iPhone 17 Air leaks and rumours: release date, price, specifications and more

Published On: 17 Apr, 2025

2025 could shape up to be the year of ultra-slim smartphones, with several brands highlighting thinness as a standout feature. The buzz seemingly began with rumours of Apple developing a sleeker iPhone called the iPhone 17 Air. Although we are still months away from the big Apple event, there have been several leaks and rumours. So, in this article, we break down everything we know so far about the iPhone 17 Air—from its rumoured thickness and design to key specifications, features, expected release date, and India price.

Table of Contents

iPhone 17 Air/Slim: name speculation

iPhone 17 Air is the most likely name, as Apple already uses ‘Air‘ for its slim MacBook and slim iPad lineup. Several rumours have also referred to it by this name.
There have been some rumours calling it the iPhone 17 Slim, also.
This model could replace the Plus model from the iPhone family. And so in total, we are expecting an iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.

iPhone 17 Air release date (expected)

Similar to last year, Apple could launch the new iPhones in the month of September.
So, as part of the iPhone 17 series, the iPhone 17 Air could launch at the big Apple event in September 2025.
If everything goes well, the slim iPhone should go on sale a few weeks later, perhaps in the third week of September.

iPhone 17 Air price in India (expected)

The iPhone 17 Air could be an expensive phone. While one report suggests it may cost more than the iPhone 17 Pro models, another claims it will be priced lower.
We assume Apple would not dilute the ‘Pro’ branding for a new model that has yet to establish itself in the market, and whose future is uncertain.
For context, the iPhone 16 Pro starts at Rs 1,19,900 and the iPhone 16 Plus starts at Rs 89,900. So, the iPhone 17 Air could fall somewhere between this price range.

iPhone 17 Air specifications (expected)

Processor

Since the Apple A19 Pro chip will be earmarked for the Pro iPhones, the iPhone 17 Air could get the Apple A19.
These chips are believed to be fabricated on TSMC’s 3nm process node and have six cores.
They could feature a neural engine for Apple Intelligence.
We are also expecting to see Apple’s self-developed 5G modem on this chip.

Display

iPhone 17 Air could sport a 6.6-inch ProMotion LTPO OLED screen. This could be the same 120Hz OLED panel present on the iPhone 16 Pro.
It could have a Dynamic Island similar to the one present on the iPhone 16 series.
Although ProMotion is rumoured, it’s not yet clear whether the slim iPhone will get the Always On Display option.

iPhone-17-Air — iPhone 17 Air leaked render

Cameras

On the back, the iPhone 17 Air could have a solo 48MP camera owing to space limitation within the thin phone.
With a single camera, the phone won’t be able to shoot spatial videos.
The selfie camera could be an upgraded 24MP sensor.

Memory

Apple could set 8GB RAM and 256GB storage as the minimum memory configuration for all base iPhone 17 series models.
The iPhone 17 Air could come in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB variants since it is expected to be an expensive iPhone.

Battery

Due to its lean chassis, we think it could get a smaller battery than its siblings.
This could be coupled with 35W wired charging and MagSafe wireless charging support.

iPhone 17 Air design

iPhone 17 Air could be just 5.5mm to 6.25mm thick and perhaps half as thick as the iPhone 17 Pro. For reference, the iPhone 16e (review) is 7.8mm thick, iPhone SE 2022 is 7.3mm thick, and iPhone 6 is 6.9mm thick. The slimmest Apple device, however, will still be the iPad Pro 13 (2024), which is just 5.1mm thick.

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Another key design element could be the new oblong-shaped rear camera island, which may sit horizontally and blend seamlessly into the body. You can check the iPhone 17 Air dummy images here. The thick camera bump may detract from the phone’s slim profile.
Speaking of the body, Apple could use a titanium-aluminium frame with glass on both front and back.
The camera island could house a camera lens on the left corner and a microphone and LED flash module on the right corner.
There could be a speaker opening at the top, a Camera Control button, and an Action Button on the right side.
Here’s a recently leaked live image of the device for your perusal.