• The iPhone 17 Air is tipped to be just 5.5 mm thick
• A weight of 143 grams has also been rumored
• The battery capacity is predicted to be 2,800 mAh

It’s the year of the ultra-thin phone, and after the grand unveiling of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this week, we now have some rumored specs for the iPhone 17 Air that Apple is expected to be unveiling in September.

According to well-known tipster Yeux1122 (via @Jukanlosreve), the iPhone 17 Air is going to be a mere 5.5 mm front to back – that beats the 5.8 mm thickness of the Galaxy S25 Edge by a narrow margin.

The other details revealed here are that it’s going to come with a 2,800 mAh battery (compared to 3,900 mAh for the Galaxy S25 Edge) and weighs around 145 grams (compared to 163 grams for the Samsung model).

Considering the iPhone 16 comes with a 3,561 mAh battery packed inside, that raises some questions about just how long the iPhone 17 Air is going to last between charges – and whether you’ll be able to make it through the day without plugging it in.

Battery capacities and cases

Let’s hope Apple’s engineers are able to find a way to get as much juice as possible from this smaller battery and super-thin frame. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is usually reliable when it comes to Apple rumors, says the iPhone 17 Air battery life is going to be on a par with current iPhones.

We’ve also heard that Apple is going to introduce new high-density battery technology with this model, meaning more battery life from less capacity. Apparently the same tech is set for the upcoming foldable iPhone as well.

Also of note: one source says Apple is going to bring back its official iPhone battery case this year, in order to make up for battery shortcomings with the iPhone 17 Air. You might want to factor that into your budget if you’re thinking of picking one up.

While nothing is confirmed yet, the iPhone 17 Air is widely expected to be replacing the iPhone 16 Plus in the current lineup. There has also been a lot of talk about a significant redesign for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models, so there’s a lot to look forward to in September.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you’ll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.