Apple is reportedly planning to launch a new iPhone 17 Air model in 2025, which is expected to replace the “Plus” model in the company’s lineup. Instead of a larger version of the standard iPhone 17 model, Apple is said to be working on a thinner ‘Air’ model with a slimmer form factor. While the iPhone 17 Air was previously rumored to be Apple’s thinnest iPhone to date, new rumors out of South Korea suggest that the company is faced with reducing the thickness of the device.

Apple faces problems reducing the thickness of the iPhone 17 Air

According to details shared by user @yeux1122 in a post on Naver (in Korean), Apple encountered technical difficulties reducing the thickness of the alleged phone. The company was reportedly developing a new battery technology that would be based on a thinner internal substrate, but had to make technical compromises for several reasons.

Apple faced challenges related to the cost of new components for the thinner battery, as well as ensuring consistency during manufacturing, according to the source. As a result, the company is reportedly relying on its existing battery technology used in the iPhone 16, which means next year’s model’s battery could be at least 6mm thick.

If the latest rumors are true, then Apple is unlikely to replace the iPhone 16 Plus as the company’s thinnest phone. So far, the thinnest phone released by the company was the iPhone 6 (6.9mm), while Apple’s thinnest tablet is the iPad Pro (2024), which measures 5.1mm.

However, it’s worth noting that Apple’s iPhone 17 series is still months away, which means the company may have time to find a solution to the battery thickness. The company may also push back the release of the Air until it figures out how to reduce the size of the battery. We can expect to learn more about Apple’s plans in the coming months.