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'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Start at $899 With Surprisingly Good Battery Life, Camera Control, and More

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Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today shared some new details about the rumored iPhone 17 Air.

iPhone-17-Air-Size-Feature.jpg

In his Power On newsletter, Gurman said he was told that the device may start at roughly $899 in the U.S., which means that it would occupy the same price point as the iPhone 16 Plus. This would make sense, as it has been widely rumored that the Air model will take over the Plus model's spot in the iPhone lineup going forward.

Despite its rumored ultra-thin and lightweight design, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air will provide battery life that is "on par with current iPhones," although he did not mention any specific models. Presumably, this means that the device's battery life will be equal to the lowest-end iPhone 16 model, at a minimum. That would be surprisingly good.

Gurman said Apple has made hardware and software optimizations to make the iPhone 17 Air more power efficient. There are three rumored features for the iPhone 17 Air that should contribute to the device offering longer battery life than one might have imagined, including a higher-density battery, Apple's power-efficient C1 modem, and the lack of an Ultra Wide camera providing more internal space for a larger battery.

Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air will be equipped with the Camera Control button that debuted on all iPhone 16 models last year. This is the first time that this feature has been rumored for the device. The button provides quick access to the camera and related settings, but some people find it to be a nuisance and disable it.

He also revealed that the iPhone 17 Air's bezels around the screen will apparently be around as thin as the ones on the iPhone 16 Pro models.

A few other iPhone 17 Air specifications that he mentioned had already been rumored previously, including a 6.6-inch display with 120Hz ProMotion support, a Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip instead of an A19 Pro chip, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, the C1 modem, and the lack of a physical SIM card slot seemingly worldwide.

Unsurprisingly, look for the iPhone 17 Air to launch in September this year.

Article Link: 'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Start at $899 With Surprisingly Good Battery Life, Camera Control, and More
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/16/iphone-17-air-price-battery-life-more/
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I did dismiss this phone as my current provider doesn’t do eSIM, but I checked and they have announced they will be launching them in the next few months so that’s good. And means my interest in the new Air has peaked again especially if the spec is true. I hate the bulk and weight of my 14 Pro Max, and the shots taken with the new 16e camera look pretty decent, so hopefully the Air single lens will be just as good. Bit expensive but at least it’ll be below the 1000 mark.
 
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The Plus models were great for those who don’t need a Pro Max. And in truth, that’s a big percentage of owners who will never shoot video in Log. Thought experiment: how many Pro owners know what prores 422 HQ is? Or know what to do with it?
 
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bryo said:
Single speaker and no stereo sound is really unappealing to me. Otherwise interesting, I could see this model being popular because of the new design.
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You're concerned about stereo sound output from a phone? The sound from the built-in speakers is so bad and the speakes are so close together, that stereo is redundant. Get some AirPods! Cast to a TV or your stereo system!
 
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Now you're talking! For $899, it's a bit steep, but that's the Apple business model and always has been. but when someone offers it at a $100 discount, I'm in!
 
Oh, the button is called camera control. I use it. It launches visual intelligence and it is good for camera control.

I find the camera control button is easier to use when my 16 Pro is in the Apple MagSafe clear case.
 
The iPhone X featured new Technology with Face ID and Full Screen OLED with no home button. The iPhone Air will be Super thin and lightweight and what other feature to differentiate?
 

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Kylo83 said:
Has anyone actually used camera control
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Not really, no. I try to remember to use it, but image capture is more stable when I use the on-screen shutter button. And the zoom slider needs work.

I do use it for visual intelligence, occasionally.
 
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Canyonero said:
This product makes zero sense to me. People who want a big screen don’t care how thin the device is. It’s also lacking a lot compared to the Pro models yet commands a premium price.
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Thankfully this is the internet, where it's completely acceptable to disagree with people, as it is in real life. lol, because I'm going to say you are incorrect, apologies.

First of all this - "People who want a big screen don’t care how thin the device is" is COMPLETELY wrong. And I know, because I'm one of the people you believe don't exist. This is the ONLY way I would consider a phone with a big screen. I would love a phone with a huge screen, but I have no interest in having a phone with the thickness and weight of an iPhone plus or pro max bulging out in my pocket, constantly making its presence known. I find it to be ridiculously large and heavy, and I would be invariably aware of it on my person. No thanks. I've said for years that I wouldn't consider a phone like that unless they made it thin and light, which - guess what - is exactly what they've done here. This is the first large phone I would at least CONSIDER buying.

I also don't think it's a premium price. The pro models are premium-priced. This, to me, doesn't seem that bad. I don't think it's *cheap,* but I don't think it's outrageous.

