Report: iPhone 17 Air prototypes between 5 and 6mm thick, will lack mmWave 5G and second speaker

A new report from The Information today once again highlights Apple’s work on an ultra-thin “iPhone 17 Air” set to launch next year. According to the report, iPhone 17 Air prototypes are between 5 and 6 millimeters thick, a dramatic reduction compared to the iPhone 16 at 7.8 mm.

This focus on making the device as thin as possible has reportedly put Apple engineers in several predicaments…

First, The Information cites multiple sources who say that Apple engineers are “finding it hard to fit the battery and thermal materials into the device.” An earlier supply chain report also detailed Apple’s struggles with battery technology for the iPhone 17 Air.

The iPhone 6 currently holds the title as Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever. It measured in at 6.9mm, while the iPhone 6 Plus measured 7.1mm thin. The 11-inch M4 iPad Pro measures just 5.4mm thick, while the 13-inch iPad Pro model measures 5.1mm.

• iPhone 16: 7.80mm
• iPhone 16 Plus: 7.80mm
• iPhone 16 Pro: 8.25mm
• iPhone 16 Pro Max: 8.25

Additionally, the report says that the iPhone 17 Air will only have a single earpiece speaker because of its ultra-thin design. Current iPhone models have a second speaker at the bottom.

The Information also reiterates that the iPhone 17 Air will have a single camera on the back housed in a “large, centered camera bump” on the back of the device.

The iPhone 17 Air will be “among the first iPhones” to use Apple’s in-house 5G modem, according to the report. As it stands right now, however, Apple’s modem still can’t match Qualcomm’s 5G chips in terms of performance, although it is more efficient. It also lacks support for mmWave 5G:

However, Apple’s in-house modem doesn’t perform as well as Qualcomm’s. Its peak speeds are lower and its ability to stay connected to cellular networks is slightly less reliable, the person said. And Apple’s in-house modem lacks support for millimeter wave, a technology introduced in the iPhone 12 that allows for higher cellular speeds in certain areas.

Finally, The Information says that Apple engineers haven’t yet found a way to fit a physical SIM card tray in the iPhone 17 Air. While Apple has gradually phased out physical SIM cards in the United States and other countries, a SIM card slot is still required for phones sold in China.

“The Chinese telcos don’t support eSIM for mobile phones owing to the risk that this system would not allow the telcos to be able to verify the personal identity of each user,” said Edison Lee, head of Chinese technology, telecom and software research at Jefferies. “China is enforcing a real-name registration system for all mobile users, and thus the telcos don’t generally support eSIM except for Apple Watch and iPad.”

The iPhone 17 Air is reportedly in early production trials at Foxconn and recently graduated form proto-1 to proto-2 status.