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Apple will supposedly discontinue its struggling iPhone Plus model in favor of a radically thin new “Air” variant that could measure just 5.5mm thick, marking the company’s boldest iPhone redesign since 2017’s iPhone X.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the new iPhone 17 Air will serve as “a testing ground for future technologies,” potentially paving the way for foldable devices. This new approach comes after the Plus model captured only 8% of iPhone 16 sales.
The Air model will feature a 6.55-inch ProMotion display costing around $899, sitting between the base iPhone 17 and premium Pro models. Multiple sources confirm it will be significantly thinner than the current iPhones. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of MacRumors expects a depth of approximately 5.5mm—about 33% slimmer than the current iPhone 16 Pro.
Source: AppleInsider
“The iPhone 17 Air would be the thinnest iPhone to date,” Kuo wrote in a recent report. For comparison, Apple’s previous record holder was the iPhone 6 at 6.9mm.
Apple will release five iPhone models in 2025. The iPhone SE 4, expected in spring, will finally drop the home button for an edge-to-edge display design. The fall lineup includes the standard iPhone 17, featuring the A19 chip and a 6.1-inch display.
The Pro models will receive substantial upgrades. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will sport new aluminum frames instead of titanium, along with redesigned camera systems. These premium devices will run on the more powerful A19 Pro chip and pack 12GB of RAM, the most ever in an iPhone.
All iPhone 17 models will share several key improvements. The entire lineup will receive ProMotion displays capable of 120Hz refresh rates, enabling always-on display. The front cameras will also see its first major upgrade in years, jumping from 12 to 24 megapixels.
Due to its thin profile, the Air model faces some technical compromises. The Information reports that, due to space constraints, the device will feature only a single speaker in the earpiece.
Still, the iPhone Air and SE 4 will showcase Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, code-named Sinope. This represents Apple’s push toward vertical integration and reduced reliance on external suppliers.
The design of the iPhone 17 Air will “just be a step toward something better,” Gurman notes, suggesting Apple eventually wants to “squeeze the power of a Pro model into this smaller design,” though not before 2027.
