Apple mulls changes for Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 Air in 2025

Reportedly, Apple is considering a single speaker system and a single rear camera sensor to keep the anticipated iPhone 17 Air within the desired thickness range.

Apple is reportedly planning to make significant compromises on internal hardware to maintain the ultra-thin profile of the upcoming iPhone 17 Air. According to a report by 9To5Mac, which cites The Information, Apple aims to keep the iPhone 17 Air model's thickness between five and six millimeters by making several internal design changes.

iPhone 17 Air: Expected Hardware Changes

Prototype models of the iPhone 17 Air are expected to measure between 5mm and 6mm in thickness, presenting challenges for fitting components within the compact frame. Early supply chain data indicates difficulties in sourcing appropriate batteries and thermal materials to support the ultra-thin design. To accommodate these constraints, Apple may replace the traditional stereo speaker setup with a single speaker for this model.

ALSO READ: Apple AirPods 4 Review: First-of-its-Kind Open-Ear Style Earphones with ANC

iPhone 17 Air: Expected Camera Setup

Apple may also simplify the camera system for the iPhone 17 Air. This model is anticipated to feature a single rear camera housed in a large, centered camera bump. While marketed as a premium offering, the Air model may lack some high-end camera specifications, such as the periscopic telephoto lens with 5x zoom, which is likely to remain exclusive to the Pro variants. Earlier speculation suggested the inclusion of the telephoto lens in the Air model, but this now seems unlikely.

iPhone 17 Air: Expected Connectivity Options

The report also suggests that the iPhone 17 Air could be one of the first Apple devices to use Apple’s in-house 5G modem. However, this chip is reportedly less powerful than the Qualcomm 5G modems currently used in iPhones, offering lower peak speeds, slightly reduced reliability, and no support for mmWave 5G technology, which Apple introduced with the iPhone 12.

Apple is still grappling with whether to include a SIM tray in the iPhone 17 Air. While the company has phased out physical SIM cards in markets like the US, regions such as China still require a SIM card slot, adding to the design challenges.

More From This Section

Streambox Media's Dor: Micromax-backed Streambox Media debuts subscription-based TV service 'Dor'

New Instagram Features: Now, Instagram lets you share live location in DMs: Here is how it works

Massive Asteroid to Fly Past Earth: Massive asteroid to fly past earth on Thanksgiving; all you need to know

New Glenn: Challenging Musk's Falcon-9, Bezos' New Glenn seeks Dec launch: Details

BenQ MA Series Monitor: BenQ launches MA series 4K monitors designed for MacBook: Know price, specs