The iPhone 17 Air could pave the way for Apple smartphones without ports.

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      The iPhone 17 Air is set to be Apple's next major smartphone undertaking. With a rumored thickness of merely 5.5 millimeters and a high-density battery, it will showcase various innovations later this year. However, Apple's ambitions for even slimmer devices in the future appear even more daring.

      As reported by Bloomberg, Apple is planning to create an incredibly thin phone that would completely eliminate physical ports. The concept for the iPhone 17 Air included this idea, but the company decided to postpone it for several reasons. “The larger vision was to have the Air device be Apple's first entirely port-free iPhone, excluding the charging port and physical SIM tray. This would entail eliminating the USB-C connector and embracing wireless charging along with cloud-based data synchronization,” the report states.

      One of the reasons for discarding the port-free design for the iPhone 17 Air was regulatory challenges, particularly within the EU. Apple was the last major manufacturer to utilize a proprietary port on its smartphones before transitioning to USB-C with the iPhone 15 series.

      The lack of a port would necessitate the iPhone 17 Air to depend entirely on the MagSafe wireless charging technology. Furthermore, data storage and transfer would have to heavily rely on the iCloud system since there would be no physical means to connect or transfer data.

      This move could prove cumbersome for average consumers, especially concerning repairability. Nonetheless, Apple seems serious about the concept. According to the Bloomberg report, should the iPhone 17 Air succeed, Apple may consider revisiting the idea of a port-free smartphone.

      Apple isn't the first company to pursue this concept. In 2019, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo introduced the Apex concept, a device devoid of a USB port, SIM tray, buttons, or even speakers. The entire screen functioned as a large fingerprint sensor.

      In the same year, Meizu unveiled the Zero concept, a premium phone idea without a charging port or headphone jack, which was put up for crowdfunding but did not meet its financial goal. Meizu later confirmed that the Zero was never intended for mass-market release. Nevertheless, it seems that 2025 will bring a resurgence of minimalist smartphone designs, with brands like Samsung, Honor, and Oppo reportedly developing their ultra-slim phones.

      Tecno also impressed at MWC 2025 with a working model of the Spark Slim smartphone. Xiaomi is also said to be working on a device entirely devoid of physical buttons, although the company has yet to comment on such plans.

      Are you curious to see just how thin the anticipated Apple iPhone 17 Air might be? An intriguing image has surfaced, seemingly showcasing Apple's next major device alongside the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max, with a notable difference in thickness. The iPhone 16 Pro Max measures 8.25mm thick, the same as the regular iPhone 16 Pro. From the photo, it appears that the iPhone 17 Air is roughly half its thickness.

      These images come from a known mobile news leaker, Majin Bu, on X, but no additional source has been provided. They seem to be screenshots from a video, indicating that more examples may be forthcoming, as hinted by Bu. If the iPhone 17 Air is indeed around 5mm thick, it would be thinner than Samsung's competing Galaxy S25 Edge, which is expected to be around 5.8mm thick.

      Welcome to our new iPad Air launch live blog. Apple has unveiled the new iPad Air featuring an M3 chip, along with an update to the entry-level iPad. The introduction of the new iPad Air has taken many by surprise, arriving just a day prior to an anticipated launch event for the new MacBook Air.

      Apple is not known for making bold hardware claims. The company typically enters the market later than others but often delivers a polished product that leads the smartphone market. The forthcoming ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air could change this trend significantly. Leakster Universe has reported on X that the upcoming “slim” addition to the iPhone 17 series will boast a thickness of just 5.5mm. It is also noted that except for the side profile, the iPhone 17 Air will match the height and width of the iPhone 17 Pro.