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iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show
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Yep, should be calculated as the smallest rectangular box that it can fit in - no free passes for having one part stick out substantially.
I've been using iPhones since the 4. I have had many improvements that I have wished for over the years, but never once have I said, "I wish it was thinner".
The limiting factor is really the screen - I'm waiting for the eventual screenless iPhone Shuffle - just put in your AirPods and interact with it entirely through Siri.
Camera bump is the problem. Nothing is thin as long as there is a camera bump.
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker camera bar area – making it the thinnest iPhone to date. The iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to be around 8.725mm thick, and as you can see, it's really noticeable up close.
Impressively, the slimmer device is almost as thin as the buttons on the sides. Rumors suggest that Apple will use a titanium and aluminum chassis for the iPhone to ensure it's strong enough not to bend. No-one wants another iPhone 6 Plus "bendgate" scenario – least of all Apple.
Initially, Apple had designs on making the iPhone 17 Air bigger than its expected 6.6-inch size, but reportedly decided against it because the larger display would make it prone to bending. It suggests Apple has really gone the extra mile in terms of the device's durability.
To achieve this level of thinness, Apple is believed to have settled on a single rear camera to preserve space for the battery, and it is embracing eSIM worldwide to do away with the sim slot. The handset will also use Apple's ultra-efficient custom-designed C1 modem that recently debuted in the iPhone 16e. Altogether, we're expected battery life to equal that of current iPhone models.
Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17 series around its usual mid-September timeframe, likely alongside new AirPods Pro 3 earbuds.
Article Link: iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show
The purpose of another iPhone model is not clear to me. Why doesn't Apple make the other iPhones thinner? Presumably we now have to wait a long time for slimmer normal and pro iPhones ... and it is of course more profitable to bring out a new product than an updated one. Apple can no longer think of anything ...
The optics and especially the optical image stabilization have to go somewhere ... the alternative would be picture quality like 10 years ago.
Do you want to lose camera modules?
Because that’s how you lose camera modules.
I'm sure something can be figured out to prevent this.
After all, airpods have quite a tiny case themselves, and I never lost it. (If we don't count the times I couldn't find it at home 😂)
My wife used to somewhat regularly misplace her APs case; she solved this by putting them in a case which clips to her bag. I don’t have the same problem, but would still prefer the internal cameras because the bump doesn’t bother me. Then again, I’m fine with the size of my 15 Pro so my opinion on its design is irrelevant; I would more likely buy a folding 18 PhoneBook than an 18 Air.
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I don’t think it’s so easy to source new components and retool manufacturing for all iPhone models simultaneously—it’s too huge of a scale. Major changes to manufacturing have to make their way through the lineup in steps. But also if the new manufacturing process is costly then Apple will probably keep the older form factor around to offer lower cost iPhones until manufacturing costs come down.
It was great 10 years ago with proper skills. Today AI replaced photography anyway. I would gladly pay up to 3500$ for an iPhone 17 Pro Mini with no camera bump.