00:00This might be the thinnest iPhone ever made, and possibly Apple's boldest gamble in years.
00:05The rumored iPhone 17 Air is shaping up to be a totally different device from what we've seen
00:10recently. And depending on how it lands, it could be a massive hit or a total flop. Either way,
00:15the 17 Air is at the center of a lot of buzz right now, so let's break down what we know so far.
00:20The design, display, cameras, chip, and the one thing that has everyone nervous, battery life.
00:25So why is Apple working on the iPhone 17 Air? The 17 Air is apparently expected to replace the
00:30iPhone 16 Plus, which hasn't exactly been a hot seller. And it's not hard to see why. The Plus
00:35model gives you a big screen for a lower price, but for most people who want that experience,
00:40they just go straight for the Pro Max. So instead of releasing another Plus model that might
00:45underperform, Apple looks to be trying a different approach. The iPhone 17 Air is being positioned
00:50as something totally unique, the thinnest iPhone ever, with a lighter, sleeker design aimed at
00:55turning heads and getting people excited about phone hardware again. Based on the leaked dummy units
01:00we've seen all over the internet at this point, the iPhone 17 Air could be as thin as 5.5 millimeters.
01:06That's nearly 30% thinner than the iPhone 16 Plus, which comes in at 7.8 millimeters. For comparison,
01:12the Galaxy S25 Edge is reportedly 5.84 millimeters. So if these leaks are accurate, the iPhone 17 Air
01:19might not just be Apple's thinnest phone. It could be the thinnest mainstream phone on the market,
01:24period. I've also seen some interesting rumors about the display. The iPhone 17 Air is believed
01:29to feature a 6.6-inch OLED panel that's slightly smaller than the 6.7 inches on the 16 Plus,
01:35but still very much in the big screen category. Even better, Apple is reportedly bringing over LTPO
01:40technology, allowing for a 120Hz refresh rate and always-on display features. That would be a huge
01:46upgrade, especially for a non-pro iPhone. Now, let's talk cameras. This is where things get a
01:52little dicey. The iPhone 17 Air is tipped to have a single 48-megapixel wide camera on the back.
01:58That's it. No ultra-wide, no telephoto. While Apple will probably use pixel binning or digital
02:02cropping to simulate 2x zoom, it's still a step back in terms of flexibility and honestly makes
02:07it more comparable capability-wise to the iPhone 16e. The front camera, though, that's getting a bump to
02:1324 megapixels, which should mean better, more detailed selfies. Since I just mentioned the iPhone
02:1816e, make sure you've checked out all of the iPhone 16e videos on this channel. We've actually shown off
02:23a bunch of photo comparisons and other underrated features. And if this is your first time on this
02:27channel, thanks for watching and hit that subscribe button if you like videos about Apple devices and
02:32other tech. Back to the iPhone 17 Air. Under the hood, we're looking at the new A19 chip, the same one
02:38expected on the standard iPhone 17, not the A19 Pro that'll ship in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
02:45Built on the 3nm process, the A19 might not be a huge leap in terms of raw performance, but rumor
02:50has it Apple's adding a vapor chamber heatsink for better sustained speeds. Gamers and power users,
02:55take note. One of the biggest concerns with the iPhone 17 Air is battery life. Can something this
02:59thin really last all day? Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple's aiming for battery life on par with
03:04current iPhones, which is a wide range. If you've been here before, you probably heard about our
03:09battery life tests. And you know that the battery life of a standard iPhone is vastly different from
03:14that of a Pro Max version. I'm talking several hours difference in some cases. But all that said,
03:18if the 17 Air can hit, let's say, 12.5 hours or more, like the standard iPhone 16, that would be
03:24impressive and also shut down a lot of concerns people have about whether this new era of super thin
03:28phones can actually last long enough to be practical. As for the iPhone 17 Air's price and
03:35how much all the features I've talked about in this video will cost, there's obviously no official
03:39word from Apple yet. But $899 seems likely, the same as the current starting price of the iPhone 16 Plus.
03:45But I wouldn't be shocked if the price climbs to $999 though, with rumors of Apple possibly raising
03:51prices across the board due to tariffs. That said, with carrier incentives and trade-ins,
03:56the real-world difference between models might not be as big as it seems. But we'll just have
04:01to wait and see. From my standpoint, if Apple can deliver on battery and performance without
04:05sacrificing too much in the name of thinness, the iPhone 17 Air could be a hit. Think MacBook Air,
04:10but for your pocket. But if too much is stripped out, it risks becoming a forgettable middle child.
04:16So what's your take on these iPhone 17 Air rumors? Drop us a comment, like, subscribe,
04:20and turn on notifications so you don't miss any major Apple news coming up soon. And check out Tom's guide
04:25on social for more awesome content. For Tom's guide, this is Mark Spoonhour.
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