iPhone 17 Air might rival the iPad Professional’s slimness. Picture: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air could be slimmer than initially rumored. All experiences instructed the cellphone might have a 6mm skinny waistline.
Nonetheless, a reputed Apple analyst believes the iPhone 17 Air will measure simply 5.5mm at its thinnest level.
A 5.5mm-thin iPhone?
This 12 months, Apple is getting ready to rejig its iPhone lineup by dropping the ‘Plus’ mannequin. As a substitute, it should seemingly introduce the iPhone 17 Air, which can stand out for its super-slim and modern design. The corporate probably hopes to convey slim telephones again into vogue with the Air.
Just like the iPad Air, the iPhone 17 Air will give attention to kind issue and slimness over options and performance. As a part of this, the cellphone will supposedly make a number of compromises, together with that includes a single 48MP rear digital camera.
All rumors up to now instructed the iPhone 17 Air could possibly be simply 6mm skinny, making it the corporate’s thinnest iPhone ever.
In a Medium submit, TF Worldwide Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims the iPhone 17 Air could also be even thinner. The thinnest a part of the gadget might measure 5.5mm. For comparability, the M4 iPad Professional — Apple’s thinnest gadget but — is simply 5.3mm skinny.
iPhone 17 Air’s lacking SIM card slot might pose an issue
A possible aspect impact of the iPhone 17 Air’s slim design is that it’d lack a bodily SIM card slot. This shouldn’t be a problem within the US, the place iPhones solely ship with eSIM help. Nonetheless, in China and different markets, this may pose issues, as eSIM adoption remains to be not as widespread.
Kuo believes this may hamper the demand for the iPhone 17 Air in China except Apple makes some design adjustments. That is additionally why all iPhones Apple at the moment sells in China function a twin SIM card slot.
He believes Apple’s slim new iPhone will ship in greater volumes than its Plus fashions. However it received’t convey a notable increase to sagging iPhone gross sales.
For 2024, the analyst expects Apple to ship round 220 million iPhones and round 220-225 million models in 2025. That is notably decrease than the market expectation of Apple delivery round 240 million iPhones this 12 months.
