iPhone 17 Air is expected to make its debut this September, joining the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, which includes the standard model, Pro, and Pro Max. Positioned as an indirect successor to the iPhone 16 Plus, the Air model is shaping up to be Apple’s next big experiment in the Slim smartphone category. Today, we have some pictures of this device right next to the iPhone 16 Plus, comparing their designs.
The iPhone 17 Air is replacing the iPhone 16 Plus, so it’s only fair to compare and contrast both devices to see if the upgrade is worth it. Majin Bu shared some images over on with both devices placed back to back, showing the thickness of the iPhone 17 Air.
No surprise, the Air looks far slimmer than the iPhone 16 Plus with the rumored 5.5mm depth. The Plus variant, on the other hand, measures 7.8mm thick. Design-wise, no previous iPhone comes close to the innovation the iPhone 17 Air boasts this year. But there are some drawbacks to it.
We spotted a rumor earlier, saying the iPhone 17 Air will have an extremely small 2,800 mAh battery. That’s almost half the size of a typical cell we find on Android devices. In fact, it’s even worse than the Galaxy S25 Edge’s battery, which delivers almost the same level of thickness with a 3900mAh capacity. While these hardware details spark debate, many are also keeping an eye on the Apple iPhone latest price, as expectations around new features and design continue to build.
Apple does plan to make an optional battery case accessory that you can haul around and put on when the phone runs out of juice. Still, the iPhone 17 Air won’t be able to provide a full-day backup. To stretch the usage hours, Apple could also employ an AI-enabled power-saving feature.
The company might use its in-house Apple Intelligence to make a battery-saving feature, which could offset the phone’s physical limitation with a smaller battery. In theory, the phone will enable per-app power limitations based on the user’s activity, saving more and more battery as you continue to use the device.
Apple Intelligence is an unfinished product, so the idea of an AI-based battery-saving does seem a little far-fetched. With the launch allegedly happening in September, more details about this feature are bound to appear on the internet, so stay tuned for further updates.