The iPhone line has been quite stable in terms of design for a long time. Each new update brings minor changes, while the general elements remain constant. However, the company is planning to release a new iPhone 17 model next year, which will be much thinner than the current devices. This smartphone is rumored to be called the iPhone 17 Air. However, Apple seems to be facing problems that prevent it from making the device as thin as planned.
According to Naver insider yeux1122, Apple is facing difficulties in trying to make the iPhone 17 Air significantly thinner than current models. The company is having trouble because the battery is made of a thinner substrate, and it looks like Apple will have to make some compromises. The high cost of production is also forcing the company to stay with the existing battery technology, which is why the iPhone 17 Air will be less thin than expected.
According to the original design of the iPhone 17 Air, the technology was supposed to allow for thinner batteries than in current models. In this ultra-thin model, the battery is 6 to 6.9 mm thick. For comparison, the iPhone 6, which was released in 2014, was 6.9 mm thick (along with the bendgate problem). It is likely that the new device will be thicker than 6.9 mm because it needs to accommodate additional components. This means that the iPhone 17 Air will not be thinner than the iPhone 6.
Thus, the iPad Pro with a 13-inch OLED screen and M4 chip is likely to remain the thinnest device the company has ever produced. This tablet is only 5.1 mm thick, while the 11-inch model is 5.4 mm thick. The iPhone 16 Plus is 7.6 mm thick, and this is the device that the iPhone 17 Air is likely to replace next year. Whether the company will be able to achieve a breakthrough is still unknown, so it is too early to draw final conclusions about the design.
Source: wccftech