iPhone 17 Air details: price, thinness, battery, camera, charging port

Apple has been rumored to be cooking an ultra-thin iPhone for the 17th generation of the famous smartphone, and according to an industry insider, we have an approximate price for this mysterious device.

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The price comes from Apple analyst and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who wrote in his latest Power On newsletter that the iPhone 17 Air could start at approximately $899, which would make it as much as the iPhone 16 Plus. The iPhone 17 Air has been rumored for quite some time, with Gurman writing that Apple will be testing the waters with this thinner and lighter iPhone model, and if proven successful, future generations of iPhone will begin to adopt the slimmer design. The Bloomberg report describes the iPhone 17 Air as much more than just another stream of revenue for Apple, instead, "it's really a new beginning for the iPhone."

So, how will the iPhone 17 Air differentiate itself from the other models? According to Gurman, the rumored device will feature a mix of both pro-level and low-end functions while also taking on a new physical design approach. More specifically, the iPhone 17 Air will feature a 6.6-inch display, have thin borders like the iPhone 16 Pro line, a ProMotion display, and a Dynamic Island interface. Moreover, it will have a Camera Control button, and despite its reduction in thickness, its battery will be on par with current generation iPhones.

iPhone 17 Air Details

• USB-C charging port
• Single 48-megapixel camera
• Battery life same as current generation iPhones (at least iPhone 16 standard)
• 6.6-inch display
• 2 millimeters thinner than current-gen iPhones
• About $900, same as iPhone 16 Plus
• 120Hz ProMotion display
• Dynamic Island
• Camera Control button
• A19 chip paired with 8GB of RAM

Typically, a reduction in thickness means a smaller footprint for the battery, therefore reducing overall use time. However, Gurman writes the inner workings of the iPhone 17 Air is where Apple's engineering teams have sprinkled their magic as Apple leadership didn't want to make a concession with the battery life of the device despite its smaller size. According to the report, the Apple teams were required to redesign the display, silicon components, and software to bring the device's battery life up to the level of at least an iPhone 16 standard.

However, with its reduction of about 2 millimeters in thickness, Apple was forced to make concessions, as the device will only feature a single 48-megapixel camera, no physical SIM card slot, the A19 chip over the higher-end A19 Pro, and Apple's in-house modem chip called the C1. The iPhone 17 Air was originally intended to be the first portless iPhone, but Apple decided against the design choice in fear of upsetting the European Union, which forced Apple to make the switch from its proprietary Lightning connectors to USB-C. For this reason, the iPhone 17 Air will feature a USB-C port.

The iPhone 17 Air, along with the rest of the iPhone 17 line-up, is expected to be announced in September 2025.