Apple has been obsessed with making products thinner in recent years, and now it's the iPhone's turn. And there are new rumors about how thick this iPhone 17 Air is going to be. And by thick, we mean thin, of course.
This rumor comes from Ming-Chi Kuo who has good sources in the industry and therefore has more frequent advance information. This analyst thinks the thickness of the iPhone 17 Air will come out to just 5.5 millimeters.
That does come with some conditions. For example, Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the 5.5 millimeters only applies to the thinnest point. So presumably cameras still stick out above it. Although this way of measuring also applies to current iPhone models. The previous thinnest iPhone was the iPhone 6 which was already very thin at 6.9 millimeters.
Only eSIM
Still, 5.5 millimeters is an impressive feat. And it is still unclear what adjustments Apple has had to make and what parts have been left out. Ming-Chi Kuo suggests in advance that it won't be possible to insert a physical SIM card into the iPhone 17 Air; it's too thin for that. Instead, there is only eSIM support.
The Apple iPhone 17 Air is scheduled for the second half of 2025, possibly being announced at the same time as the iPhone 17 series. The model could be the replacement for the iPhone Plus, which has always had disappointing sales figures.
A foldable iPhone as well
In addition to an extra-thin iPhone, Apple is also working on a foldable iPhone. There is no launch date attached to that yet. The entire project is reportedly still in the planning stages. There are already rumors about it, though, with a possible clamshell design so it will be a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
