The iPhone 17 Air is shaping up to be Apple's thinnest iPhone ever, and while the general form factor will be slim, the camera bump will be as big as the current models. Apple is speculated to replace the 'Plus' model of the iPhone with an 'Air' model, which is expected to be as thin as 5.5mm. Today, we have more details on the thickness of the device and why the company is opting for this design choice.
The iPhone 17 Air will not be an ultra-thin device, at least when we include the camera bump
The iPhone 17 Air will sit between the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro devices as the only model with a slimmer form factor. Despite its thinness, the iPhone 17 Air will retain the same size as the iPhone 16 Plus. It was previously reported that the handset will feature a display size of 6.7 inches, which is comparable to that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
A new report from The Information claims that the iPhone 17 Air will be around 6mm thin, which is only slightly thicker than the company's iPhone 6 from a decade ago, which was just 5.9mm thin. However, it is still not the thinnest device Apple has ever made, as the new OLED iPad Pro models are 5.1mm and 5.3mm thin for the 13-inch and 11-inch models, respectively. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the device will be 5.5mm thin, while Jeff Pu bets on 6mm at its thinnest point. This means the device will be thinner all around except for the camera bump.
In a new post on the Chinese social media website Weibo, leaker Ice Universe claims that the camera bump on the iPhone 17 Air will be 4mm thick. Altogether, if we consider Kuo's words to be true, the device will have a total thickness of 9.5mm where the camera bump is located. The ultra-thin iPhone is expected to feature a single-lens camera on the back, housed inside a camera bar or camera tray alongside the LED flash and a microphone. The camera tray will stretch across the top of the device on the back, protruding from the chassis.
The rest of the device will be pretty standard, housing all the buttons in their familiar places, along with camera controls. We believe the Air will feature the same Fusion Camera as the iPhone 16e. It will also feature USB-C and Apple’s custom C1 modem, which has received positive reviews in its initial days as it competes against the likes of Qualcomm modems. The device is slated to launch alongside the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup later this year, possibly in September.
About the author: Ali Salman is a technology reporter for Wccftech mobile section with a specialized focus on Apple and the intellectual property that drives mobile innovation. He has cultivated a unique expertise in analyzing and deconstructing complex technology patents, translating dense legal and technical documents into clear, insightful reports on future products.
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