Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I have the 13inch M4 iPad Pro, and the thinness is cool I guess, but I don’t really care. It wasn’t a major factor in my purchase, nor is it in my enjoyment (and it’s in a case anyway). Out of its case, it feels solid/rigid though, so if this ’iPhone Air’ is both thicker and smaller I wouldn’t have any concerns about ‘bendgate 2.0’.

I’ll be sticking with my 13 Mini for now, as Apple continue to fail to make a new iPhone that appeals to me. I’d love a new Mini (or smaller, like the OG SE, still the best iPhone for its time IMHO) but I fear the chances are… thin(!).
I used to carry a messenger bag with me every day and so I was very sensitive to its weight on my shoulder and how thick and bulky it was. I was always looking for ways to cut down on the weight and thickness of all the items in my bag, and every ounce and mm counted. If I still carried my bag often, I would have really appreciated the thinness of the new iPad. I don’t happen to now, but I can imagine others who do.

Also yes the OG SE was the best.
 
  • Like
Reactions: urnotl33t and Porco
If you really expected this phone to have no camera bumps you are delusional. Unless it will be without a camera of course.
Who said there will be no camera bumps? That render has no relation to a slim phone at all. Maybe they should have compared it to an SE, not a xPro. Thats what the sensible people would do. But you can assume what you want. That render will nothing like the "light" version, assuming it comes out.

Yes, I do. Maybe something is wrong with my 16 PM, but I doubt it because it happened with my 13 PM on iOS 17 and after ios 18 upgrade. The iOS is buggy and kills the battery life.

Apple is boasting about different iOS features, but the support document recommends turning everything off to preserve the battery life. But even if I do that, it isn't a real solution because the bugs are the issue and not necessarily some power-hungry iOS features.

The bottom line is that the overall experience is poor.
Interesting. I have the 15 Pro. I charge it each night to 80% Max. I use it all day and it usually gets down to 40%. Nothing is turned off, or down. Last week it did go down to about 13% when I used it all day for music in the garden. But again, that was starting at 80%. So I can’t talk for your experience, but I know mine is still excellent, after 18 months.

I don’t know that iOS is the problem is what I’m saying. The only bug I ever notice is that once every couple of weeks it tends to freeze when opening for 5 seconds. And then it fixes itself. And that is such a minor annoyance. Maybe your issue is a battery fault, and not software? Dunno.

Girl... the only thing you missed is learning what sarcasm is. I'm saying the same "BS" (your words) as Macrumors with this article.
But let's keep it 💯 for a second - they can barely put 3500mah battery in a 6,3" phone that's more than 8mm thick, while there are companies that can fit almost 5000mah battery in a phone that's (almost) the same size as iPhone 16 Pro. What do you think the battery size would be in a phone that's 5,5mm "thick"?
And the whole "iOS and apple silicon is more efficient" argument is starting to not be valid anymore. A18 and A18 Pro draw more power than A17 Pro (when under load) and iOS 18 is... let's say questionable.

If they finally don't introduce new battery technology in that "slim" iPhone and if they don't optimize iOS 19 properly, that phone will have one of the worst battery life in years.
Calm down. You’re exaggerating the problems. I couldn’t care and have never cared about how many mAh's a battery has. Since the introduction of smart phones, I have always been more interested about getting a single day out of it. And I almost always have.
 
There is a point where something is too thin. It shouldn't be thinner than the typical USB-C plug sheath or it will interfere with cases.


I'm already experiencing this with the iPad Pro 2021 11" where some cables can only be plugged in outside of the case because the port opening is not big enough (and the opening is already maxed out on the thickness relative to the device).
 
There is a point where something is too thin. It shouldn't be thinner than the typical USB-C plug sheath or it will interfere with cases.
Off topic, this is why I’m against the EU mandating what plug connectors phones use. No chance for innovative designs or phones thinner than a usb-c port (which I know is a silly statement today, but who knows what we could have had in 5-10 years.)
 
  • Haha
Reactions: rmadsen3
I really don’t see how this is a positive. On the iPad it makes sense, because it reduced weight a ton but on iPhones I find that a heavier weight makes them feel much better and premium on the hands. Which is why I hate the new titanium, it just feels cheap. And now it will be so thin that you won’t be able to grip it right. No matter how I try to approach this design it has no net positives other than being able to say that it’s thin.
then dont buy! problem fix! right?
 
This is all nonsense. If this product is real and it’s a phone then it’s the iPhone 17. Makes no sense for it to sit alongside an iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro as a third model with just the thinness as the selling point. By physics it would have worse battery life and worse cameras.
 
  • Love
Reactions: iGüey
This is all nonsense. If this product is real and it’s a phone then it’s the iPhone 17. Makes no sense for it to sit alongside an iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro as a third model with just the thinness as the selling point. By physics it would have worse battery life and worse cameras.
But it becomes the 'air' version, just like the iPad and Mac lineup (consistency). It also becomes a more affordable iPhone to bring in the kiddie's or for those who don’t need multi-day battery life (most people) and those who don’t care about image quality but can still post on insta etc.
 
