Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 lineup is expected to introduce a major shift in design and performance, with the company reportedly replacing its "Plus" model with an ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air. The device, rumored to be around 6mm thick at its thinnest point, could feature a significant camera bump, bringing its total thickness to 9.5mm, according to a claim by prominent leaker Ice Universe.
The iPhone 17 Air is anticipated to have a 6.6-inch to 6.7-inch display, positioning it between the standard iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Renders suggest that the device will feature a single rear camera on the left, with a microphone and LED flash on the right, enclosed in a horizontal camera bump reminiscent of Google Pixel phones.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously predicted that the iPhone 17 Air would be 5.5mm thick at its thinnest point, with an additional 4mm for the camera bump. These specifications, if accurate, would make the Air the thinnest iPhone ever released, though its full dimensions remain unconfirmed. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 lineup in mid-September.
Meanwhile, Apple is rumored to be adding a significant internal upgrade to its high-end models. The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max may feature vapor chamber cooling technology, a first for Apple's smartphones. A post by Weibo user Setsuna Digital, spotted by MacRumors, suggests that this feature will not be available on the standard iPhone 17 or the iPhone 17 Air.
The introduction of vapor chamber cooling would address Apple's long-standing thermal management issues, particularly when running demanding applications such as AAA games. Currently, performance in iPhones tends to decline over time due to thermal throttling, a problem that many Android manufacturers have mitigated by implementing similar cooling solutions.
The rumored vapor chamber would support the iPhone 17 Pro models' A19 Pro chipset, which is expected to be built on TSMC's third-generation 3nm process (N3P). This next-generation silicon could deliver a 10% improvement in power efficiency and a 5% performance boost compared to the previous node, according to industry reports. However, these gains may be marginal unless Apple successfully addresses the device's heat dissipation.
By incorporating vapor chamber cooling, Apple could allow the A19 Pro to sustain higher performance levels without overheating, which would be a notable advantage for users engaged in intensive workloads. However, it remains unclear whether the company will proceed with this feature in the final production models.
