iPhone 17 Air to be Even Slimmer But These 5 Cons Might Surprise You

Apple has long been rumored to launch the iPhone 17 Air alongside the other models next year. This is to be Apple’s lightest and slimmest iPhone in the series, replacing the iPhone 16 Plus, which has poor sales numbers among the quartet. Up until now, rumors said the iPhone 17 Air would be 6mm thick; however, it may be even thinner in real life, shedding some features.

As per new leaks, the iPhone 17 Air would apparently be between 5 to 6mm thick. And that’s crazy slim for a phone! Now, this isn’t entirely impossible. For starters, we saw a trend of slim smartphones back in 2014, with the likes of the Vivo X5 Max (4.75mm) and Oppo R5 (4.85mm), and this trend may see a comeback with the iPhone 17 Air and the supposed Galaxy S25 Slim.

The current iPhone 16 is 7.8mm thick, while the iPhone 16 Pro measures 8.25mm thick. But it seems Apple is targeting the iPhone 17 Air to be as thin as its iPad. Yes, while the latest iPad Air is 6.1mm thick, the new iPad Pro is even slimmer at 5.1mm, and it seems Apple could maybe match this thickness.

It would be interesting to see how this goes, however, this will come with trade-offs.

iPhone 17 Air’s Compromises for Slimness

A lot of components go into a smartphone and it’s tricky to put that many by today’s standards into an extremely thin design. This is why some features have to go to achieve this extreme slimness. So Apple may have to make some significant compromises in the iPhone 17 Air’s features.

The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly let go of support for physical SIM cards. You’ll be able to use eSIM on the phone, as with the iPhone 14 and later models sold in the United States, which already lack a SIM tray. This should be fine for most regions, but it could pose a problem in China, where the sale of smartphones with eSIMs is still not approved. This could force Apple to either modify the iPhone 17 Air for the Chinese market or delay its release in the country.  

Furthermore, there’ll be a single speaker that will double up as an earpiece. Yes, no speaker at the bottom and no stereo effect. So you may have to compromise on the overall audio quality when listening to music or even ringtones.

To save space and retain the selling points of regular iPhone models, the Air may also get only a single camera on the rear, as with all iPhone SE models released so far including the upcoming iPhone SE 4.

And one more thing, the iPhone 17 Air will reportedly be using an Apple-designed modem that would take less space and also be more efficient than the Qualcomm modems the brand has been using to date. While this would save space, the phone will lack mmWave support and hence have less impressive connectivity and slower mobile data speeds than Qualcomm.

Considering all of this, the iPhone 17 Air would likely also have a smaller battery size, probably smaller than the iPhone 16’s 3,561mAh cell. However, paired with a new Bionic chip’s power efficiency, that should still get you through a day of use. We’re currently unsure if Apple would be removing MagSafe/wireless charging to maintain the slimness.

What do you think of these potential compromises? Would you be willing to give up features like a physical SIM card slot, stereo speakers, a dual camera system, and potentially even mmWave support for a slimmer iPhone? Let us know in the comments.

Ritik Singh

With over 7 years of experience in tech, Ritik currently heads content at Techwiser.com. His journey began by sharing his knowledge and helping other people in online communities. This passion led him to a career in tech journalism, fueled by a formal education in Electronic Media. He then went on to roles at GadgetsToUse and PC-Tablet, where he honed his skills as an editor. He's also contributed to popular publications like HowToGeek and TheWindowsClub. With a portfolio of over 2,000 how-tos, reviews, and in-depth guides, Ritik has helped millions of readers navigate their tech, from smartphones to smart homes.