Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
'iPhone 17 Air' Features Revealed in New Report: As Thin as 5mm, Single Speaker, and More
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Just use a tablet it does everything your phone does at that point, majority of people dont consume media on their phone unless forced situations
Disagree. A ton of people consume media on their phones, willingly. Not that I have anything against tablets by the way.
WHO is the market willing to pay a premium price for an iPhone with a stripped down SE feature set and worse battery, just because it’s 2mm thinner? Now if we were talking about replacing the SE with the Slim, at an SE price, THAT would make sense.
Some call it compromises. I call it getting rid of redundant features to focus on essentials. Loving this thin and light design.
What does “the MBA strategy” mean as it applies to this rumored phone? The original MBA design was absolutely mind-blowing and unprecedented for its time. What we’ve heard of this rumored iPhone Slim so far is essentially an SE slimmed by perhaps a millimeter or 2 and sold for a premium price. The SE is already very light at 5 ounces, so what will the Slim be? 4 ounces? And this is mind-blowing and unprecedented how? This, so far, is a phone for people who wouldn’t think of buying an SE, but are willing to pay a premium price for one if it’s a tiny bit slimmer and lighter. In other words, it’s a phone for no one.
Last I checked the iPhone SE did not get its own chassis, its own camera module or a brand new SoC, or even an OLED display with ProMotion. Also the MBA ( and retina MacBook 12”) brought decent computing power and modern chipsets to a slim chassis. If it’s considerably lighter than the previous 15 Plus, Pro or Pro Max it’s worth pursuing, although the form factor won’t really start to shine until 2nm chipsets are a thing.
“New” does not mean better. It’s rumored to be getting a new Apple modem, too, but guess what? No fast mmWave 5G, even though large cities are now blanketed with it. Anyone hoping for a smaller phone will not get that either, with the Slim about the size of an iPhone Plus, but perhaps 2 millimeters thinner. Listen: if Apple can deliver another mic drop product like the original MBA, I’m all for it. But so far, other than the Slim trimming a couple of millimeters off the thickness of existing iPhones, there’s nothing at all that’s groundbreaking here so far.
Me, preferablyeven smaller.
I Upgraded from iPhone 12 mini to 16 pro.
It feels like a downgrade as it is way heavier, clunky and I dont want or need a phone this big. Thinking about switching to android for this reason.
So is this device going to exist because Apple will add ProMotion to the non-Pro phones so they need to make the 17 Plus less attractive so it won't cannibalise sales of the 17 Pro Max? So this 17 Air is the new Plus?
The original MBA was both mind-blowing and compromised. The Intel CPU was slow, it has a spinning disk, only one port and if I remember correctly, it started at $1,800. Over time, performance improved, screen quality improved, battery life improved and the price dropped significantly all without sacrificing its thinness and lightness. It is now Apple's best-selling Mac.
I see this "iPhone Air" or "iPhone Slim" (whatever you want to call it) adopting the same strategy. The initial model will have compromises and will probably be pricey but over time it will improve and become popular.
All true, BUT… what is the mic drop, pull-it-from-the-envelope, Steve’s-greatest-stage-moment feature of this phone? There is none. It’s rumored at 1-2 millimeters thinner. That’s it. It’s even a thinness that the iPhone has approached before with either the 6 or 6s. Now, maybe Apple has something more up its sleeve, maybe something really cool, like the “single slab of glass” that was Ives’s ultimate ideal form factor for a phone. I don’t know, but I hope so, because if shaving a millimeter or 2 off the thickness is it, wake me when it’s over.
I still think there is a backup plan for an iPhone 17 Plus model (for now). Especially given rumors of Apple running into difficulties in packaging such a physically thin phone. I expect an iPhone 18 Air model to be the first of these thinner iPhone, thanks to new battery designs and a totally new circuit board that will be available by February 2026.
I would say I’m part of the target market for this, if it ends up being a beautiful product. I’m a bit of a form over function person. The only thing I’m not sure about is losing the second speaker. I do listen to music a lot just from my phone while working from home, and the speaker audio quality is really important to me and one of my favorite things about newer iPhones. I suppose if they maybe upgrade the other speaker to have even more low end, that would be nice. But it will really suck to lose the second speaker, especially as the bottom one is usually better anyway 😕
I’ve tested putting on mono audio and covering the bottom speaker on my current iPhone, and it sounds like dog water. Most of the warmth comes from that bottom speaker, and it sounds even better when you’re holding the phone and it’s reflecting off your palm. Please reconsider this Apple 🥺
I’ve tested putting on mono audio and covering the bottom speaker on my current iPhone, and it sounds like dog water. Most of the warmth comes from that bottom speaker, and it sounds even better when you’re holding the phone and it’s reflecting off your palm. Please reconsider this Apple 🥺
My thoughts exactly! I want my phone to be light, and ideally smaller (but this air is supposed to have a bigger than my 11). So it’ll be interesting to see how a larger, lighter phone feels.
Seems like they are making sacrifices on speed/power/features to priorities a smaller size. Since it’s a new model, and the base and pro models will still stick around, I think that’s okay. Some people want a lighter/smaller/thinner phone. My worry is that it’ll be priced over $1000. That feels like too much. 999 is a lot to ask, but prolly the most I’d pay for it.
I think it’s worth keeping in mind that, with everything they’re removing from the inside of the phone (camera, speaker, certain 5g antennas, etc), AND the screen is getting bigger, it sounds like the inside of the phone is gonna be all battery.
I don’t think it will have the best battery life in the lineup, but I don’t think it’s destined to have the worst. I’m interested in it
I don’t think it will have the best battery life in the lineup, but I don’t think it’s destined to have the worst. I’m interested in it
Food for thought:
16 Pro Max: 4685 mah
16 Plus: 4674 mah
Galaxy Z Flip 6: 4000 mah
iPhone 13 Mini: 2406 mah (LOL)
I’m willing to bet that the 17 Air will have similar capacity to the Z Flip 6. Opting for a bigger screen = bigger chassis = bigger battery.
16 Pro Max: 4685 mah
16 Plus: 4674 mah
Galaxy Z Flip 6: 4000 mah
iPhone 13 Mini: 2406 mah (LOL)
I’m willing to bet that the 17 Air will have similar capacity to the Z Flip 6. Opting for a bigger screen = bigger chassis = bigger battery.
You make strange assumptions. Just because I don‘t want a bulky case to add thickness to the already too big phone and don‘t mind paying the prices of scratches does not mean I want to „get noticed“.