Rumours and speculation surrounding upcoming smartphones could keep a news site going on their own. No sooner has a device launched, than the next iteration of that device appears in some form on the internet. But when it’s a new phone that doesn’t have a predecessor to compare to, the rumour mill gets even more excited.
The Apple iPhone 17 Air, or iPhone 17 Slim, is such a device. It’s fresh, new, and exciting. And while we don’t know if it will even launch – there are no guarantees the rumours will become a reality after all – it’s appeared in so many leaks of late, it would be a surprise if there wasn’t an element of truth in them.
As such, the latest leak surrounding the skinny iPhone comes from leaker Majin Bu on X, and it shows what looks like a dummy case for the iPhone 17 Air alongside a dummy case for the iPhone 17 Pro. Not a great deal is given away from the image, but it does further reiterate just how slim the iPhone 17 Air could be against the rest of the iPhone 17 range.
We’ve previously seen renders comparing the iPhone 17 Air to the iPhone 16 Pro so this new image offers some extra supporting evidence from another source highlighting the potential difference between the Air and Pro models. This source is claiming the comparison device is the rumoured iPhone 17 Pro rather than the current iPhone 16 Pro, but it’s unlikely the iPhone 17 Pro will be thicker than the iPhone 16 Pro.
How slim could the iPhone 17 Air be?
Previous reports have claimed the iPhone 17 Air will come in at 5.5mm thick, which compared to the iPhone 16 Pro’s 8.25mm would be proportionate to what the picture shows. That 5.5mm measurement has been detailed a number of times, and while the latest image posted on X doesn’t provide any further measurement details for the iPhone 17 Slim or iPhone 17 Pro, it suggests the iPhone 17 Pro will be similar to the current iPhone 16 Pro, with the iPhone 17 Slim considerably thinner.
Interestingly, 5.5mm isn’t actually the slimmest product Apple offers – the iPad Pro (M4) is slimmer at 5.3mm, but it would be slimmer than what is expected for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, rumoured to measure 5.84mm.
Of course, nothing is official for the Apple iPhone 17 Air as yet, and even if it does appear, it’s not due until much later this year, likely September when the iPhone 17 series is expected to debut.
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge, meanwhile, the other slim device consistently being talk about currently, is not only official as Samsung itself teased it, but it is expected to launch in mid-April so it will arrive much sooner than Apple’s alternative.
Britta is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about tech for over a decade. She’s covered all consumer…
Never mind a foldable iPhone, what about a foldable Apple Watch?
There have been a number of rumours surrounding a foldable iPhone of late, and in fact, there have been a couple of suggestions of a foldable iPad too with a screen that extends to 18.8-inches, making it a couple of inches larger than the biggest MacBook.
Despite Apple having not entered the foldable market as yet though, it’s possible that it won’t just be a foldable iPhone or iPad on the cards when it does. A recent patent, spotted by Apple Insider, has indicated that a foldable Apple Watch could be a possibility at some point in the future. We know, we know, sounds very farfetched, doesn’t it?
Read more
Apple iPhone 17 Pro might have more than one design change
We’re still several months away from the launch of Apple’s next iPhones, with the devices not expected to arrive until sometime in the second half of the year, typically September if previous patterns are followed. That hasn’t stopped the rumours surrounding the unannounced devices however, with the latest coming from a leaker that also revealed an apparent third-party case for the iPhone 17 Air this week.
Sonny Dickson has shared an image on X, which was picked up by Macrumors, showing a selection of what he claims are dummy models for the iPhone 17 series. Alongside the image, Dickson said: “Here’s another look at some iPhone 17 dummies, notice on the Pro models where the glass will change.”
Read more
Network tests show Apple C1 modem in iPhone 16e wins where it matters
When Apple introduced the iPhone 16e a few weeks ago, one aspect that drew the most attention was its network chip. The C1 is Apple’s first in-house modem to appear inside an iPhone, ditching the company’s total reliance on Qualcomm. However, there were also concerns about whether this modem is competitive.
The folks over at the popular internet speed testing platform, Ookla, tested the Apple-designed modem and found that it beats Qualcomm’s solution inside the iPhone 16 at a few crucial parameters. The analysis, which lasted roughly two weeks, covered AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile cellular networks.
On a general note, the iPhone 16e performed better than the iPhone 16 when tethered to AT&T and Verizon networks, while the reverse was true for T-Mobile. Ookla says the opposite T-Mobile results can be attributed to the carrier’s nationwide 5G standalone network (SA), while Apple’s C1 modem comes with limited SA compatibility.
When the going gets tough, C1 rises
Read more
