Seven powerful iPhone 17 Air features you need to know about now
iPhone 17 Air will receive these 7 cool updates (photo: Unsplash)
This fall, a completely new model will appear in the iPhone lineup - iPhone 17 Air. Apple is planning to abandon the Plus version in favor of a smartphone with a new form factor that may attract many users of Pro versions, reports 9to5Mac.
Ultra-thin housing
The iPhone 17 Air will be Apple's thinnest smartphone yet, following the trend set by the new iPad Pro at M4.
The exact dimensions of the device are not yet known, but according to a recent report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, its thinnest part will be only 5.5 mm (probably excluding the camera unit).
This is a significant reduction compared to current iPhone models:
- iPhone 16 Pro - 8.25 mm
- iPhone 16 and 16 Plus - 7.8 mm
- The thinnest iPhone in history - iPhone 6 - had a thickness of 6.9 mm.
The thinnest part of the iPhone 17 Air will be only 5.5 mm (photo: 9to5Mac)
New 6.6-inch display
In addition to the ultra-thin body, the iPhone 17 Air will receive a new screen that will be an intermediate version between the current iPhone Pro sizes.
- iPhone 17 Pro - 6.3 inches
- iPhone 17 Pro Max - 6.9 inches
- iPhone 17 Air - 6.6 inches
Thanks to this size, the 17 Air's screen can be the perfect choice: it will be large enough for Pro Max fans, but still feel compact for those who are used to the Pro version.
Always On and increased screen refresh rate
Starting in 2022, the main differences between the displays of the base iPhone and Pro models are as follows:
- Always On mode (always on display)
- Refresh rate 120 Hz (ProMotion).
According to rumors, for the first time Always On and increased refresh rate will appear in the basic iPhone 17 and 17 Air.
Some sources claim that Apple is developing a display with a frequency of 90 Hz. So far, there is no exact information on whether the iPhone 17 Air will receive 90 Hz or a full 120 Hz. Perhaps Apple will decide to leave 120 Hz only for Pro models, and limit the basic versions to 90 Hz.
Always On and increased screen refresh rate (photo: 9to5Mac)
A19 chip
As in the iPhone 16 line, Apple will equip the iPhone 17 models with two different processors:
iPhone 17 and 17 Air will receive A19
iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max - A19 Pro
What is the difference between them? In everyday tasks, most likely, not much, as the A19 will remain a powerful chip for AI, gaming, and other resource-intensive processes. However, compared to the A19 Pro, the iPhone 17 Air's processor will be slightly less productive.
A19 chip (photo: 9to5Mac)
A single 48MP camera with a strip design
As you can see from the leaks, the iPhone 17 Air will be significantly different in terms of cameras from other models.
- iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will again receive triple cameras
- Regular iPhone 17 - double
- iPhone 17 Air - only one: the main 48MP Fusion camera.
There is not much information about its characteristics yet, but most likely it will be an analog of the main camera from the iPhone 16.
Interestingly, the new design with a "camera bar" may hide additional improvements that Apple has not yet disclosed.
Single 48MP camera (photo: 9to5Mac)
The front camera is 24 MP
Currently, the iPhone selfie camera has only 12 MP and is noticeably inferior to the main modules.
But in the iPhone 17 Air (and in the entire iPhone 17 line), Apple will increase the resolution of the front camera to 24 MP. Although it still won't catch up with the main camera in terms of quality, the difference between them will be much smaller.
Apple will increase the resolution of the front camera to 24 MP (photo: 9to5Mac)
Apple's proprietary C1 modem
The iPhone 17 Air will receive a new Apple C1 modem, which will not be available in any other iPhone 17 model.
This communication chip has been developed by Apple for many years and first appeared in the iPhone 16e. Now it will appear in the 17 Air.
Apple C1 modem (photo: 9to5Mac)
You may be interested in what features will disappear from the iPhone 17 Air for the sake of ultra-thin design.
