Apple Announces iPhone 17 Air Name and Release Timeline

Apple Announces iPhone 17 Air Name and Release Timeline

When rumors first circulated that Apple was planning to replace the iPhone 17 Plus with an ultra-thin device, we initially called it the iPhone 17 Slim. Soon after, as the rumors circulated more and more, the name “iPhone 17 Air” emerged, which was more appropriate for this type of product.

Apple’s MacBook Air made the name “Air” a strong brand for Apple. The Air was, and remains, the thinnest MacBook option in Apple’s lineup. Apple also sells an iPad Air, but the tablet is not the thinnest iPad ever, as there is an ultra-thin M4 iPad Pro.

With this in mind, the Air branding for the iPhone 17 Air makes sense and may help it sell better than the iPhone 17 Plus. Apple doesn’t reveal the names of future iPhones until they’re ready to be announced, but Mark Gurman claims that Apple has decided on the name “iPhone 17 Air” for the ultra-thin model.

Even if the Bloomberg reporter didn’t mention Apple’s alleged decision, we’d still refer to the ultra-thin iPhone 17 model the iPhone 17 Air for quite some time to come. It’s the name that makes the most sense when you consider Apple’s entire ecosystem.

Gurman said in his Power On newsletter (via The Verge) that the iPhone 17 Air will be a “a testing ground for future technologies.” This includes the technology used in the first foldable iPhone. This statement makes perfect sense, because they have long believed that the iPhone 17 Air will actually help Apple develop ultra-thin foldable phones in the future.

Gurman also said that the iPhone 17 Air will be about 2mm thinner than the current model. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are 7.80mm thick. If Gurman’s statement is correct, the iPhone 17 Air will be about 5.80mm thick.

A few days ago, Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air will be just 5.5mm thick at its thinnest point, presumably referring to the thickness of the iPhone case. The camera bump will be thick regardless of the number of camera sensors.

Finally, Gurman said that the iPhone 17 Air will have Apple’s own 5G modem, codenamed Sinope. The same component will enable cellular connectivity in the iPhone SE 4, due for release in the spring.

Gurman did not mention any design details, but previous rumors about the iPhone 17 Air have suggested that the device will only have one camera on the back, which may be placed in the top camera bar module. The iPhone 17 series will introduce a two-tone back design. Apple will use aluminum for the camera module and glass for the rest of the back.

According to reports, the iPhone 17 Air may be the only one of the four models that does not support SIM cards worldwide. Apple removed the SIM card from the US version of the iPhone in 2023, but the international model is expected to ship with a SIM slot. Kuo also mentioned some details about this design in his comments a few days ago.

While none of that is confirmed, we`re getting near seeing the primary dummy devices for the iPhone 17 series. It have to appear in some weeks, as we`re getting in the direction of the iPhone 17`s summer time season production window. That`s when we`ll understand for sure the iPhone 17 Air exists, regardelss of what Apple could name it.

Then again, it`s now no longer like you are looking ahead to Apple now no longer to make an iPhone 17 Air this year. Samsung has delivered the Galaxy S25 Slim version to the Galaxy S25 lineup in response to Apple`s iPhone 17 Air plans.

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