In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick.
"We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote.
If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be a few noteworthy aspects. First, the iPhone 17 Air would become the thinnest iPhone ever, coming in under the current 6.9mm record held by the iPhone 6. Second, the iPhone 17 Air would be around three quarters as thick as any of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models.
While some customers may have hoped that the iPhone 17 Air would be even thinner, there is obviously a limit to how thin the battery and other components can be. If the device comes in around 6mm, it would still be impressively thin and light compared to the increasingly bulkier models released over the past few years.
Here is how the iPhone 17 Air's thickness could compare to other models:
- iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max: 8.25mm
- iPhone 16 and 16 Plus: 7.8mm
- iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max: 8.25mm
- iPhone 15 and 15 Plus: 7.8mm
- iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max: 7.85mm
- iPhone 14 and 14 Plus: 7.8mm
- iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max: 7.65mm
- iPhone 13 and 13 mini: 7.65mm
- iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max: 7.4mm
- iPhone 12 and 12 mini: 7.4mm
- iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max: 8.1mm
- iPhone 11: 8.3mm
- iPhone XS and XS Max: 7.7mm
- iPhone XR: 8.3mm
- iPhone X: 7.7mm
- iPhone 8 Plus: 7.5mm
- iPhone 8: 7.3mm
- iPhone 7 Plus: 7.3mm
- iPhone 7: 7.1mm
- iPhone 6s Plus: 7.3mm
- iPhone 6s: 7.1mm
- iPhone 6 Plus: 7.1mm
- iPhone 6: 6.9mm
- iPhone 17 Air rumor: 6mm
All models prior to the iPhone 6 were between 7.6mm and 12.3mm thick.
While the iPhone 17 Air could be the thinnest iPhone ever, it would not be the thinnest Apple product ever. That record is held by the 2024 version of the 13-inch iPad Pro, which is just 5.1mm thick. In addition, the last iPod nano was 5.4mm thick.
For those who have not been following iPhone 17 Air rumors, several credible sources have claimed that Apple plans to release a redesigned, significantly thinner iPhone 17 model next year. The device's name is not yet known, so we are referring to it as the iPhone 17 Air for now. Pu has gone with the nickname "iPhone 17 Slim" instead.
There have been conflicting rumors about the design and specifications for the device, but most sources have agreed that it will have around a 6.6-inch display. In July, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects the device to have a standard A19 chip, a Dynamic Island, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G modem.
Last month, Pu agreed the iPhone 17 Air will have a 6.6-inch display. He also expects the device to feature an aluminum frame, Face ID, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, a 24-megapixel front camera, and 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence.
Apple will likely unveil the iPhone 17 Air in September 2025, so the device is still far away from launching, and rumors could change over time.
