All the rumors about iPhone Air

Rumors have been circulating for months that Apple might launch a new iPhone model this year: the so-called iPhone Air, a new ultra-thin iPhone that could mark the first major design shift for the line in many years.

More than just a facelift, the iPhone Air represents a completely different strategy, as it’s neither an affordable entry-level model nor a feature-packed Pro phone. Instead, the rumors describe a phone aimed at pleasing people who are willing to sacrifice some functionality for a sleeker, slimmer design. Essentially, it’s the iPhone’s version of the original MacBook Air.

Current rumors suggest that the phone will debut as part of Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup this fall, which will be called the iPhone 17 Air. Of course, an agreement has not been reached yet. Apple could still change its plans or the rumors may turn out to be false. But enough reports have emerged to suggest that something real is in the works. Here are all the rumors about the upcoming phone so far:

The 17 Air will be very thin, but rumors haven’t quite settled on the exact number.

Supply chain analyst Ming Chi Kuo predicted 5.5mm phone in January, making it slightly thicker than the 5.1mm M4 iPad Pro It first appeared last May. Two days later, Bloomberg Reporter Mark Gorman repeated A claim he made December: The new phone will be “about 2 mm thinner” than the iPhone 16 Pro, which has a thickness of 8.25 mm. Supply Chain Analyst Jeff Poe He suggested it would be around 6mm.

No matter who comes closest, the 17 Air will be one of Apple’s thinnest products ever, even more so than the iPhone 6, which currently holds the record. For the thinnest iPhone At 6.9mm – and it was noticeable Prone to bending. It’s encouraging that Apple was able to make the M4 iPad Pro Surprisingly powerful.

Apple is said to be working on new ways to hold enough battery to achieve its goal of an ultra-thin phone. November 2023 Rumor from ET News He said Apple was trying to create a new, denser type of battery that uses carbon nanotubes and a mix of materials like nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum for future devices.

But in November 2024, Posted by Korean leaker yeux1122 Apple uses standard battery technology. They said the company sought thinner internals to enable more battery capacity and a slimmer phone but failed. Information He wrote later That month, Apple had trouble finding room for the battery, SIM card, and thermal material inside, limiting how thin it could be.

Latest rumor from the leaker I suggested a digital chat station That both an Apple phone are also rumored Slim Samsung Galaxy S25 It will have a 3,000-4,000 mAh battery and will measure between “5.xmm-6.xmm”.

All signs now point to The OLED screen of every iPhone 17 Using the same LTPO panel technology found in current Pro models. This could mean higher refresh rates and lower power consumption, as it enables displays to raise refresh rates to 120Hz and then drop to 1Hz. That’s part of the reason why Apple’s always-on display feature works without a significant battery cost.

As for the screen size, rumors generally agree on that Measures approximately 6.6 inches. That’s slightly smaller than the iPhone 16 Plus’ 6.7-inch screen, which is the size of the 17 Air It may be replaced this year. The phone is expected to have a dynamic island equipped with Face ID technology, like the rest of the major phones.

BloombergMark Gorman He said recently Apple will equip the iPhone 17 Air with internal Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, in addition to its dedicated cellular modem. This will be a first for the company, which has been Trying for years To develop its own modem in an attempt to give up on Qualcomm. Apple apparently I’m sure it’s done nowAnd good enough to start putting it in phones, Maybe it starts with the iPhone SE 4 During the next few months.

Apple will likely put a regular A19 chip in the 17 Air, while reserving the A19 Pro chip for its Pro phones. Phone It could also have 8GB of RAM And support for Apple Intelligence AI features as a result.

Rumors have been circulating that the iPhone 17 Air will have only one camera on the back. Quoting supply chain analyst Jeff Poe in October, MacRumors books It will be a 48-megapixel camera and the phone will have a 24-megapixel camera for the front selfie camera.

The iPhone 17 Air may be expensive though, as it lacks the fancy camera array found on the Pro phones or the base model’s dual-camera setup. Information Even wrote It may cost more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max price, which is now $1,299.

Not every rumor agrees. The Wall Street Journal books In December, Apple aims to have something cheaper than the Pro phones. That would put it under $999, which is where the iPhone 16 Pro starts.

Gourmet Reported in August Increased sales are the big motivation for redesigning the Air after years of failure of the Mini and Plus phones. Later, in his country January 12 bulletinThe company views the Air strategy as a “tried and true winner” for getting sales, he wrote.

the magazine’A December story echoed that, saying Apple was trying to grow with the iPhone 17 Air after years of “largely incremental upgrades.” Although the iPhone still makes up about half of Apple’s revenue, “the last big wave of sales gains was in 2021,” thanks to carrier subsidies amid its push for 5G technology.

Since 2020, Apple has tried to boost its sales with four flagship phones, and the 17 Air’s approach is no different. CNBC Written in November. Apple started with the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max, then replaced the Mini models with “Plus” phones starting with the iPhone 14. But the Mini and Plus models didn’t attract buyers. More recently, the iPhone 16 Plus only made up 10 percent of Apple’s display orders in 2023 and 16 percent of those last year, Ross Young of display research firm DSCC told the outlet. The Air could theoretically replace the Plus as a slightly higher-end option.

However, increased sales aren’t necessarily the whole story, as Gorman also offered another explanation in January: Apple is using the phone as a testing ground for new technologies, including its own wireless and cellular modem chips. But more than that, it serves as a stepping stone toward the smaller technology needed to eventually build a foldable iPhone.