The rumored iPhone 17 Air might measure just 6mm thick, making it the slimmest iPhone ever. The device reportedly will use an A19 chip fabricated on TSMC’s newer 3nm node.
The new process node should allow for higher transistor density, leading to better performance and efficiency.
iPhone 17 Air might be insanely thin
Rumors suggest Apple will replace the iPhone Plus with the iPhone 17 Air next year. Adding weight to the scuttlebutt about the superslim iPhone, Haitong International analyst Jeff Pu provides more insight into Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup in his latest investor note shared with MacRumors. He confirms that rumors about the iPhone 17 Air measuring around 6mm are accurate.
For comparison, the iPhone 16 measures 7.8mm thick, while the iPhone 16 Pro comes in at 8.25mm. This would make the iPhone 17 Air’s 6mm chassis notably thinner, even slimmer than the 6.9mm iPhone 6, which holds the crown for being Apple’s slimmest iPhone yet.
Due to the design complexity and compromises involved in making such a thin product, Pu thinks the iPhone 17 Air won’t be a high-volume seller for Apple. Still, it would help the company showcase its technical prowess and flex its engineering capabilities.
The analyst also predicts that Apple’s next-gen A19 and A19 Pro SoCs will use TSMC’s new N3P node. While not a major process node shrink, it should provide noticeable performance and efficiency improvements.
Pu reiterates that the iPhone 17 Air will only house a single 48MP rear camera. A 24MP shooter reportedly will be common across the entire 2025 iPhone lineup. As previously rumored, these phones also will use a more complex aluminum design than current iPhones.
iPhone 17 Pro Max to get smaller Dynamic Island
Interestingly, Pu says Apple will reduce the width of the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The company will achieve this by using a “metalens” technology for the proximity sensor. This would enable the company to place the sensor behind the display instead of inside the Dynamic Island.
