The iPhone 17 Air should be one of the thinnest iPhones produced to date, and it will weigh at approximately 5.5 mm thick. Despite this thin frame, the phone has been constructed to have battery life comparable to other iPhone phones because of a dense battery. The phone will be equipped with a 120Hz ProMotion screen as well as contain the Apple A19 chip within it, instead of a more advanced A19 Pro. The phone is also reported to have a single camera at the back and Apple’s in-house cellular modem for improved power efficiency.
Apple’s shift away from the portless iPhone 17 Air was motivated by regulatory issues. The European Union has been pushing electronic devices to employ shared charging ports, which would have made it difficult to launch a portless iPhone. Apple had already come under fire from its proprietary Lightning port before switching to USB-C in the iPhone 15 series.
Portless phones are not a new concept; existing companies like Vivo and Meizu have explored similar ideas in the past. Vivo’s 2019 concept phone had no USB port, SIM card tray, buttons, or speakers, while Meizu’s Zero concept had no headphone jack or charging port. These concepts did not go down well for mass usage due to practical limitations.
Apple still retains the interest to pursue portless designs in the future, despite the failure. If the iPhone 17 Air is successful, Apple could opt to come up with an actual wireless smartphone. This will be in accordance with Apple’s overall mission of leading innovation in smartphone design, thereby opening the way to more sleek devices in the future.
The iPhone 17 Air is part of a larger trend across the tech industry toward thinner, more minimalist smartphones. Samsung, Honor, and Oppo are also working on ultra-thin smartphones. Tecno recently announced a working prototype of the Spark Slim smartphone at MWC 2025, highlighting the growing trend toward minimalist designs.
Apart from its slim design, the iPhone 17 Air will feature some improvements like a reconfigured front camera within the Dynamic Island, which will be moved to the left side of the pill-shaped notch. This redesign is different from that of previous iPhones, where the camera was positioned on the right side.
Overall, while the iPhone 17 Air will not be portless, it represents a significant step toward even more intelligent and effective smartphone design. Apple’s forays into portless technology represent commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in smartphone technology, even if regulatory barriers thwart the achievement of these objectives temporarily.
