The iPhone 17 Air has been floating among leaks since last year, when most of them suggested it as a super-thin iPhone with a separate launch. However, the device is coming alongside the regular lineup in September. More than that, it is coming to replace the iPhone 16 Plus. The iPhone 17 Air is the next device to sit in the slot cursed by the Mini series and soon by the Plus series. None of these devices has succeeded, and Apple is now trying a new approach – A super thin and sleek device, but that performs like a flagship. Yeah, like a flagship.
The iPhone 17 Air is set to replace the iPhone 16 Plus. For that reason, many of us have been expecting it to feature a toned-down Apple flagship SoC, the Apple A19. Apple has been sticking with this strategy for years now. However, a new rumor from China brings some shocking news. The super-thin iPhone will employ the Apple A19 Pro SoC.
This might be one of the most interesting appeals of the 17 Air variant. It seems that not even Apple was convinced that the super-sleek body would be enough to push this smartphone forward. The device will be impressively thin, with rumors suggesting a 5.65mm to 5.7mm thickness. It will sacrifice the battery for a super-thin cell with less than 3,000 mAh. Regardless of the software optimization, we know this won’t be a full-day battery iPhone. So when the sleekness might not be enough to sell the device, Apple will give another reason – a cutting-edge chipset.
A Weaker GPU to “Keep the iPhone 17 Air in its Place”
While this sounds exciting, there is still a catch. The same source suggests that this is a lesser version of the Apple 19 Pro with a slightly weaker GPU. That’s the only difference, and should be noticed only in gaming. While the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will have a six-core GPU, the iPhone 17 Air will have just five. Furthermore, the leak suggests that the iPhone 17 Air’s screen will not be on the same level as the iPhone 17 Pro.
The choice for a more powerful chipset makes sense here. The super-thin iPhone should look interesting, but a Pro chipset will certainly make it more convincing.
