The iPhone 17 Air leaks keep coming in, and the latest one compares its dummy model to the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple’s upcoming iPhone is expected to replace the Plus model, which has seen three generations of phone launches since the company discontinued its Mini series. The iPhone 17 Air is tipped to be the thinnest Apple phone ever, and the latest images support those expectations.
Reputed leaker Majin Bu posted two hands-on images of the iPhone 17 Air dummy model next to an iPhone 16 Pro Max, captioned, “iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Air in comparison.” There are four major takeaways from these photos.
First, the iPhone 17 Air looks almost half as thick as the iPhone 16 Pro Max. It is said to measure 5.44mm in thickness, which is just slightly more than Apple’s slimmest product, the M4 iPad Pro (5.1mm). In comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 8.25mm thick, so you can expect an almost 35% reduction in thickness.
The iPhone 17 Air could potentially become the world’s thinnest phone, as the Tecno Spark Slim concept phone showcased at MWC 2025 measures 5.75mm, and the upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge is expected to be 5.84mm thick.
Second, the iPhone 17 Air retains the same button layout as the iPhone 16 series on the left side — an Action Button followed by the volume rockers located below it.
Third, iPhone 17 Air’s Nexus 6P-like camera module appears slimmer than the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s camera housing. However, you’ll lose the versatility of an ultrawide-angle lens and the zooming capabilities of a telephoto sensor.
Fourth, the iPhone 17 Air looks shorter than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. This supports a Bloomberg report that said the Air’s screen size could fall between the 6.3-inch iPhone 16 Pro and the 6.9-inch iPhone 16 Pro Max, similar to iPhone 16 Plus. Several rumors have hinted at a 6.6-inch ProMotion-equipped OLED screen with ultra-slim bezels.
Reportedly, Apple considered making its upcoming iPhone 17 Air as large as the 16 Pro Max but scrapped the idea due to durability concerns. After all, a large display on a thin device could bend more easily.
Apple iPhone 17 Air: What Else Do We Know So Far?
The iPhone 17 Air might sport an upgraded 24MP front camera (up from 12MP in the iPhone 16 lineup) and retain the pill-shaped notch. It could be powered by the Apple A18 or A19 chipset, paired with 8GB of RAM. This would put it on par with the base iPhone 17.
It is likely to launch with iOS 19, which is expected to bring a major overhaul to the iPhone’s operating system. Apple’s iOS 19 is rumored to let users customize the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system buttons. The company is said to simplify the way users navigate and control their devices, borrowing design cues from the Vision Pro’s operating system.
Apple’s all-new iPhone is expected to cost around $900 and will likely debut alongside the rest of the iPhone 17 series in September. The final lineup could look like this: iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
