Apple iPhone 17 Air variant may launch without SIM card slot in 2025

The new iPhone 17 Air is expected to come with 5.5mm thickness.

In August, multiple reports emerged that Apple is working on a new line of iPhone 17 with a slim profile and may replace the iPhone 16 Plus variant. Now, more information has emerged that the company will be making some drastic changes due to design limitations.

We are not sure what Apple will finally call the new iPhone model -- iPhone Slim or iPhone Air, but the engineers are battling against time to finalise the device's design, reported The Information, citing reliable sources inside Apple.

For the iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to come with just 5.5mm thickness, Apple engineers are working overtime doing permutations and combinations on where to put battery, thermal substrate (for efficient heat dissipation) and SIM card.

In all probability, Apple is expected to let go of the SIM card slot and customer has to enroll for e-SIM to operate iPhone 17 Air.

Though Apple has stopped offering physical SIM slots for iPhones in the US, the company is obliged to provide it in China. This means Apple may not be able to sell iPhone Air in mainland China, which is the company's second biggest market by country after the US.

The new iPhone 17 Air is expected to come with a 6.55-inch display and Apple may use a new type of high energy-density battery cell, which can store more power and occupy less space than compared to conventional phone batteries used in the current crop of premium phones.

Also, the camera design of the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be different compared to other iPhone 17, and 17 Pro models.

The iPhone 17 Air will have several new features and is expected to find more traction among iPhone loyalists in 2026. But, it may not come to China unless Apple comes up with an out-of-the-box solution.

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