Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Air, due to be released in fall 2025, signals “a new beginning for the iPhone,” according to Bloomberg. If successful, Apple might go for port-free and foldable iPhone designs in the future as well.
The iPhone 17 Air is reported to be the slimmest model so far, and Apple has considered removing the single port its predecessors have had. This would require users to charge the phone wirelessly and sync all data to the cloud sans the cable.
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While this has worked for Apple Watch in the past, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman states the company eventually decided against it because of European Union’s regulations. In 2024, EU regulators mandated that all small and medium-sized devices sold in the region need to have a USB-C connector. This is one of the major reasons Apple ditched the iPhone’s lightning charging port. However, according to Gurman, they might go ahead with the wireless option in the future if iPhone 17 Air turns out to be a success.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be released in the fall of 2025, two millimeters thinner than the 8.25 mm iPhone 16 Pro, according to Gurman. At 6.25 mm, the 17 Air would overtake the iPhone 6 (6.9mm; released back in 2014), as the thinnest iPhone ever.
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The iPhone 17 Air model is rumored to be positioned between the base and Pro models and might come with a 6.6-inch ProMotion display, a 48-megapixel rear camera, an A19 chip, the new C1 modem, and the Camera Control button. Gurman has also stated that the phone would cost around $900, the same as the iPhone 16 Plus variant it could potentially replace.
Gurman also stated that Air will “foreshadow a move to slimmer models without charging ports,” and that the model signifies a “a sea change for Apple.”