iPhone 17 Air may not be as thick as Apple planned, Tipster claims

Apple is reportedly planning to release a new iPhone 17 Air model in 2025, which is expected to replace the ‘Plus’ model in the company’s lineup. Instead of a larger version of the standard iPhone 17 model, Apple is said to be working on a slimmer ‘Air’ model, with a slimmer form factor. While the iPhone 17 Air was previously claimed to be Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet, a new rumor from South Korea suggests that the company is having trouble reducing the thickness of the device.

Apple faces challenges in reducing the thickness of iPhone 17 Air

According to details shared in a after on Naver (in Korean) by user @yeux1122 Apple is facing technical difficulties in reducing the thickness of the alleged device. The company was reportedly developing a new battery technology that would rely on a thinner internal substrate, but had to make technical compromises for several reasons.

According to the tipster, Apple has faced challenges related to the cost of the new components for the thinner battery, as well as ensuring consistency during production. As a result, the company is reportedly relying on the existing battery technology used on the iPhone 16, meaning next year’s model’s battery could be at least 6mm thick.

If the latest rumor is true, it’s unlikely that Apple’s replacement for the iPhone 16 Plus will be the company’s thinnest phone. Currently, the thinnest phone released by the company was the iPhone 6 (6.9mm), while the company’s thinnest tablet was the iPhone 6 (6.9mm). Apple is launching the iPad Pro (2024), which is 5.1 mm in size.

However, it’s worth noting that there are still several months before Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17 series, which means the company may have some time to find a solution to the battery thickness issue. The company could also push ahead with the release of the ‘Air’ until it figures out how to reduce the battery size. We can expect to learn more about Apple’s plans in the coming months.