A recent “17 Air” render. (Image source: @MysteryLupin via X)
The “iPhone 17 Air” is credited increasingly often with starting a new ultra-slim smartphone trend, despite being a mere rumor at the time of writing. Redmi could be next to try and break into it, according to the latest leaks. Xiaomi’s popular sub-brand might need precision engineering to do so, though.
The “17 Air” is yet again backed to be under 6 millimeters (mm) in depth in its latest leak, a post that has prompted Redmi’s general manager Wang Teng Thomas to express enthusiasm for the release of such an iPhone, declaring that the industry could “learn a lot” from its existence.
The executive’s new Weibo post is now being seized on as a strong hint that Redmi might launch an ultra-thin challenger of its own, following the successful release of its own iPad Mini clone in the 6.5mm thick K Pad.
Should the Xiaomi subsidiary do so, it might need to employ Apple’s alleged new milling process that apparently pares the 17 Air’s mid-frame from both sides to achieve the desired thickness in order to make its own super-slim smartphone.
It is to be hoped that Redmi could fit a larger battery into the resulting shape nonetheless, having mastered cutting-edge silicon-carbon technology to produce handsets such as the Turbo 4 Pro, not to mention the new 15 5G, in 2025.
The ~5.8mm Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: now available for $725 in Renewed condition on Amazon
Deirdre O Donnell – Senior Tech Writer – 8584 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2018
I became a professional writer and editor shortly after graduation. My degrees are in biomedical sciences; however, they led to some experience in the biotech area, which convinced me of its potential to revolutionize our health, environment and lives in general. This developed into an all-consuming interest in more aspects of tech over time: I can never write enough on the latest electronics, gadgets and innovations. My other interests include imaging, astronomy, and streaming all the things. Oh, and coffee.