As the buzz around Apple's iPhone 16 series fades away, rumors of the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup have started swirling. Of the four phones likely to be launched next year, an ‘iPhone 17 Air’ model has generated the most interest, with reports suggesting that it could be the thinnest iPhone made by Apple. Now, a new report by The Information has given us more insights on the dimensions of the upcoming mode.
The prototypes of iPhone 17 Air have thickness ranging between 5mm to 6mm, The Information reported. In contrast, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro have a thickness of 7.8mm and 8.25mm respectively.
The significant reduction in thickness is also said to bring a number of compromises including the lack of a physical SIM card tray, meaning the iPhone 17 Air could shift to eSIM technology. Notably, Apple, from iPhone 14 onwards, has been selling iPhones in US without a physical SIM card tray but the same phones in other countries did one.
Moreover, the iPhone 17 Air is also said to come with a ‘large, centered camera bump’ on its back which could house the single camera sensor. This would be a major downgrade from vanilla iPhone 16 variants that come with a 2 camera setup.
Another compromise could in the battery department with the report suggesting that iPhone 17 Air could come with a ‘smaller battery’ than the current generation iPhones, the exact quantity of decrease isn't yet clear though.
Moreover, the iPhone 17 Air could also house only a single speaker in the earpiece because of a lack of room for the second speaker in the bottom grill.
The report does caution that iPhone 17 Air design is not yet finalized and the phone is at early production trials at Foxconn. Apple is reportedly trying to find the right battery and some other components for the phone, suggesting that there is still time for the Cupertino based tech giant to get over some of these design constraints.
