Apple is preparing to take its strategy of reviewing the design of its devices one step further with the iPhone 17 Air, which is planned to be released in 2025. News continues to grow that the new model will be the thinnest phone Apple has ever produced.
Apple has focused on increasing the thinness of its devices in recent years. The year 2024 was an important turning point for this strategy. While the M4 iPad Pro, introduced in May, attracted attention as Apple’s thinnest device, the Apple Watch Series 10, released in September, also came with a significant reduction in thickness.
However, no similar design changes were made in this year’s iPhone series. This situation seems to change with the iPhone 17 Air, which will be introduced in 2025. The new model will give clues about future iPhone designs with its ultra-thin design.
In a news published by Bloomberg about Apple’s own modem projects, some new details about the iPhone 17 Air were shared. According to Mark Gurman, Apple will bypass Qualcomm in this model and use its own self-developed modems, thus reducing the thickness of the device by 2 mm compared to the iPhone 16 Pro.
The thicknesses of current iPhone models are as follows:
- iPhone 16: 7.8mm
- iPhone 16 Plus: 7.8 mm
- iPhone 16 Pro: 8.25mm
- iPhone 16 Pro Max: 8.25 mm
iPhone 17 Air is expected to be 25 percent thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro. This suggests that the overall thickness of the device will drop to around 6mm. For comparison, the iPhone 6, the thinnest iPhone model Apple has ever produced, had a thickness of 6.9 mm. iPhone 17 Air looks set to beat this record easily.
Apple may make some concessions for iPhone 17 Air
This design change will offer a new experience, especially for users accustomed to Pro models. However, it is also stated that the thinner design may cause the device to compromise on some hardware features.
iPhone 17 Air will be an important part of Apple’s new design approach that focuses on thinness. With this move, the company aims to offer both aesthetic and technological innovations to its users. The decision to make their devices thinner by using their own modems means a transformation not only in terms of design but also in terms of technical infrastructure.
This design change, which Apple will initiate with the iPhone 17 Air, marks the beginning of a new standard in the smartphone market. However, considering that this new device will be positioned as a design-oriented product rather than high-end features, it is certain that it will offer a different experience for users who prefer Pro models.