iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

[MacRumors]

Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years.

iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack)​

At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become the slimmest iPhone in the lineup by some margin. For comparison, the current iPhone 16 Pro measures 8.25mm thick.

Achieving this level of thinness is unlikely to come without compromise. Dummy models shared by AppleTrack suggest that Apple has made some subtle adjustments to accommodate internal components in the tighter chassis. Most notably, the USB-C port on the bottom edge is no longer centered front-to-back. Instead, it appears shifted closer to the rear of the device, which is likely to accommodate display components within the enclosure.

There are other signs of Apple's re-engineering efforts. The speaker grilles, for example, show a pared-back design, with only two holes on either side of the port compared to the typical five. That reduction reflects the same space-saving measures required to fit in a battery, processor, display components, and speakers within a much slimmer frame.

To save even more space, Apple is said to be equipping the iPhone 17 Air with a single rear camera. The company is also expected to remove the physical SIM card slot entirely, adopting eSIM-only support globally – a shift first seen in U.S. iPhones with the iPhone 14.

One of the most interesting internal changes is the inclusion of Apple's new custom-designed C1 modem, first introduced in the iPhone 16e. The ultra-efficient chip should play a big role in maintaining battery life in such a thin frame. Despite its size, sources suggest the iPhone 17 Air will offer battery performance on par with current iPhone models.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 series during its usual fall event, which may also see the debut of third-generation AirPods Pro.


Article Link: iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

 

[KPOM]

Interesting. I wonder if these elements will make it to the broader iPhone lineup in the future.

 

[DrJR]

At least the charge port isn't on the back.

Edit: Also I was hoping that first image was of the new folding phone.... that would be dope.

 

[mgmacius]

At least the charge port isn't on the back.

Why would you say that aloud? Now Tim will hear you…

 

[surfzen21]

Foreshadowing for a foldable iPhone that will be either thinner or the same thickness as the current nonfoldables.

Impressive but it will be all about that screen and hopefully lack of crease.

 

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

So it will get a bottom speaker anyway?

 

[TechWhisperer]

Omg this is beyond insane. The USB-C port has shifted from its sacred central position. Save yourselves before it's too late, my beloved ones. The asymmetry is just the beginning of the end. I've seen what comes next, and it isn't pretty.

 

[rikki_t]

USB-C is nice but flimsy in my experience, I always preferred the lightning connector, thinner, more secure and foolproof, they should have stuck with it, way easier to accommodate on a this design.

 

[mattopotamus]

I'm honestly surprised they didn't just go full wireless charging being tight on space.

 

[rgeneral]

I wonder if they did the butt test. I hope it won’t be like the iPhone 6.

 

[tomtad]

So what's the unusual design quirk with the USB-C port? The article doesn't seem to mention it

 

[frownface]

so if it's only got one lens, why does it need that oversized camera bump spanning the width of the phone? The recently released 16E has a single lens too and doesn't bother with the bar. Isn't the goal to be thin?

 

[Wanted797]

USB-C is nice but flimsy in my experience, I always preferred the lightning connector, thinner, more secure and foolproof, they should have stuck with it, way easier to accommodate on a this design.

Apple caused usb c. They could have allowed licensing of lightning to other manufacturers or just let anyone use it many companies would have quickly jumped on board and it would have become standard.

But no. Apple held it as proprietary.

 

[dz5b609]

Literally unusable

 

[mattopotamus]

So what's the unusual design quirk with the USB-C port? The article doesn't seem to mention it

"it appears shifted closer to the rear of the device, which is likely to accommodate display components within the enclosure."

You can't even visually tell in the photo.

 

[raggedy11]

So what's the unusual design quirk with the USB-C port? The article doesn't seem to mention it

Most notably, the USB-C port on the bottom edge is no longer centered front-to-back.

 

[tyranne201]

If Steve Jobs was alive there would be no port and it would be even thinner.

 

[Takeo]

Weird mockups… because there’s no way all those corner radii will be all screwy like that

 

[aParkerMusic]

If the general design is consistent with previous iPhones, there are not “speaker” grills on either side of the usb-c port; there is a microphone to the left and a speaker to the right. Maybe that will change with the iPhone Air.

 

[WatermelonSugarHigh]

I'm honestly surprised they didn't just go full wireless charging being tight on space.

EU regulation is the answer to why.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

EU regulation is the answer to why.

The EU directive allows for full wireless charging without a port, as long as it's not propritary.

 

[cgs1xx]

As long as the display doesn't suffer, I don't mind losing features if I'm getting a new iPhone which is thinner and bigger. So I wouldn't mind smaller speakers and a limited camera 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[Ctrlos]

so if it's only got one lens, why does it need that oversized camera bump spanning the width of the phone? The recently released 16E has a single lens too and doesn't bother with the bar. Isn't the goal to be thin?

I still wonder if they haven't fitted a dual aperture or telephoto (not fixed zoom) camera on the back to give it variable capabilities with a single lens. Just because we can speculate about the chassis doesn't mean we or they know anything about the internals. I'm expecting a silicon-carbon battery as well.

Its the same on the Pro as well. All that space on the bar for a tiny LED and LiDAR sensor?! They've likely upgraded the Pro models to a proper Xenon flash and added a bigger, higher-res LiDAR sensor too. Always amazes me how little imagination these channels have!

 

[PBG4 Dude]

EU regulation is the answer to why.

EU regulator publicly stated they are cool with wireless charging.

Forget USB-C — a truly portless iPhone just got the all-clear from the EU

Apple reportedly looked at a portless iPhone 17 Air

www.tomsguide.com

 

[sunapple]

Their design logic could let them raise the entire backside, call it a camera bump, and measure the outer edges.