This fall, Apple is expected to release four new iPhones, all with a number 17 in their name. But one seems to be drawing most of the attention, a super-thin phone nicknamed iPhone 17 Air. A new leak shows how it might fit in the hand.
The report comes from prolific leaker Majin Bu who on Friday, April 5, posted an image of what the new phone may look like with a 3D model in somebody’s hand. Sure, it’s all in blue, but it gives a clear impression of the design.
It has the familiar MagSafe design etched into the back, and you can just see the Action Button and twin volume buttons on one edge and the Side Button on the other.
But what’s most striking on this new photo is at the top of the phone. The new phone is rumored to be around 5.5mm thick — which is remarkably thin — except for the bump we’re all used to on smartphones, that is, the camera panel.
Although there’s only one camera expected on the iPhone 17 Air, the panel is thought to stretch all the way across the iPhone, rather like the raised panel on the Google Pixel 9 Pro, for instance.
But where that raised bar justifies its presence because there are more camera lenses tucked away, here, there’s the lens on the left and the flash and microphone on the right.
What’s more, the camera lens rises out of the raised panel even further, doubtless because of the sheer physics of the phone. The physics mean that a lens and sensor have to be a certain distance apart for light to fall across the whole sensor.
I’ll be honest, the wide panel surprises me, but I will reserve judgment until I see the final item.
What does look good is the way the panel has a curved relief — it doesn’t jut out with cliff-edge sharpness. The curves mean the panel looks like it’s rising up organically from the device.
Much of the appeal of this phone will be down to the success of its design, so Apple needs to get it right. The thinness will certainly be head-turning, but how the rest of the phone looks is still up for debate.
And this image doesn’t reveal whether there’s a Camera Control on this phone. More as we have it.