iPhone 17 Air thickness and price

A new report revealed iPhone 17 Air expected thickness and price  

Apple is widely rumoured to be planning an ultra-thin iPhone 17 model for release later this year, and a new report offers a few purported details. The iPhone 17 Air, which will replace the iPhone Plus line, will apparently be impressively slim and not as expensive as expected either. A new report revealed that the iPhone 17 Air will follow the same pricing model as the soon-to-be discontinued Plus phones. South Korea's Sisa Journal reported that Apple is aiming for the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" to be 6.25mm thick. If that measurement ends up being accurate, the device would become the thinnest iPhone ever, topping the current 6.9mm record set by the iPhone 6. It also means the device would be around 20% thinner than the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, and around 25% thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

This means that the Air model should start from around $800 and go up from there. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to feature less powerful specs than its other brethren and will be marketed towards users who prioritize aesthetics. Most rumours seem to agree that the "iPhone 17 Air" will be somewhere in the 6mm thickness range, with one rumour going as low as 5mm. For comparison the base model iPhone 16 is 7.8 mm. That is a very impressive reduction in my opinion and we can definitely see a market for the iPhone 17 Air.

The report said the ultra-thin iPhone 17's price will be similar to that of the iPhone 16 Plus, which starts at $899 in the US. Apple is not expected to release an iPhone 17 Plus, and the "iPhone 17 Air" will effectively be its replacement. And that is why this phone will exist in the first place. The iPhone Plus models have always sold the worst and they failed to become an adequate replacement for the iPhone mini models that came before them. iPhone 17 Air is Apple’s latest attempt at a new model of iPhone that targets a specific niche.

Samsung is also planning to release a substantially thinner smartphone this year. Similar to the "iPhone 17 Air," the so-called "Galaxy S25 Slim" will apparently have a thickness in the mid-6mm range. The iPhone 16 lineup will be the last to feature a Plus model. Samsung, arguably Apple’s biggest rival in the smartphone industry, is also making a slimmer variant of its flagship lineup. This Galaxy S25 Slim, according to the report, was finalized when news started coming out about the iPhone 17 Air. It will also be aiming for approximately the same thickness as the Air.

Unlike the iPhone 17 Air however, the S25 Slim is said to feature an “Ultra camera” and will not be launched alongside the rest of the S25 lineup. It is expected to be unveiled this month at Galaxy Unpacked but will allegedly come out later in the year. There have been conflicting rumours about "iPhone 17 Air" design details and specifications, but most sources have agreed that the device will have around a 6.6-inch display. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects the device to have a standard A19 chip, a Dynamic Island, a single rear camera and an Apple-designed 5G modem. The device is expected to be equipped with 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence support.

Interestingly the report claims that the iPhone 17 Air was initially going to be a separate product. Apple’s decision to replace the Plus model with the Air only came about after the former continued to see poor sales. iPhone 17 Air has a much better chance of gaining a following because it will provide something that many users care about: good looks. If the specs are respectable enough then it can easily become one of the best phones of 2025. Overall, the device would have some compromises compared to the Pro models in order to achieve a much thinner and lighter design. Apple should release all iPhone 17 models in September, and additional rumours will likely surface about the "iPhone 17 Air" between now and then for all interested in it.