- The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be 5.5mm thick
- It is expected to replace the iPhone 16 Plus
- Rumor has it that Samsung will also launch a Galaxy S25 Slim
If the rumors are true, we will get a new iPhone model this year: the iPhone 17 Air. Thanks to a well-known Apple analyst, we may now know how thin this device will be – and it will apparently beat the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim in terms of thinness.
According to Ming Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), the iPhone 17 Air will measure just 5.5mm, front to back, at its thinnest point. For comparison: the current iPhone 16 measures 7.8 mm from front to back – so the new phone will be almost 30% thinner.
From what we’ve heard about the Galaxy S25 Slim, it will be 6.xmm thick. If you’re looking for the thinnest flagship phone you can buy in 2025, it could very well be the iPhone 17 Air – although these dimensions are of course yet to be confirmed.
The iPhone 17 Air may only offer eSIM support and do away with the physical SIM card slot to reduce thickness, Kuo said. The expectation is that the device will replace the iPhone 16 Plus from the current range.
Slimming
The Plus model is reportedly the least popular in the iPhone range, and Apple is hoping it can drive some additional sales with a new design and name – with the phone’s thinness apparently being the main selling point.
If the 5.5mm prediction is correct, the iPhone 17 Air would claim the honor of being the thinnest iPhone ever built. The current record holder in that regard is the iPhone 6, which was launched in 2014 and measures 6.9 mm from front to back.
The phone is also rumored to use a thinner and more efficient display technology, which will help it reach the 5.5mm target. As with the other iPhone 17, we can also look forward to a performance improvement.
However, it will be Samsung that will be the first to show off its super-thin phone: the next Samsung Unpacked event is scheduled for January 22 and we think we’ll see four different Samsung Galaxy S25 models, including the Galaxy S25 Slim.