I actually believe this phone has the potential to be surprise hit for Apple and a huge seller. BUT, that said, I'm not clairvoyant, and I could be wrong. Maybe this won't hold any allure. Maybe I'm the ONLY one who feels this way about huge-donkey phones. Maybe this is kind of like the iPhone mini - appealing to some who are vocal, but not enough people in real life will buy it. We'll see. But I'm still leaning towards surprise hit.

Until it's not. 😀
 
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Let's be honest here ... many of us who frequent this site are either Pro or Pro Max users. So the fact that none of us find this product to be super compelling is exactly what Apple wants (e.g. they want us to continue buying Pro or Pro Max phones). The last thing Apple wants us to do is to "step down" our purchase and buy a cheaper phone

This phone is designed to upsell customers who are considering the iPhone 17 ... which I can totally see happening with the all new design. Let's keep in mind that these folks don't care as much about performance or cameras
 
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JohnRckr said:
899$ in US (1500+ in EU) for a phone already 2-3 years behind competition only because it has a fruit logo.
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Where are you coming up with that EU pricing? $899 (actually $929) is the pre-sales tax starting price of the iPhone 16 Plus in the U.S. Even when including the very high VAT, I don't think there are any countries in Europe where the iPhone 16 Plus starts even close to €1,500+ territory.

Unless things like exchange rates change dramatically, "17 Air" starting prices in EU shouldn't be anything close to €1,500+ assuming the U.S. pre-sales tax price does actually come in at around $900.
 
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ThisIsMike said:
Thankfully this is the internet, where it's completely acceptable to disagree with people, as it is in real life. lol, because I'm going to say you are incorrect, apologies.

First of all this - "People who want a big screen don’t care how thin the device is" is COMPLETELY wrong. And I know, because I'm one of the people you believe don't exist. This is the ONLY way I would consider a phone with a big screen. I would love a phone with a huge screen, but I have no interest in having a phone with the thickness and weight of an iPhone plus or pro max bulging out in my pocket, constantly making its presence known. I find it to be ridiculously large and heavy, and I would be invariably aware of it on my person. No thanks. I've said for years that I wouldn't consider a phone like that unless they made it thin and light, which - guess what - is exactly what they've done here. This is the first large phone I would at least CONSIDER buying.

I also don't think it's a premium price. The pro models are premium-priced. This, to me, doesn't seem that bad. I don't think it's *cheap,* but I don't think it's outrageous.

I actually believe this phone has the potential to be surprise hit for Apple and a huge seller. BUT, that said, I'm not clairvoyant, and I could be wrong. Maybe this won't hold any allure. Maybe I'm the ONLY one who feels this way about huge-donkey phones. Maybe this is kind of like the iPhone mini - appealing to some who are vocal, but not enough people in real life will buy it. We'll see. But I'm still leaning towards surprise hit.

Until it's not. 😀
Click to expand...
You make some valid points but I think that it is unlikely that a phone, even a thin one, with a 6.6 display, in your pocket will not constantly make its presence known.
 
Just for the record: my main association with the word “air” is lightness not necessarily thinness. Please Apple surprise us with a truly lightweight, elegant slim iPhone air mini for the occasional use, so that it is unobtrusive in the inside of a coat/jacket. :)
 
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Vctr said:
Let's be honest here ... many of us who frequent this site are either Pro or Pro Max users. So the fact that none of us find this product to be super compelling is exactly what Apple wants (e.g. they want us to continue buying Pro or Pro Max phones). The last thing Apple wants us to do is to "step down" our purchase and buy a cheaper phone

This phone is designed to upsell customers who are considering the iPhone 17 ... which I can totally see happening with the all new design. Let's keep in mind that these folks don't care as much about performance or cameras
Click to expand...
I sort of disagree here. What I think Apple wants is to make the most money. So, I assume they will have the same storage upgrades as the Pro models. That will ensure the maximum profits. I also assume that this is a new design language going forward, and so this is a first-adaptor or early-adaptor technology.

Tim is good at maximizing profits. He has been bad at any new technology, in terms of innovation, and his software understanding is non-existent. But, AAPL wouldn’t be doing this if it didn’t make them a ton of money.

I would be 10x more interested in an iPhone that did three things differently.

1. All screen no-interference display. I don’t care what you have to do take the FaceID, put it under the display or whatever.
2. Remove the camera bumps. I don’t care if the phone is a bit thicker, but I don’t want anything ruining my ability to lay the phone on its back and have it wobble like a toy.
3. Focus on battery life by making the software perfect or as close to the main focus as anything. I mean the focus to remove all the stupid bugs would be a great first step. All the rest is marketing.

I would buy an Air with one camera if it did all these other things in a great way.
 
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