(Credit: Eric Zeman/PCMag)
Apple has long been rumored to be developing a slimmer iPhone 17 “Air” model. In addition to making it thinnest iPhone yet, Apple considered removing the single port, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.
The removal of the USB-C connector would require users to charge the phone wirelessly and sync all data to the cloud sans cable. While a similar approach has worked for the Apple Watch, Gurman says the company ultimately decided against it for the iPhone 17 Air, primarily due to EU regulations.
According to Gurman, there were concerns within the company that removing the USB-C connector would irk EU regulators, who last year mandated USB-C charging ports for all small and medium-sized electronic devices sold in the 27-country bloc. This is one of the major reasons Apple ditched the iPhone's Lightning charging port. The EU has already been scrutinizing Apple for its App Store practices.
The idea of the portless iPhone seems to have been quashed for now, but Apple executives might revisit the idea if the iPhone 17 Air succeeds, Gurman adds.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be released this fall and be 2 millimeters thinner than the 8.25 mm iPhone 16 Pro, according to Gurman. At 6.25 mm, the 17 Air would overtake the iPhone 6 (6.9mm; released back in 2014), as the thinnest iPhone ever. Gurman had previously reported that the iPhone Air is part of Apple’s long-term plans to create “the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry.”
Photos of iPhone 17 mockups shared by leaker Sonny Dickson on Sunday indicate how thin the 17 Air could compare with other models in the iPhone lineup.
If the rumors hold true, the 17 Air would be positioned between the base and Pro models and come with a 6.6-inch ProMotion display, a 48-megapixel rear camera, an A19 chip, the new C1 modem, and the Camera Control button. When it comes to pricing, a source tells Gurman the phone would cost around $900, the same as the iPhone 16 Plus variant it could potentially replace.