Hartley Charlton
Next year's iPhone 17 “Air” model may not be as thin as Apple planned, according to rumors out of Korea.
According to news aggregator “yeux1122” on Naver, citing industry sources, Apple has encountered problems making the new iPhone 17 model thin enough. The reduced thickness of the device apparently relies on producing a battery with a thinner substrate, but Apple now faces technical compromises. One of the main concerns is cost, and Apple is now reportedly reverting to its existing battery technology.
As a result, the iPhone 17 Air's battery won't be as thin as Apple originally planned for the device's new design. The iPhone 17 Air's battery will now reportedly be around 6mm thick, suggesting the device itself will be thicker than that. Apple's thinnest iPhone was the iPhone 6 at 6.9mm, meaning the iPhone 17 “Slim” is unlikely to be much thinner than 2014's flagship.
Likewise, the 13-inch iPad Pro and seventh-generation iPod nano could continue to lead the way as Apple's thinnest devices, measuring 5.1mm and 5.4mm thick, respectively. The iPhone 16 Plus, the device that will apparently replace the iPhone 17 Air in the lineup, is 7.8mm thick.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to launch in fall 2025 with an “A19” chip, a single rear camera, and a ProMotion display for a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
Related review: iPhone 17Tag: Naver[ 171 comments ]
