New 'iPhone 17 Air' Rumors: Ultra-Thin 5.5mm Design, No SIM Card Slot

Friday January 10, 2025 8:33 am PST by Joe Rossignol

The so-called "iPhone 17 Air" model expected to launch later this year will have an ultra-thin design that is 5.5mm at its thinnest point, according to the latest information shared by reputable Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux
In a blog post today, Kuo added that the device will lack a physical SIM card slot, and instead rely entirely on digital eSIM technology. This is something we've heard before for this device, and the entire iPhone 17 lineup could be eSIM-only in more countries.

If the 5.5mm measurement ends up being accurate, the "iPhone 17 Air" would become the thinnest iPhone ever, topping the current 6.9mm record set by the iPhone 6. It also means the device would be around 30% thinner than the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, and around 33% thinner than the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The device measuring 5.5mm only at its "thinnest point" likely means it will have an ultra-thin chassis with a thicker rear camera bump. The device is expected to have only a single 48-megapixel rear camera.

There have been conflicting rumors about the device's exact thinness, but several sources have agreed on around a 5mm to mid-6mm range.

The latest 13-inch iPad Pro model measures just 5.1mm thick, so the "iPhone 17 Air" could be approaching that impressive territory.

Kuo said the ultra-thin iPhone 17 model will enter mass production in the second half of 2025. The device is expected to launch in September alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. There is no iPhone 17 Plus expected, with the "iPhone 17 Air" effectively set to become a replacement for the Plus model in this year's lineup.

Due to its thin design, the "iPhone 17 Air" is expected to have some reduced specifications compared to the Pro models. In addition to the single rear camera, the device is rumored to have a standard A19 chip instead of the A19 Pro chip, and only a single speaker. However, Kuo believes Apple will still charge a "high price" for the device.

Other rumored "iPhone 17 Air" specifications include a 6.6-inch display, 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence, an Apple-designed 5G modem, and more.

Related Roundups: iPhone 17, iPhone Air

Tag: Ming-Chi Kuo

Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17 (Neutral), iPhone Air (Neutral)

Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

VisceralRealist

24 months ago

I know there are a lot of "no one cares about thinness" comments whenever this product is mentioned, but I'm someone who does (it's weight I care about more than thinness per se), and if this phone has ProMotion (which it sounds like all the 17 models will), then it's an instant-buy for me.

Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)

maxxodd

24 months ago

I think that phones should be described by their thickest point, not their thinnest point. Maybe I'm the only one, but I find it annoying.

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Veinticinco

24 months ago

Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Henrikr

24 months ago

We're not fully ready for eSIMs! While traveling abroad, my iPhone with an eSIM was stolen. I couldn't just use the QR code what came with my plan to activate it on a new phone, so eSIM activation abroad was impossible. I lost access to my bank accounts because I couldn't verify via my phone number/SMS. It was a nightmare! eSIMs need better solutions before they're viable! I had to travel back home to UK to obtain a physical SIM card, put it in my phone and then activate e-sim again.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)