- The iPhone 17 Air could start at $899
- That's the same price as the iPhone 16 Plus
- It might also have battery life that's on a par with current iPhones
While we don't yet know much about the iPhone 17 Air, we were concerned that its reportedly super-slim design would mean both a high price and poor battery life – but the latest iPhone 17 Air news suggests that neither of those things will be the case.
According to Apple watcher Mark Gurman, writing in his paywalled Bloomberg newsletter (via MacRumors), the iPhone 17 Air will start at $899 in the US. Now, that’s not exactly cheap, but it is exactly the same price as the iPhone 16 Plus, which would likely make it the second-cheapest iPhone 17 model after the base iPhone 17.
If this price claim is accurate, then there’s a good chance the iPhone 17 Air will also have the same starting price as the iPhone 16 Plus elsewhere, meaning £899 in the UK and AU$1,599.
In the same piece, Gurman says the iPhone 17 Air’s battery life will be "on par with current iPhones," despite the likely slim build presumably leaving less space for a large battery. Gurman doesn't say how this will be achieved, but another recent iPhone 17 Air leak suggested that it will use “high-density battery cells.”
In any case, Gurman also details some other specs, claiming that the iPhone 17 Air will have a Camera Control button like the iPhone 16 series, and that its bezels will be roughly as thin as those of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Additionally, he says the iPhone 17 Air will have a 6.6-inch 120Hz display, a Dynamic Island, a single-lens 48MP camera, and an A19 chip rather than the A19 Pro that we’re expecting the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max to have.
The first port-free iPhone
This is largely stuff that we’ve heard before – as is a claim that the phone it will be eSIM-only worldwide – but interestingly Gurman also adds (via Engadget) that Apple had originally considered making the phone “completely port-free” by not including a USB-C charging port.
This plan was apparently abandoned not for any technical reasons, but to avoid issues in the EU – which not so long ago forced Apple’s hand in switching from Lightning ports to USB-C. However, Gurman adds that we may yet see a port-free iPhone in future.
We're expecting Apple to unveil the iPhone 17 Air in September, alongside the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup.
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