It sounds unbelievable, but the unveiling of the new iPhone 17 series is only about two and a half months away. The spotlight will be on the rumored new ultra-thin iPhone model that has been dubbed the iPhone 17 Air. This model reportedly will be powered by the A19 application processor (AP), not the A19 Pro AP. It also will supposedly feature 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM which is just enough to allow the phone to support Apple Intelligence.
The iPhone 17 Air could be as thin as 5.5mm which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever shipped taking the title from the iPhone 6 (6.9mm). It would even be thinner than last year’s M4-powered iPad Air. Both the 11-inch and 13-inch variants weigh in at 6.1mm thin. The iPhone 17 Air will also challenge the 11-inch M4-powered iPad Pro which is 5.3mm thin.
Being so thin, we expect the
iPhone 17 Air to be a little shortchanged in the battery department since the device has limited internal space for a larger battery to fit. So those looking to purchase the
iPhone 17 Air this year do have to consider the possibility that their
iPhone 17 Air units will be handicapped as far as battery life is concerned. In fact, a new report out of Korea suggests that those thinking about purchasing the
iPhone 17 Air this year
should try to hold off until 2027’s iPhone 19 Air.
The report says that Apple is looking to add a new low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) organic light-emitting diode (OLED) to the iPhone 19 series expected to be released in 2027. What this could do is reduce the battery munching ways of the display. Apple hasn’t decided yet whether to use this new technology. This decision will be made during this year’s third quarter and most analysts expect Apple to use the technology on the iPhone 19 Air.
Apple’s new iPhone Air model won’t have enough internal space to put a large capacity battery. | Image credit-Unknown
As we’ve pointed out, the thin body used with the iPhone Air will require Apple to try anything to give the device a decent battery life. After all, what is the point of having a great-looking thin iPhone model in your hand if it needs to be plugged in during the day? To reiterate, the first time we might see the new tech on the iPhone screen will be 2027. So you could wait until this year’s third quarter to see if any word leaks about Apple’s intention to add the new low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin-film transistor (TFT) to the iPhone 19 line.
If Apple does decide to use the new LTPO technology for its 2027 models, you might want to hold off on purchasing the new iPhone Air model until 2027. Not only should you experience longer battery life with the iPhone 19 Air, but you’ll also have a couple of years to determine whether the ultra-thin iPhone is something you really want and need.
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Source: Phone Arena
