand brings the new category to its smartphone lineup.

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Here’s everything we know so far about the iPhone Air, and what we should expect from the device, as well as the rest of the 17 series.

iPhone 17 Air: What to expect?

The iPhone 17 Air, which many believe can also be called the iPhone 17 Slim, is expected to be the fourth model in the iPhone 17 series, alongside the (likely to be be named) iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The phone is expected to be slimmer than any iPhone ever made, and sport a different internal design altogether compared to the rest of the 17 series. This could include a special display panel as well as other internal components to make the phone slim.

That also extends to the camera, which Apple Analayst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the phone may sport only one of. Yes, we could apparently see a number-series iPhone go back to a single 48MP camera to sport a slimmer profile.

The iPhone 17 Slim is also expected to be sized like a 6.6-inch phone. This would place it between the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max in terms of size.

One of the other more challenging aspects of the phone could be the battery. In most phones, the battery cell takes up a lot of space, and this is why making a slimmer phone usually means sub-par battery life too.

While optimisations and faster charging mechanisms will help till an extent, there’s no way to make a phone last longer if the battery has been heavily compromised on. It remains to be seen how Apple tackles this problem.

More details around the iPhone 17 Air/Slim should slowly surface over the next 6-8 months, which is when we may begin seeing leaks pop up. Apple is likely to stick to its September calendar for new iPhones, which means we may not see the iPhone 17 Air, or the rest of the series before September 2025.