- Reputable analyst Mark Gurman predicts the iPhone 17 Air won't be a big hit
- Leaks support this theory, with major spec compromises and a not especially thin design being tipped
- Gurman suggests a foldable iPhone could prove much more popular
In recent years Apple has tried to expand its iPhone line with new models like the mini and Plus, and so far these models haven’t been especially successful, at least by iPhone standards. Apple’s next attempt at an alternative iPhone could be the rumored iPhone 17 Air, but a reputable analyst predicts this won’t fare any better.
In his latest subscriber-only newsletter for Bloomberg (via Phone Arena) Mark Gurman has predicted that “the 'iPhone Air' will suffer the same fate as the mini and Plus lines.”
Gurman argues that with this rumored slimmed-down phone, Apple is attempting to replicate the success it found with the MacBook Air, with the iPhone Air positioned as “a mid-tier offering at a great price, for people who don’t need the most impressive specifications.”
However, Gurman doesn’t think this strategy will work as well with phones as with laptops, and while he doesn’t say why, there are some obvious potential issues.
Too many compromises for too little gain
For one thing, the iPhone 17 Air's key selling point is expected to be a slimmer and probably also lighter build than current iPhones, but phones – even large ones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max – aren’t massive, heavy things in the first place, so slimming them down will have less impact than it does with a laptop.
And going by leaks, the iPhone 17 Air might not actually be as slim as Apple hoped anyway, while the spec compromises – including rumors of just one camera on the back of the iPhone 17 Air – could be big enough to put people off.
So what can Apple do? Well, in Gurman’s view “the only alternative iPhone that will sell well is a foldable model.” That would make sense – a foldable iPhone is a radically different proposition to any current models, and would probably slot in above even the Pro Max phones, which currently tend to be the most popular.
We might not be waiting too much longer for a foldable iPhone either, as while leakers disagree about if or when such a device will launch, the most recent claim we’ve heard is that the foldable iPhone could land in 2025. In which case, we could soon see whether that or the iPhone 17 Air proves the more popular new kind of iPhone.
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