Apple is reportedly planning another overhaul of its smartphone lineup later this year, replacing the current Plus model with a new “Air” trim. So far, we have only seen concept renders and 3D-printed dummy units purportedly depicting the iPhone 17 Air, but a fresh leak offers the best glimpse at what the real thing could look like.
Leakster MajinBu has shared an image titled “iPhone 17 Air” in which a person is depicted holding the upcoming phone’s realistic representation. It almost feels like a finished dummy unit, the kind you can easily find in retail stores.
We get a clear look at the metallic frame and what looks like two-toned glass on the rear shell. Apple has been following this glossy-frosted pattern for a while now, and it seems the company is going to serve just that for its heavily anticipated ultra-slim phone.
Is that you, Pixel?
I am not sure if I am a fan of what I see in the latest leaked photo. So far, the 3D-printed blocks and concept images have shown a horizontal camera island that meets seamlessly with the rear glass shell, instead of prominently standing out with a pasted-on look.
On one hand, it would make sense that Apple is not straying too far from its home turf, but at this point, the aesthetic language is starting to feel a little overused. Moreover, the overall approach for the iPhone 17 Air looks eerily similar to the Google Pixel 9 series smartphones and their signature pill-shaped camera bump at the back.
Were it not for the stretched camera island, the device would look almost identical to the iPhone 16e. It’s hard to discern just how thick the camera island is going to be, since the image depicts it in a glass-like transparent look against a white backdrop.
What’s inside, or could be?
So far, leaks have predicted a single 48-megapixel rear camera on the iPhone 17 Air, and a next-gen 24-megapixel selfie camera that will appear on its siblings, as well. It will likely draw power from the A19 processor based on the 3-nanometer node, ticking alongside 12GB of RAM.
With a sleek side profile of just 5.1mm across, the phone is said to offer a 6.7-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Notably, this one could ditch the physical SIM slot in favor of an eSIM for all markets.
On the connectivity side, Apple is reportedly equipping it with an in-house modem. It’s unclear whether it is going to be a next-gen chip or if it will use the C1 modem that has already appeared inside the iPhone 16e, but misses out on the faster 5G mmWave capability.
Nadeem is a tech and science journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started…
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