iPhone 17 Air's Thickness and Price Range Revealed in New Report

[satchmo]

Not that I think it's going to be a bad product, but... Who asked for this, exactly?

Tim’s ego and bank account.

 

[iGüey]

There are tons of people who want a smaller phone. I've used my phone less and less and my Mac more and more, it's really beneficial to have a small phone because its true purpose is portability. And people who want larger phones are already being addressed.

Do people really want a smaller phone?? Or people would be satisfied with a smaller footprint phone?

What if what people really want is a small footprint phone that doesn’t sacrifice the large screens that actually are growing year to year.

So maybe the answer would be a flip iPhone where can co-exist both features.

 

[MRM95]

I actually don't really care all that much about taking photos or videos, so an iPhone that would sacrifice some camera performance for thinness and a cheaper price, would be great for me. However, I'd want everything else to be at Pro level, which won't be the case here.
I would be willing to "upgrade" if it's better than my iPhone 15 Pro in everything besides camera though.

 

[iGüey]

My wife loved her 12 mini. She was disappointed when I got her the 15 (non-pro).

That mini form factor needs to come back

Bring back the mini!

I'd rather see the iPhone mini make a comeback, even if I don't want one; I've heard many other folks ask for the mini.

I also prefer the mini but seems like they won't shrink the display width/height, so device depth is the dimension that shrinks.

I hope Apple one day make a 7"+ phone.

I've said it before and I will say it again...the iPhone Mini is not coming back, no matter how many people cry about it on MR. Let it go.

The way that Apple will give you a Mini, is in a flip iPhone form factor. Thus Apple will satisfy the buyers who need a small form factor, as well as the ones who want a big screen (when unfolded).

 

[TVreporter]

Did Tim quietly bring Johnny Ive back?

Thinner phone, thicker margins!

 

[CarAnalogy]

Do people really want a smaller phone?? Or people would be satisfied with a smaller footprint phone?

What if what people really want is a small footprint phone that doesn’t sacrifice the large screens that actually are growing year to year.

So maybe the answer would be a flip iPhone where can co-exist both features.

I’m still waiting for the rolling phones like in Earth Final Conflict.

Maybe it will solve both problems, but high quality rollable displays seem to be the key. Not sure if that’s possible though.

 

[Momus]

This is a beta test product for a foldable phone.

 

[torontotim]

Am I really expected to notice the difference in 2 mm of thickness in a device?

Edited to acknowledge difference from current iPhone model referenced in article.

Go pick up a current gen iPad Pro 13" and compare it to the previous gen and then chime in. You'll notice.

 

[torontotim]

Way to go Apple - find a way to charge a premium for a device with a slower chip and smaller battery.

 

[torontotim]

This is a beta test product for a foldable phone.

The 13" iPad Pro is already 5.1mm thin. 1.15mm THINNER than the iPhone 17 Air rumor. You don't need an iPhone 17 Air to prove out a thin chassis/screen combo.

 

[tgwaste]

It's all marketing. If it's not thinner at the thickest part of the camera, it's not thinner.

There shouldn't be any camera bump at all. That would be way more compelling.

 

[iGüey]

I don't know what problem this is seeking to solve.

Whenever we don't understand an Apple move through our consumer lens

What people is not understanding is the rumor. Apple has not made any move yet.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Yes, so we speculate on rumors. If true, then this. If not true, then we rumor & comment about something else. This one may be completely true or completely false... or something in between. I suspect the name of the site gives that away. If comments have to wait for absolute facts, there’s little to discuss… because then we KNOW instead of playing “what if?” And it would be MacFacts or AppleFacts instead of MacRumors.

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

Am I really expected to notice the difference in 2 mm of thickness in a device?

Edited to acknowledge difference from current iPhone model referenced in article.

Unless there is something physically wrong with you, then yes any human being holding both devices will feel a significant difference.

 

[Cirillo Gherardo]

Not that I think it's going to be a bad product, but... Who asked for this, exactly?

Seriously? Have you followed any of the coverage of this? This is looking more and more like the phone to get for 2025. People are fed up with how chonk the Pro models have gotten. The camera suite isn't all the impressive either.

Give me 1 solid camera and a Pro Motion display, and you can keep the rest of whatever makes it Pro.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I don't understand the positioning for this design. Thin phone with a huge display, how is this more portable/easier to handle? In my personal experience, screen size matters a lot more than thickness in terms of how easy it is to use the device.
I was hoping there'd be a ~6in display in a thin design, that'd be my dream phone

Thinner+Lighter+slight reductions in bezels and much more even weight distribution = significantly easier to hold for long periods of time.
The current Pro Max is 227G, this device with it’s single camera, aluminum frame, and super thin build will more than likely be around 150-160G.
It will absolutely be much easier to hold, despite the big screen size. Remember the bigger an object is, the more weight distribution affects the way it feels in your hand.

 

[iGüey]

Nobody asked for an iPad, Apple launched the thing and it sells like hot cakes. You don't always know what you want until you've seen it or held it in your hand.

Nobody asked for a flip iPhone, although I can ensure you it is coming.

 

[iGüey]

Does Apple offer a Fold, Flip?

Apple isn’t making a foldable just because other companies are doing it.

Is just a matter of time. I really do think that actually it will be the so-called “iPhone Air”.

 

[iGüey]

I would prefer many things over thinner. No island/notch, flush cameras on back so no table wobble, tandem OLED display, better battery life, TouchID or under display FaceID, physical mute button, eliminate camera control button or move it to a natural placement and make it work for whatever I want, open up ability to install any App I want from any store (I bought it and should be able to do whatever the heck I want with it - like EU), stop anticompetitive practices to ensure iPhone has open interoperability, don’t lock to carriers, and the list goes on.

Go buy an Android!

Have you ever realized that what you’re describing and dreaming with, is an Android? No kidding!

 

[iGüey]

Looking forward to checking out this phone. I loved the iPhone 6, and have watched the subsequent annual increase in iPhone weight and thickness with a little dismay. Light and thin all the way, imho.

This (the so-called “iPhone Air”) will be a flip iPhone. You’ll see.

 

[raghu8912]

For me, as a 16 Plus owner, the question is what kind of impact the Air’s thin design will have on battery life. That and the performance of the Apple 5G modem, of course.

EDIT: I just checked and the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro is 5.1mm thick (not including camera bump). So the thickness rumored for the iPhone Air doesn’t strike me as being extraordinary.

it is going to be difficult to fit all the hardware in phone.
iPads are wider so there is more room to put all those components.
look at it as volume not just thickness.

 

[raghu8912]

3 sizes 2 of which nobody buys, sure .

There aren't tons of people who want a smaller phone, Apple has the actual numbers which were so bad that they killed the 13 mini a year before the regular size 13 (while for example keeping the 14 plus in the linup alongside the regular 14).

Apple should alternate between mini and plus consumer models every year.
there is market for both.

 

[raghu8912]

Seems like some of you are shocked by the fact that many people want comfortable phones. Phones are commonly used with one hand, usually some hours a day. So having a thinner device is very nice.

thickness doesn't with holding the phone as much as width and weight.

 

[raghu8912]

i'd just put a case on it so doesn't really matter how thin it is.

also 6.6" screen? no thanks! i can't wait to get a 17 Pro Max with 6.9". I hope Apple one day make a 7"+ phone.

it does, with case it will be thinner too.

 

[raghu8912]

It seems Apple's design team has gotten rather stagnant for the last few years. Minor changes to the design here and there but no new significant changes.

smart phone design has matured like laptops. not much they can do.