Updated April 28 with new analysis about this year’s iPhone 17 Pro design.
The next iPhones will look different from almost everything that’s gone before, and the latest images show exactly how they look. Now, a new report claims that the iPhone 17 Air could be an important alternative iPhone, and further analysis tells us more. Let’s start with the report.
Apple’s next iPhone is likely to be slimmer than ever.
A new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his weekly Power On newsletter describes one of this year’s iPhones, the iPhone 17 Air. In answer to the question of whether it will be popular, Gurman points out that there’s one phone in the iPhone range which has always been a tricky customer in the sense that it hasn’t seemed to sell as well.
First, it was the iPhone mini, then the iPhone Plus. Now, in a hope that tthings could change, Apple is about to deliver the Air.
“Will this be the one that works? My belief is that the Air line won’t set any sales records — and that most iPhone fans will still spring for the Pro-level models. But I think the Air will be far more popular and better for Apple’s bottom line than the mini or Plus phones,” Gurman says. I’d agree with that. I think the iPhone 17 Air, if that’s what it’s called, could breathe life into the awkward fourth iPhone in the series, and be much more successful.
“The Air idea (selling a thinner device at a midrange price) has already been a big success for Apple’s MacBook and iPad lines. With the iPhone, the Air could also serve a larger purpose: setting the stage for thinner iPhone Pros and foldable devices,” Gurman goes on. We’ll get an idea of how things will work for buyers looking for a thin phone soon, when Samsung releases its Galaxy S25 Edge.
On to the new analysis of what Gurman predicted. There’s a line in Gurman’s commentary that jumped out at me, the one about the Air not setting any sales records. Well, if pre-announcement buzz translated directly into sales, then it definitely would — I’d say the Air has generated more interest than any other iPhone for years.
Other analysts have things to say about the Air, and why Gurman might be right that the Pro models will still outsell the new, super-slim phone. James Rogerson at Tech Radar had an opinion on this.
“Apple’s Pro handsets tend to outsell the other iPhone models, and while the iPhone 17 Air may well be the most stylish of the iPhone 17 series, it will probably be far from the best when it comes to specs. Leaks have suggested that the iPhone 17 Air will have just one rear camera, for example, and there are also concerns over how good its battery life will be, given the likely very limited space for a battery,” Rogerson says. This is a great point, recognizing that whatever the new features, the gorgeous thinness and the striking new design, that one element, battery life, continues to be front-and-center for most customers.
“Coupled with a probably fairly high price, the iPhone 17 Air could be a tough sell for anyone who cares about specs as much as design,” the report goes on, though I’d add that the latest rumors suggest that the price may be around the same as the iPhone 16 Plus, that is, significantly less than the Pro models will be.
The images mentioned above come from respected leaker Sonny Dickson, who has published pictures of four iPhone dummies on X — the entire expected iPhone 17 series.
If you click on the link you’ll see all four dummies side by side, graphically showing their relative sizes. “Take a look at the sides of the iPhone 17 dummy — the Air model is unbelievably thin,” Dickson comments, and it’s true the Air images are the most striking, at least in comparison to the other three, offering a slimmer iPhone than has been seen before.
But there are other intriguing things to note.
First of all, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max both show SIM card trays. That’s not impossible: eSIM only phones are currently exclusive to the U.S., so the dummies for the two Pro models seem to indicate that eSIM isn’t going to make it around the world this year. No surprise, there, as many countries don’t offer eSIM options for pay-as-you-go accounts.
But it means that the iPhone 17 series, like the current iPhones, will continue to come in two versions, one for the U.S., and one for the rest of the world.
Also note that the other two phones don’t show any sign of SIM card trays. And look closely at the iPhone 17 Air: is there even room for such a tray in there? This has ramifications. It seems unlikely that the iPhone 17 Air will only be released in the States, so it could mean that the Air could be the first eSIM iPhone released outside the U.S.
The Camera Control introduced in the iPhone 16 series also appears on all four phones, which contradicts an earlier report that it might be missing from the iPhone 17 Air.
The bottom edge of the Air also shows fewer perforations than the other phones, though at least it’s symmetrical, unlike the iPhone 17. Historically, the speaker on the base of the iPhone is only on one of the sides, with the holes on the other side for cosmetic effect only.
But the iPhone 17 Air’s parsimonious speaker holes might suggest a phone with less capable audio. Is this down to the realities of creating such a svelte device or the rumored intention to create a less capable phone?
For sure, the iPhone 17 Pro Max looks anything but thin, lending weight to reports that it will use the extra space for outstanding battery life.
