In the latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman explains some details about next year’s slim iPhone 17 model, which he calls the iPhone 17 “Air.” The analyst also provides details about Apple’s future iPhone plans, including a “Pro” model with a slimmer body and the possibility of a foldable iPhone.
iPhone 17 “Air”
Apple began experimenting with a fourth flagship iPhone model in 2020 with the iPhone 12 mini. That model (unfortunately) mostly flopped, and the company stopped producing the mini iPhone, replacing it with an iPhone 14 Plus starting in 2022. However, that model wasn’t a huge success either, so the company is trying to spice it up a bit with something more unique.
We heard rumors about this thinner iPhone 17 model earlier this year, although it was never entirely clear what purpose the model would serve. We knew the model would have a smaller Dynamic Island, an aluminum body, a smaller 6.6-inch display (compared to the existing iPhone Plus models), and some sort of inferior camera setup. It was a strange mix of premium and entry-level.
Gurman confirms the reports about the ultra-thin iPhone 17, writing that the idea is to create a sort of “Air” iPhone that sits between the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro. He gives a rough idea of how Apple will try to sell the model to consumers:
If you want something fancier than a standard iPhone but don’t necessarily need the power, screen size, or cameras of a Pro model, you can get something that looks a lot cooler and still has the specs of a regular iPhone.
He also adds that he expects this new slim model to be a “bigger success” than the iPhone 12/13 mini and iPhone 14/15/16 Plus and that the iPhone lineup will see “significant growth” again in 2025. He also describes some details about other future iPhone models.
iPhone Ultra? Foldable iPhone?
Gurman states that in the future, Apple wants to “pack the performance of a Pro model into this smaller design,” although the company probably won’t achieve this until 2027. With the Pro feature set in a slimmer form factor, Apple could likely make a successful “Ultra” iPhone model that would be much more appealing, at least to me, than the current rumors surrounding the iPhone 17 Slim.
Gurman also adds that he expects Apple to produce a foldable iPhone, although the foldable iPad is “equally a high priority” internally. He suggests that we may see the foldable iPad model launch first.
Are you excited about the upcoming ultra-slim iPhone 17 model or are you more interested in the possibility of an iPhone Ultra or a foldable iPhone? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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