Updated May 5 with more iPhone 17 Air design details and more focus on the USB-C port, plus details of future Air models in subsequent years.<\/p>\n
When this fall\u2019s iPhones are revealed, there\u2019s one that\u2019s creating a lot of buzz. That model, nicknamed iPhone 17 Air, will be super-slim, as little as 5.5mm thick. But a new dummy has emerged which shows a curious redesign of the USB-C port. Here\u2019s why it\u2019s so curious and it comes at a time when interest in the new phone is growing. And there\u2019s already a report on subsequent iPhone Air models.<\/p>\n
Apple iPhone 17 Air is in the works, it seems, with a new design. And more models may already be … More under development.<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with that. Respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TFI Securities has published a schedule of iPhones, as he sees it, from now until the second half of 2027. There are some intriguing details, but here we\u2019ll stick to what it means for the Air models, or \u201ciPhone 17 Slim,\u201d as Kuo calls it.<\/p>\n
ForbesApple iOS 18.5 Release Date: New iPhone Update Is Just Days AwayBy David Phelan<\/a><\/p>\n His belief is that the second half of this year will see the launch of the first model, the iPhone 17 Slim. We can be confident this means in September, as that\u2019s the routine month for iPhone releases.<\/p>\n Then, in the second half of 2026, alongside several iPhone 18 handsets, there will be the iPhone 18 Slim. So far, so unsurprising, although it\u2019s good to note that Kuo believes the Air will be an annual release, not a less frequent one like the SE used to be, for instance.<\/p>\n But when we get to what Kuo terms \u201c2H27,\u201d the comment is different. \u201ciPhone 19 Slim (with a larger display vs. 18 Slim),\u201d is how Kuo describes that year\u2019s release. Apple regularly uses the same design two years\u2019 running, so the prospect that Apple is already planning a third Air or Slim with a bigger screen will appeal to many \u2014 assuming it lives up to the excitement it has already generated before it has even officially been acknowledged.<\/p>\n Back to that design upgrade with a possibly ugly changed to the USB-C socket and its surrounding antenna band.<\/p>\n Previous rumors about the 17 Air have been promising, such as better performance<\/a> than expected, hints about new colors<\/a>, and how its thinness compared to the rest of the range could be remarkable<\/a>.<\/p>\n The latest dummies being exhibited by leakers, such as this one released in a video by Apple Track<\/a>, are exceptionally detailed. The video compares the dummy of the 17 Air to the current iPhone 16 Pro, and the difference in thickness is striking \u2014 and the difference will be even more pronounced if rumors about the iPhone 17 Pro Max<\/a> design prove true.<\/p>\n But the cost of that 5.5mm svelte design could come at the cost of symmetry on the base of the phone. That\u2019s because, as pointed out by MacRumors<\/a>, \u201cAchieving this level of thinness is unlikely to come without compromise. Dummy models\u2026 suggest that Apple has made some subtle adjustments to accommodate internal components in the tighter chassis. Most notably, the USB-C port on the bottom edge is no longer centered front-to-back,\u201d it points out.<\/p>\n The dummy seems to show the socket is closer to the rear of the device than the front, which is \u201clikely to accommodate display components within the enclosure,\u201d the report claims.<\/p>\n Look closely within the USB-C port and the central element around which the hollow USB-C connector wraps when you plug it in, seems to be a little off-center, too, sitting lower than the middle.<\/p>\n For many, this will look a little off, to say the least. But let\u2019s put this in perspective. There is a limit to how thin a display can be, while still accommodating touch capabilities and so on. So, it seems probably that the USB-C socket couldn\u2019t be any closer to the screen, so the only way to achieve the maximum thinness is to move it off-center. Add in that it\u2019s a part of the phone you literally only look at if you\u2019re plugging in a cable and it seems likely this is going to be no problem, after all.<\/p>\n In terms of symmetry, it\u2019s also worth noting that the leaked dummy shows two perforations on either side of the USB-C port. That\u2019s symmetrical, at least, unlike the iPhone 17 Pro Max, for instance, which has six holes on one side and four on the other.<\/p>\n Two holes suggests the speaker may not be as potent as it is on other iPhones, but we\u2019ll have to see. Note that the iPhone 17 Air is expected to dispense with the SIM card tray as well, which would be the first iPhone sold outside the U.S. designed for eSIM only.<\/p>\n