iPhone 17 Air won’t be ultra-thin after all

We’re still ten months away from the announcement of the iPhone 17. Still, several rumors exist about this upcoming lineup. Unlike previous years, it appears that Apple will ditch the Plus model in favor of an ultra-thin but underpowered iPhone 17 Air/Slim.

While new leaks and reports are starting to give us an idea of ​​what this device will look like, it seems like there’s a limit to how thin it can actually be. And, spoiler, it won’t be that thin.

According to news aggregator yeux1122, Samsung’s inability to make an ultra-thin S25 model will impact this iPhone 17 Air. The website explains that Samsung has attempted to increase battery capacity through thinner substrates, but attempts have been unsuccessful. This means that it will not be able to make this device as thin as it wanted.

The same goes for Apple. The company cannot update the internal boards and this new battery is too expensive. The publication states that these components were expected to be thinner, but now the battery will be about 6mm thicker.

Considering Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever was the iPhone 6, at 6.9mm thick, it doesn’t seem like the company can go any lower than that with the iPhone 17 Air. However, if Apple can make it as thin as an iPhone 6, it will still be quite impressive.

Everything we know so far about the iPhone 17 Air

Ever since Apple introduced the iPhone 12 mini, it has struggled to find a market for the unique variants of its regular iPhone models. The company has seen low sales of the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 15 Plus. While we need to know how the iPhone 16 Plus will sell, Cupertino may be planning a different approach for the iPhone 17.

Rumors so far point to a premium version of the non-Pro iPhone 17. While all models are expected to remain the same price, this iPhone 17 Slim would cost around $1,299, the most expensive iPhone yet. Despite its thin form factor, it is said to have the A19 chip, 8 GB of RAM and two main cameras. How Apple will maintain good battery life with a thin form factor is still unknown.

Interestingly, the iPhone 17 Pro models are said to have 12GB of RAM, the A19 Pro chip with TSMC’s new N3P manufacturing process, and three 48MP main cameras. If that’s the case, how can Apple charge more for an iPhone that’s actually worse than its Pro range? Apparently, this is because the company is planning a new form factor with an ultra-thin design.