Apple’s iPhone 17 Air, expected to launch sometime this year, is shaping up to be one of the thinnest iPhones ever produced, with reports suggesting a 5.5mm slim design. However, the Cupertino-headquartered tech titan was reportedly mulling over whether to remove the USB-C charging port entirely in favor of a fully wireless charging system. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple considered making this model its first completely port-free iPhone.
This development is hardly unsurprising, given that Apple has long been exploring the idea of a completely wireless iPhone, and the iPhone 17 Air was originally intended to be the first step in that direction. However, this is not to be, and the company eventually chose to retain the USB-C port, likely due to EU regulations requiring all smartphones to support USB-C charging. While a port-free iPhone remains a possibility in the future, the iPhone 17 Air will continue to feature a physical charging port alongside its slimmer and lighter design.
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to feature a 6.6-inch display and will be positioned between the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro models. With a projected starting price of around $900, it is expected to replace the iPhone 16 Plus while introducing a sleeker form factor. Reducing the thickness of a smartphone to 5.5mm means that it will impact several components, including the battery, speaker system, and camera. Apple reportedly had to redesign multiple elements of the device to maintain performance and battery life despite the smaller internal space.
Thus, the device is expected to lack a second speaker, meaning it will not offer stereo sound like other iPhone models. Additionally, the rear camera system has been reduced to a single 48-megapixel lens, similar to what is found on the iPhone 16e. It is also expected to come with features like Camera Control and ProMotion. In addition to this, the device is expected to come with Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, the C1 chip, which was initially introduced in the iPhone 16e. However, the C1 chip will not support mmWave 5G, which is the faster version of 5G available in select regions.
One of the biggest concerns with ultra-thin smartphones is their impact on battery life. A thinner phone typically means a smaller battery, which can lead to reduced battery performance. However, Apple has reportedly taken several measures to prevent battery life degradation in the iPhone 17 Air. Gurman reports that Apple’s engineers were tasked with reworking the phone’s internal architecture, and adjusting the display, silicon, and software to ensure the device remained power-efficient. Apple has also made refinements to the display and bezels, ensuring that the iPhone 17 Air maintains a premium aesthetic despite its thinner body. The screen-to-body ratio will be improved, and the device will feature slimmer bezels, similar to those seen on the iPhone 16 Pro models.
