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I don't consider mmWave 5g is a step forward with anything since it you have to be line or sight to the tower to get it, and if so much as person walks in front of you, it cuts out.

Pretty much nobody is using it. Apple already signalled it with M4 iPad Pro by removing mmW.

Carrier aggregation with mid-band 5G already enables more than 3 Gbps.
 
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Take the X/Xs/11 Pro ~5.9" screen with ProMotion and put it in an updated body. You can shave at least 2mm from each side by shrinking the bezels, make it a bit thicker for a decent batter but still be able to keep the weight around 150g and you would have a winner.
 
I think many people confuse what customers say with what customer like. Few customers said they wanted* a thin and light iPad Pro, but using an M4 model feels absolutely better compared to older models. We’re bad at trying to imagine the effect of dimensions and weight.
 
Will I buy it? Not until we see some real-world reviews of battery life. It's either this or the SE for me. I want the smallest, lightest iPhone I can get, but I don't want to be charging it twice a day, either.
 
Who is asking for this? Who's actually wants the phone to be as thin as possible regardless of how many compromises need to be made to get there.

Apple is desperate to add a fifth model to the line up but it just doesn't seem like there is a market for it. They tried the Mini and canned it, same with the plus.
 
That's not the point. The point is that a new generation iPhone (iPhone 17 Air) should not be a step backwards from prior iPhones (iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone 13) as they all support (in the U.S. at least) mmWave 5G.
But if it's computationally more advanced, it may support Apple Intelligence, so who cares if data speeds don't appeal to gamers?
 
I keep seeing people asking who this is for when the very people it's for have replied on these very forums that they want such a phone even if it loses some features. I personally like the current pro models, but clearly some want this. They are the same ones that will never use a case and consider it important that their phone get noticed. I also think Apple is doing this to test out some tech that can be used to make a foldable not be too thick when folded. Anyway, they will still offer the pro models so offering a slim line certainly won't bother anyone.
 
It's a good exercise in tight integration, but I don't think that this is specifically what people want. You never hear people complain that their phone is too thick or heavy, do you? You do hear people complain that the battery is too small.
 
So, the only claim to fame (per rumors) for this phone is it is thinner. But fewer cameras, fewer speakers, presumably worse battery life, and more expensive?
 
Who is this phone for?
If these leaks/rumors are true then, at large, "iPhone Air" mostly sounds like a shrinkflation'ed version of iPhone Plus that they're going to try to market as something more than it is:

Instead of the Plus offering a slightly bigger battery and display versus the standard, 6.1" $799 iPhone. With Air, you now get less cameras, less battery life, and a lot of other compromises on many specs.

But it's now slimmer and lighter than ever. Same 6.7" display and still just $899. iPhone Air. Be impressed with less..?

I can already see the ads with stern, tall, super skinny Scandinavian models, doing their best blue steel faces to make you forget the lousy specs and only desire "Air", aka all the clothes that the emperor isn't wearing.

If they really go hard on branding this with the most attractive celebs/models/influencers then it actually might work.

Hyperbole aside, I do see a lot of users on here and other forums asking for an iPhone that ditches the chunky camera array and goes back to something more akin to iPhone 6 Plus, with an almost or completely flat backside.
 
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All these compromises are why phones aren't this thin.

I'd rather have a larger battery, better speaker and more cameras. Who cares if it's 5 mm thicker.

To those who disagree, I'm curious to what you would compromise for a thinner device?
 
Market research is informing apple to make a thinner iPhone? do people actually want this? Never have I ever said "you know what, give me a lower performing iPhone with less battery just so my already thin phone can be thinner"...
 
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It's a good exercise in tight integration, but I don't think that this is specifically what people want. You never hear people complain that their phone is too thick or heavy, do you? You do hear people complain that the battery is too small.
While the average buyer would always prioritize battery life and display size over anything else, I do hear a lot of people saying they hate how bulky the camera array on their iPhone is, or how they don't actually use their cameras that much, or "just bought the Pro Max for the display size and battery, I don't care about taking photos" kind of reasoning.

I'm unsure how big this demographic really is. Or if they really understand how much camera they'd sacrifice if they ditched the triple camera array for a single camera.

But I do see Apple trying out this "minimalist's Pro Max" for at least one or two years.

While way sleeker than the Pro Max, the 16 Plus isn't really that much slimmer or lighter.

Maybe this concept is what can finally make the "Plus" a big seller.
 
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