Apple is preparing to launch what might be its slimmest iPhone ever.
The iPhone 17 Slim or Air is rumoured to be a major overhaul of the handset’s offering for the first time in years.
In recent times, Apple has released iPhones in a relatively predictable format: it launches a smaller and larger version of both the base and Pro-level phones.
But rumours suggest that it could break with that pattern this year, to launch a new version of the phone with a very small design as its selling point. Rumours suggest that it wil be around 6mm thick, making it the smallest iPhone ever released and much slimmer than the 8.25mm design of the current iPhone 16 Pro.
Recent reports from The Information suggest that the extreme slim nature of the device are proving difficult for Apple’s engineers. The company is struggling to ensure that the phone can fit a battery and enough cooling capabilities into a device of its size, the report claimed.
The SIM card slot is also proving problematic, the report claimed. Apple has removed the physical SIM from the iPhone as it is on sale in the US, but they are required in key markets such as China.
The same report claimed that the Plus version of the base iPhone will also be removed from the line-up, presumably to make space for the Slim alongside the base phone and the Pro and Pro Max.
Some rumours have suggested that the new, Slim phone will be more expensive than the Pro model – even if it lacks some key features.
The Slim might come with some drawbacks. Reports suggest that it may only have one camera lens, for instance, which would mean going without the strong telephoto lens that has been a key part of the Pro versions of the iPhone in recent years.
The branding of the new, slimmer phone remains unclear. While many rumours call it the “Slim”, Apple has favoured the “Air” branding for its smaller devices in the past, and it is able to change the naming and other marketing details of its devices relatively late in the process.
The new phone is rumoured to launch alongside the more traditional new iPhones, which are usually revealed at a launch event in early September and go on sale soon after that.
