Rumors have been circulating for months that Apple may launch a new iPhone model this year: the so-called iPhone Air, a new ultra-thin iPhone that could mark the first major design shift for the series in years.

The iPhone Air isn't just a facelift, it's a different strategy entirely, and it's neither a more affordable base model nor a feature-packed Pro phone. Instead, the phone is rumored to be designed to please those who are willing to sacrifice some features for a sleeker, slimmer design. Basically, it's the iPhone version of the original MacBook Air.

There are current rumors that the phone will debut this fall as part of Apple's iPhone 17 series and will be named iPhone 17 Air. Of course, this isn't done yet. Apple could still change its plans, or the rumors could prove false. But enough reports suggest that something real is afoot. Here are all the rumors about the upcoming phone so far:

The 17 Air will be very thin, but rumors haven't quite pinned down the exact number yet.

Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the 5.5mm phone to be launched in January, which would make it slightly thicker than the 5.1mm M4 iPad Pro launched last May. Two days later, Bloomberg Journalist Mark Gurman reiterated what he said in December: the new phone will be "about 2 mm thinner" than the 8.25 mm iPhone 16 Pro. Supply chain analyst Jeff Pu suggested around 6mm.

Regardless of who comes closest, the 17 Air will be one of the thinnest Apple products ever, even thinner than the iPhone 6, which currently holds the record for the thinnest iPhone at 6.9mm thick and is particularly prone to bending. Encouragingly, Apple managed to make the M4 iPad Pro surprisingly sturdy.

Apple is said to be working on new ways to fit in enough battery to achieve its goal of ultra-thin phones. Rumors for November 2023 ET News Apple is trying to create a new, denser battery for future devices that uses a mixture of carbon nanotubes and materials such as nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum, the company said.

But in November 2024, Korean leaker yeux1122 released news that Apple was using standard battery technology. They said the company had sought thinner internals to enable greater battery capacity and slimmer phones, but failed. information Writing later that month, Apple couldn't find room inside for the battery, SIM card and cooling material, limiting its thickness.

Recent rumors from leaker Digital Chat Station suggest that both Apple phones and the rumored Samsung Galaxy S25 will be equipped with 3,000 – 4,000mAh batteries with dimensions between “5.xmm-6.xmm”.

All signs currently point to each iPhone 17's OLED display using the same LTPO panel technology as the current Pro models. This could mean a higher refresh rate and lower power consumption, as it enables the screen to increase the refresh rate to 120Hz and then drop it to 1Hz. That's part of the reason why Apple's always-on display feature works without significant battery costs.

As for the screen size, rumors generally suggest it will be around 6.6 inches. That's a bit smaller than the 6.7-inch screen of the iPhone 16 Plus, which the 17 Air will likely replace this year. The phone is expected to come with a dynamic island equipped with Face ID like other flagships.

BloombergMark Gurman recently said that Apple will equip the iPhone 17 Air with internal Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, as well as its own custom cellular modem. This is a first for the company, which has been trying to develop its own modems for years to break away from Qualcomm. Apple is clearly confident that it's done this now and is good enough to start rolling it out into phones, likely starting with the iPhone SE 4 in the coming months.

Apple may use the regular A19 chip in the 17 Air and reserve the A19 Pro chip for the Pro phones. The phone may also come with 8GB of RAM and support Apple Intelligence AI features.

There are rumors that the iPhone 17 Air will have only one camera on the back. Supply chain analyst Jeff Pu was quoted as saying in October, mike rumor wrote that it will be a 48-megapixel shooter, while the phone's front-facing selfie camera will feature a 24-megapixel shooter.

Despite lacking the fancy camera array of the Pro phones or the dual-camera setup of the base model, the iPhone 17 Air can be pricey. information It even wrote that it might be more expensive than the current $1,299 iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Not all rumors agree. wall street journal Writing in December last year, Apple aimed to launch a cheaper product than its Pro phones. That would put it below the $999 starting price of the iPhone 16 Pro.

Gurman reported in August that rising sales were a big impetus for the Air redesign after years of failed Mini and Plus phones. Later, he wrote in a Jan. 12 newsletter that the company viewed the Air strategy as a "proven winner" for gaining sales.

this Magazine'Reports in December echoed this, saying Apple was trying to grow with the iPhone 17 Air after years of "significant incremental upgrades." The media wrote that although the iPhone still accounts for about half of Apple's revenue, its "last wave of sales growth will be in 2021" thanks to subsidies provided by operators during the 5G promotion process.

Since 2020, Apple has been trying to increase sales through four flagship products, and the 17 Air is no exception. CNBC Written in November. Apple started with the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, then switched the Mini models to "Plus" phones starting with the iPhone 14. But the Mini and Plus models are yet to catch on with buyers. Ross Young of display research company DSCC told the media that the iPhone 16 Plus recently accounted for only 10% of Apple’s screen orders in 2023, compared with 16% last year. In theory, the Air could replace the Plus as a slightly higher-end option.

Boosting sales isn't necessarily the whole story, though, as Gurman also offered another explanation in January: Apple is using the phone as a testing ground for new technologies, including its in-house wireless and cellular modem chips. But more importantly, it's a stepping stone to the small technology needed to eventually build a folding iPhone.