Apple mulls these changes to make ultra-thin iPhone a reality in 2025

Reportedly, Apple is planning a single speaker system and a single rear camera sensor in order keep the anticipated iPhone 17 Air within the desired range of thickness

Apple is reportedly planning to compromise on internal hardware to keep the anticipated iPhone 17 Air within the desired thickness range. According to a report by 9To5Mac citing The Information, Apple plans to make significant changes to the internal design of the iPhone 17 Air model to maintain its profile between five and six millimetres.

 

iPhone 17 Air: Expected hardware changes

 

The report suggests that prototype models of the iPhone 17 Air measure between 5mm and 6mm in thickness, posing challenges for component placement within the compact frame. Early supply chain data indicates difficulties in sourcing suitable batteries and thermal materials to accommodate the ultra-thin design. Additionally, Apple may replace the stereo speaker setup with a single speaker for this model.

iPhone 17 Air: Expected camera setup

 

Apple may also simplify the camera system for the iPhone 17 Air. The model is expected to feature a single rear camera housed in a "large, centred camera bump." While marketed as a premium offering, the Air model may lack high-end camera specifications, such as the periscopic telephoto lens with 5x zoom, which is likely to remain exclusive to the Pro variants. Earlier speculation suggested Apple might incorporate the telephoto lens in the Air model, but this now appears unlikely.

 

iPhone 17 Air: Expected connectivity options

 

The report also stated that the iPhone 17 Air could be one of the first Apple devices to utilise Apple’s in-house 5G modem. However, this chip is reported to be less powerful than Qualcomm’s 5G modems currently used in iPhones, with lower peak speeds, slightly reduced reliability, and no support for mmWave 5G technology, which Apple introduced with the iPhone 12.

 

Apple is reportedly still grappling with the inclusion of a SIM tray in the iPhone 17 Air. While the company has phased out physical SIM cards in markets such as the US, regions like China still require a SIM card slot, adding to the design challenges.