Apple is expected to replace the iPhone Plus lineup with the iPhone 17 Air, a brand-new ultra-thin model debuting in the upcoming iPhone 17 series. Leaks about its thickness and design continue to surface.

Overall thickness of iPhone 17 Air

According to The Information, iPhone 17 Air will have an overall thickness of approximately 6mm, a claim also supported by analyst Jeff Pu.

However, Ming-Chi Kuo - a well-known Apple analyst - suggests that the device will be 5.5mm thick at its thinnest point, meaning its main body could measure 5.5mm, while the camera module will protrude beyond that.

Adding to this speculation, Ice Universe (China) recently reported that the iPhone 17 Air’s rear camera bump measures 4.00mm, making its thickest point reach 9.5mm.

Camera and design details

Based on leaked schematics, iPhone 17 Air will feature a single rear camera on the left, with a microphone and LED flash positioned on the right, all housed in a horizontal camera bar, similar to the Google Pixel series.

Reports also indicate that the iPhone 17 Air will have a display size between 6.6 and 6.7 inches, making it larger than the standard iPhone 17 (6.3 inches) but smaller than the iPhone 17 Pro Max (6.9 inches).

Last week, Ice Universe claimed that iPhone 17 Air will have the same dimensions as the iPhone 17 Pro Max, differing only in thickness. However, this contradicts most previous reports.

Despite this, Ice Universe accurately leaked the exact dimensions of iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max before their official launch, adding credibility to their latest claim about the thickness of iPhone 17 Air.

"Ultra-thin" comes with trade-offs

Last year, The Information reported that the iPhone 17 Air will only have a single speaker, integrated into the top earpiece rather than the traditional dual-speaker setup found in current iPhone models.

Recent 3D renders of the iPhone 17 Air appear to confirm this, showing only a few small holes on the bottom edge, likely for a microphone rather than a speaker.

Additionally, iPhone 17 Air is rumored to feature a single 48MP Fusion rear camera, meaning no Ultra-Wide camera, limiting its ability to capture wide-angle shots.

This design choice could be Apple’s way of optimizing internal space for a larger battery, compensating for the ultra-thin chassis.

Furthermore, iPhone 17 Air will likely ship without a physical SIM card slot, aligning with Apple’s shift toward eSIM-only models. Apple began removing physical SIM trays in the U.S. with the iPhone 14 lineup in 2022, and reports suggest this change will expand to more countries in 2025.

Launch timeline and market expectations

Apple is set to officially unveil the iPhone 17 Air alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September 2025.

As an entirely new addition to the iPhone lineup, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to bring fresh appeal to Apple’s product range and boost iPhone sales during the holiday season.

Hai Phong