Nope. A pure wireless approach is a potential alternative approach that is still compliant with EU regulations
If you believe the EU won’t change that rule the second someone comes out with a portless phone I’ve got oceanfront property Austria you might be interested in.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: Chuckeee
IMG_6299.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: WarmWinterHat
Based on the previous bendgate problem, I’m confident Apple isn’t going to repeat that particular problem-specifically having the phone bend and then staying bent.

There’s two ways that I can see this going. Either making the phone more elastic so when it bends or flexes [slightly], it will basically bounce or bend back. Or by making it much more rigid, so instead of bending, it will just break.

But the optimum solution, is for people stop acting stupid. Don’t carry your phone in your real pocket. Perhaps have the phone scream 😱 if it’s subjected to uneven bending pressure.
Equip the case with a strain gauge, and the phone emits the Alarm ringtone on max volume when bent.
 
Why the obsession for thinner?
How about getting rid of the ugly camera bump on all the phones and make them a few millimeters thicker.
This seems to be a precursor to the foldable iPhone, which could explain why it’s thinner. It feels like an evolutionary step toward foldable phones. That said, I agree that unless they improve battery life, prioritizing thinness over functionality is absurd—even if it’s for marketing purposes
 
Why would they?
The “spirit of the law” (which is how the EU operates when it comes to regulations, not what is written) is that everyone use the same charging mechanism to cut down on specialized cords and ewaste, and reduce costs for consumers. They’ve already shown they won’t abide two cords. So when someone comes out with a phone that requires a non-USB-C cord to charge I suspect it’ll be verboten.

I mean, the EU tried to mandate micro USB as the one true connector so it’s not like they know what they’re doing. (Why anyone thinks the government mandating which connectors phones use is a good idea after thinking about that for more than five seconds I’ll never understand). But I’m way off topic and would love to be wrong about all of this.
 
  • Like
Reactions: steve09090
So a thinner phone, same or less battery capacity, and a much fatter camera bump, vs a very slightly barely noticeable difference in thickness phone, bigger battery capacity, and smaller bump.

I'll take the "fatter" phone.
From comments I've seen, most people who want a thicker iPhone to get a longer-lasting battery and to deal with the camera bump want an iPhone model that goes all the way--a completely flush back, made thicker to equal the thickness of the camera bump. That might add about 2.5mm to the thickness of the body of an iPhone 17 Pro Max, compared to a 15 Pro Max (I measured the bump on mine, but I don't have a 16 Pro Max to measure it), which would be more than just barely noticeable. In fact, I wonder how many people wanting a thicker iPhone, if they got one about 2.5mm thicker, might then say "So that's how a thicker iPhone feels? Not sure I like it." But I suspect a lot of people would be happy with it. It should also make it easier to grip its sides.

Which makes me wonder if a lot of people will find an iPhone Air's thin sides will make it difficult to get a good grip on it. But put a slightly thick case on it, and that might reduce the problem, with the result still being thinner than it would otherwise have been, while also slightly reducing the differential in thickness between the body of the phone and its camera bump.
 
Last edited:
Might not be a popular opinion but I’d welcome a thinner iPhone. Not cos I need it to be that thin but with the addition of a card holder case extending the thickness to eg. the camera bump then you can have a flush thickness phone that can hold a couple of cards.
If accessory makers make the right case for it I’d probably upgrade.
 
This seems to be a precursor to the foldable iPhone
Why just a precursor and not an actual foldable iPhone already?

I really think this time Apple and its leakers intend to fool us by letting us know about thinness and other secondary “features”. If you have payed attention on the leaks and rumors, you may have realized that they haven’t addressed anything about the form factor, but dubious renders.

Think twice, it seems to me that the “iPhone Air” name is just an euphemism to make us know that a completely and different iPhone is coming. So what if the surprising and secret feature of the so-called “iPhone Air” is it’s foldability?

A thinner iPhone with less features, doesn’t has by itself too much sense, unless there is something else really different that have not been revealed yet.

Just connect the dots….

And BTW, may be Apple has taken its time perfectioning the folding screens to not have an ugly, notorious and fragile crease.
 
Last edited:
I’m not excited for such a device and wouldn’t buy one. In fact, I honestly hope it fails like the previous mid-rage iPhone variants and they once again try something new.

But I’m hopeful that it sets a bit of a standard, at least. Phones are way too thick.

And I’d accept it if battery life was good. I’d even accept thicker! But battery life is terrible.
 
I’m not excited for such a device and wouldn’t buy one. In fact, I honestly hope it fails like the previous mid-rage iPhone variants and they once again try something new.

But I’m hopeful that it sets a bit of a standard, at least. Phones are way too thick.

And I’d accept it if battery life was good. I’d even accept thicker! But battery life is terrible.
You hope it fails and sets a standard that phones should be thinner? Those two don’t work together.

You should be hoping it’s a success so that others follow suit.
 
  • Love
Reactions: iGüey
Thickness of non folding phones is just a marketing number at the point. The ergonomics aren’t affected when you’re trying to clasp your hand around a massive screen.

It will really count for folding devices when that thickness is doubled, but non folding shouldn’t have to see things like battery life affected for the sake of a few .1mm
 
  • Like
Reactions: iGüey
Tell whoever made this render that if they can make a camera as thin as the iPad Pros camera, the iPhone 17 air is going to use that same one.

Why have they made the phone camera so much bigger than the iPads?
 
  • Like
Reactions: steve09090
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.