Recent industry rumor has it that Apple's bold plan for its super-thin iPhone 17 Air may hit some delays, as its current design of the battery seems to stall the company.
Apparently, the corporation is facing technical issues in coming up with a thinner version of the crucial battery substrate which will make the iPhone 17 Air entirely thin.
Apple Initially Envisions a Thinner iPhone 17 Air
A design challenge shared by Naver news aggregator account "yeux1122" here suggests that the battery technology the company would have to settle with means it's going to remain thick, which affects the final thickness.
Apple also aspired to push limits to new heights with the iPhone 17 Air, manufacturing one visibly thinner than any ever produced before it, making it one of Apple's thinnest products to ever be made. However, the original vision was to create a sleeker battery substrate which has been challenging and expensive to try to do.
This will make the battery of the iPhone 17 Air approximately 6mm in thickness. Because of this, the entire device will turn out a little thicker than in its initial design.
For comparison, remember that the thinnest iPhone was produced by Apple to date: iPhone 6 - 6.9mm.
This means that Apple's iPhone 17 Air is unlikely to be much thinner than the iPhone 6 and might even fall behind ultra-thin Apple devices like the 13-inch iPad Pro and iPod nano, 5.1mm and 5.4mm thick, respectively.
Comparison with the Thinnest Apple products
At present, only the iPad Pro (13-inch) and the seventh-generation iPod nano meet this criterion for Apple with measurements of 5.1mm and 5.4mm, respectively. MacRumors said that iPhones didn't have a winner before, except of course for the iPhone 6 at 6.9mm. That would be the iPhone 16 Plus if the iPhone 17 Air is going to take it over. It stands at 7.8mm. So that would make this particular iPhone model lose at least 6mm short of its slim profile plan.
This, however, creates a few battery-related design complications. Nevertheless, some great features are expected to be seen inside the iPhone 17 Air.
Industry insiders expect it to run on the latest A19 chip, which said would provide next-level performance. But what's even more rumored is that this model has been made to sport a ProMotion display, said to set up a refresh rate of up to 120Hz for smoother visuals.
Ironically, the iPhone 17 Air will reportedly sport only one camera at the rear. This may be a sign that Apple wants to make the device less clunky and perfect for a specific segment.
Doubts About iPhone 17 Air
While it's still not set in stone that the iPhone 17 Air will indeed be an official model, PocketLint made some unique points about why it's shrouded with doubts.
- Apple's mixed track record with thin devices.
- Prioritizing thinness over specs.
- Absurding pricing is expected.
- iPhone 17 Air may be quickly surpassed by other devices.
When is the iPhone 17 Air Coming?
Most of the Apple fanboys may not be too ecstatic about the lack of slimming on the design, but there might just be sufficient interesting features on the iPhone 17 Air to ensure it makes it in the market.
By the fall of 2025, it is expected that the Cupertino giant will release the iPhone 17 Air, finally completing the time of refinement despite battery-related setbacks.
