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Apple seems ready to dust off its “Air” branding for the iPhone lineup. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman dropped this bombshell in his latest report – apparently the tech giant is cooking up an “Apple iPhone 17 Air” that’ll make current models look positively chunky by comparison.
The Air name has worked magic for Apple before. MacBook Air revolutionized laptop expectations, and iPad Air hit that sweet spot between standard iPads and the Pro models. Now it looks like iPhones are next in line for the slimming treatment.
Gurman’s report claims the iPhone 17 Air will shave off a full two millimeters from current iPhone thickness. That might not sound like much on paper, but anyone who remembers the jump from the brick-like early iPhones to later models knows how dramatic even small reductions feel in daily use.
Perhaps more interesting than the skinny new profile is what’s supposedly happening inside. The iPhone 17 Air might become the showcase for Apple’s long-awaited in-house modem. Apple’s been trying to ditch Qualcomm for years, spending billions to develop their own cellular chips after acquiring Intel’s modem business back in 2019. Apparently, the new budget iPhone SE will get first dibs on this homegrown modem tech before it shows up in the Air.
This obsession with thinness isn’t just about aesthetics. Industry watchers speculate this could be Apple testing manufacturing techniques needed for their mythical foldable devices. Those folding iPhones and iPads we’ve been hearing about forever? Gurman thinks they’re still on track for 2026 or later. Making components work reliably in ever-thinner packages would certainly help solve the durability problems that have plagued early foldables from competitors.
What to expect with Apple’s iPhone 17 Air
As with all Apple rumors, especially those about products supposedly coming two years from now, take everything with a healthy dose of skepticism. Apple’s famous for killing projects late in development if they don’t meet internal standards. Remember AirPower? The wireless charging mat Apple announced then embarrassingly cancelled when engineering challenges proved too much?
That said, Gurman’s track record on Apple predictions ranks among the industry’s best. His sources within Apple have provided reliable information for years, making this more than just random speculation.
For now, iPhone fans will have to make do with the upcoming iPhone 16 lineup expected this September. But the prospect of an impossibly thin iPhone waiting in the wings gives the Apple faithful something to look forward to in 2025 and beyond. Just don’t expect Apple’s iPhone 17 air to be cheap when it arrives.
