Apple Has Reportedly Considered Releasing iPhone 17 Air Bumper Case

Sunday August 24, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple has "considered" releasing a bumper case for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Similar to the bumper case that Apple introduced for the iPhone 4 in 2010, Gurman said the iPhone 17 Air version of the case would cover the edges of the device, but not the back of it. Those bumper cases were made of rubber.

Given that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to have an ultra-thin design, customers who purchase the device might be reluctant to put it inside of a regular case, due to the added thickness. A bumper case would be a fitting compromise, as it would provide some level of protection against drops and scratches, without being overly thick.

Apple eventually ended up offering customers a free iPhone 4 bumper case, due to the infamous "antennagate" issue, which related to spotty cellular signal reception when the iPhone 4 was held in a way that covered the device's antenna bands.

The Information's Wayne Ma previously reported that Apple also plans to release an iPhone 17 Air battery case, for extra battery life on the go.

Apple last released battery cases for the iPhone 11 lineup, followed by the since-discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone 12 models and newer.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series and any related accessories in September.

Related Roundup: iPhone Air

Tag: Mark Gurman

Buyer's Guide: iPhone Air (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iOS 27: New Siri Features Could Be Gated Behind a Waitlist

Friday June 5, 2026 4:24 am PDT by Tim Hardwick

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has published his WWDC preview ahead of Monday's keynote, and while almost all of the iOS 27 features he covers have already made the rounds, there are a couple of details worth highlighting. As we've covered previously, Apple is turning Siri into a full chatbot that users can interact with, similar to Claude or ChatGPT. The Siri chatbot will be integrated into...

• 85 comments

ios 26 iphone 16 pro lock screen notifications feature 1

iOS 27 Notifications Will Slide in From Left Side of Your iPhone's Screen

Friday June 5, 2026 7:24 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today revealed another iOS 27 change: notifications will slide in from the left side of the screen instead of from the top. In addition, accessing Notification Center on iOS 27 will require swiping down on the top-left corner of the screen. If you swipe down on the Dynamic Island area, a new "Search or Ask" interface tied to the revamped Siri will appear, instead of...

• 89 comments

Apple Could Build an OpenClaw Competitor Eventually

Monday June 15, 2026 3:47 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple may eventually build a direct competitor to OpenClaw, an agentic AI system capable of autonomously operating software on behalf of the user, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes. Writing in his Power On newsletter, Gurman says he expects Apple to develop a system that could fully operate iPhone, iPad, and Mac software on the user's behalf. The prediction comes on the back of comments made...

• 43 comments

Top Rated Comments

SD449

11 months ago

Image has been leaked…

Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)

gpat

11 months ago

Just release the 4 again, with full-screen front. Such an amazing design.

Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)

ipedro

11 months ago

Apple could easily add a tiny lanyard hole to the iPhone and charge $50+ for the strap. Plenty of people would line up to buy a Hermès version for $249. The iPhone 17 could then be marketed as a fashion accessory instead of a phone—since with its short battery life and single camera, it wouldn’t serve much other purpose anyway.

I get that you’re joking but I’m on board with that idea. iPod Touch had a little pop out button for a lanyard.

It was honestly better to me than a case. Loop it around your wrist when in use and it won’t fall. Adds a little individual style without covering it up. I remember that people even attached charms to the loop.