- iPhone 17 Air rumored to be 5.5mm thick
- It is expected to replace the iPhone 16 Plus
- Samsung is rumored to also launch a Galaxy S25 Slim
If the rumors are true, this year we will have a new iPhone model: the iPhone 17 Air. Courtesy of a well-known Apple analyst, we may now know how thin this phone will be, and it will apparently surpass the Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim in terms of thinness.
According to Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors), the iPhone 17 Air will be just 5.5mm, front to back, at its thinnest point. For comparison, the current iPhone 16 measures 7.8mm from front to back, so the new phone will be almost 30% thinner.
From what we have heard about the Galaxy S25 Slim, it will be 6.x mm thick. If you’re looking for the thinnest flagship phone you can buy in 2025, then it could well be the iPhone 17 Air, although these dimensions are yet to be confirmed, of course.
The iPhone 17 Air may only offer eSIM support and eliminate the physical SIM card slot to reduce thickness, according to Kuo. The phone is expected to replace the iPhone 16 Plus in the current range.
Thin
The Plus model is reportedly the least popular model in the iPhone range, and Apple hopes some additional sales can be generated with a redesign and new name, with the phone’s thinness apparently being the key selling point.
If the 5.5mm prediction is correct, then 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, released in 2014, which measured 6.9mm from front to back.
The phone is also rumored to use a thinner and more efficient display technology, which will help achieve the 5.5mm target. As with the other iPhone 17, we can also expect an increase in performance.
However, it will be Samsung who will show off its super slim phone first – 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.
