Apple, next year in 2025, is expected to introduce a brand-new iPhone, which could be called the iPhone 17 Air or iPhone 17 Slim. Regardless of the marketing name Apple chooses, this device is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever, measuring between 5mm-6mm thick. If this does materialise, it would surpass the iPhone 6, which at 6.9mm remains the thinnest iPhone to date. However, achieving this ultra-slim design may come at the cost of a significant component: the physical SIM tray.
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Apple iPhone 17 Air Could Omit The SIM Tray
The Information reports that the iPhone 17 Air could be so thin that Apple might not have space to include a physical SIM tray. While this wouldn’t pose an issue in the United States—where Apple has already transitioned to eSIM-only iPhones—this could be a challenge in markets like India, other Asian countries, and even parts of Europe, where physical SIM slots are still considered essential. Many users in these regions prefer the flexibility of swapping SIM cards.
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In India, dual SIM functionality is highly preferred, and while iPhones do offer this feature, one of the slots is a physical SIM, with the other requiring an eSIM. While this setup works for many, the absence of a physical SIM tray could pose challenges for Apple. Our research shows that US variants of the iPhone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro before it, are often sold for several thousand rupees less in the grey market compared to models from regions like Hong Kong, primarily because they lack a SIM tray—and this reflects the Indian mindset.
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More Compromises Could Be In Store
The Information has also reported on other potential compromises. For example, the iPhone 17 Air may feature a single speaker instead of the dual-speaker setups seen on current iPhones, due to space constraints. Additionally, the device might have only one rear camera, as opposed to the dual or triple camera setups found in recent models. These trade-offs could be necessary for Apple to achieve this razor- thin design.
Early prototypes are reportedly between 5mm and 6mm thick, which is notably slimmer than popular models like the iPhone 16 Pro (8.25mm) and the iPhone 16 (7.8mm). For context, Apple’s thinnest iPad, the iPad Pro with an OLED display, measures 5.4mm thick.
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