iPhone 17 ‘Air’ with a slim design could launch next year, claims reliable analyst | Tech Tips

We’ve been hearing multiple rumours about a new iPhone 17 model with a smaller design. The early rumours about the “iPhone Slim” stated that it would be positioned as an ultra-high-end model, potentially costing more than the iPhone Pro Max. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has recently stated that the iPhone Slim will be more akin to an “iPhone Air” which changes what we learned about this upcoming iPhone model from all the previous rumours. 

Apple may launch an iPhone Air model rather than foldable next year

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote in his monthly Power On newsletter that this year’s iPhone “won’t look meaningfully different than current versions or add major new features.” Along with a new iPhone SE model anticipated next year that runs Apple Intelligence, the iPhone 17 could undergo a more significant overhaul.

The sales pitch will probably go like this: If you want something snazzier than a standard iPhone — but don’t really need the performance, screen size or cameras of a Pro model — you can get something that looks much cooler while still having the specifications of a regular iPhone.

But even this slimmer entry will just be a step toward something better. Eventually, Apple will want to squeeze the power of a Pro model into this smaller design. That feat will likely take until at least 2027 to achieve.

So, while the initial iPhone Air may lack Pro features, Apple may intend to upgrade this in the future. Moreover, Apple may need at least three years to combine the higher-end components into the slimmer form, as the hardware likely takes up more room.

“I also expect Apple to produce a foldable iPhone, but all signs internally point to a foldable iPad being just as big of a priority,” Gurman suggests.

This could mean that Apple may use this test to check the compact form factor and perfect it so that the foldable iPhone may adopt it when it finally sees the light of day. But until that happens, we may only get a foldable iPad and an iPhone Air model rather than a foldable iPhone.