Rumoured iPhone 17 Air to be Apple’s thinnest smartphone yet at 6mm thickness

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air is generating significant buzz, with analysts and insiders predicting it could be the company’s slimmest smartphone yet. According to a research note obtained by MacRumors from Apple analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 17 Air or “iPhone 17 Slim,” as Pu calls it, could measure just 6mm thick, making it the thinnest iPhone ever produced.

“We agreed with the recent chatter of a 6mm thickness ultra-slim design for the iPhone 17 Slim model,” Pu noted, aligning with previous leaks.

If the rumoured measurements are accurate, the iPhone 17 Air will dethrone the iPhone 6 as Apple’s thinnest smartphone, which held the record at 6.9mm. For comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are expected to measure 8.25mm thick. This means the iPhone 17 Air would be roughly three-quarters as thick as its immediate predecessors.

While some enthusiasts may have hoped for an even thinner model, technical limitations, such as battery and component sizes, cap just how slim a smartphone can be. Still, at 6mm, the iPhone 17 Air would stand out for its lightweight and sleek design in an era of bulkier devices.

The iPhone 17 Air is shaping up to be more than just a design marvel. Insiders, including prominent Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, have outlined several features that the device may include:

    •    Display: A 6.6-inch screen with Dynamic Island technology.
    •    Chipset: A19 Bionic chip.
    •    Camera: A single 48-megapixel rear camera and a 24-megapixel front-facing camera.
    •    5G Connectivity: Powered by an Apple-designed modem.
    •    Build and Memory: An aluminium frame, Face ID, and 8GB of RAM.

Despite its ultra-slim design, the iPhone 17 Air will reportedly maintain impressive performance and imaging capabilities, likely appealing to a wide audience of Apple enthusiasts.

If confirmed, the iPhone 17 Air will not only surpass previous iPhones in slimness but will also be thinner than most of Apple’s other iconic products. Here’s how the iPhone 17 Air could stack up against older models:

    •    iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max: 8.25mm
    •    iPhone 14/15/16 models: 7.8mm
    •    iPhone 6: 6.9mm
    •    iPhone 17 Air (rumoured): 6mm

While thinner than its smartphone predecessors, the iPhone 17 Air will still trail the 2024 iPad Pro (5.1mm) and the last iPod nano (5.4mm) in terms of overall slimness among Apple products.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 Air in September 2025, making the device’s launch still a ways off. With nearly a year to go, it’s important to note that specs and design details could evolve.