Next Year's Slim iPhone 17 Could Be an 'iPhone Air'

Apple's rumored iPhone 17 "Slim" could be positioned as an iPhone "Air" to boost sales, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained how the "fourth" model in the iPhone lineup since 2020 (the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 15 Plus) has largely been a commercial failure. In the case of the Plus model, this is likely because it is just $100 less than the Pro, so most customers simply opt for the higher-end model.

There has been uncertainty in recent months about the intention of the so-called ‌iPhone 17‌ "Slim" and its rumored position in the lineup. Last week, YouTuber Jon Prosser was first to suggest that the device could be positioned as an "iPhone Air." Now, Gurman seems to have supported this idea.

The ‌iPhone 17‌ "Air" will represent a new approach to this fourth model in the lineup, offering a device with a substantially thinner design that sits between the ‌iPhone 17‌ and ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro. Gurman compared the device to the original MacBook Air from 2008, which sat between the regular MacBook and MacBook Pro in the lineup.

The sales pitch will probably go like this: If you want something snazzier than a standard iPhone — but don't really need the performance, screen size or cameras of a Pro model — you can get something that looks much cooler while still having the specifications of a regular iPhone.

At minimum, Gurman expects the iPhone "Air" to be more popular than the iPhone mini and Plus devices from recent years.

Gurman added that the thinner design of the ‌iPhone 17‌ "Air" will "just be a step toward something better" since Apple will eventually want to "squeeze the power of a Pro model into this smaller design." However, he does not expect this to occur before 2027 at the earliest.