Rumors about Apple iPhone models for 2025 are already starting to circulate, even though we’re still waiting for the iPhone 16 series to be officially announced this fall. While we’re still pretty far out for the anticipated release of the iPhone 17 models next year, that hasn’t stopped speculation that Apple may be set for a major change to its iPhone 17 lineup with the release of a much slimmer iPhone called the iPhone Air.
The source of this speculation — and that’s all it is so far — is Front Page Tech’s Jon Prosser, who posted a 12-minute YouTube video delving into Apple’s changing the lineup of the iPhone 17 models and introducing a new device with a new name.
Prosser’s take is interesting because he speculates that, unlike previous rumors, the iPhone Air would not be a top-tier model. Instead, Prosser thinks it’ll be a device priced around the same range as the iPhone 15 Plus, which starts at $899 for the base model. While we wouldn’t call that “cheap,” it’s certainly not as expensive as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which starts at $1,199.
In the video, Prosser also mentions some of the other rumors around the slimmer iPhone model, including that it’ll have a redesigned camera, along with a contradictory rumor that it’ll cost $1,299, which Prosser doesn’t find credible. He believes that the iPhone Air will be designed as a replacement for the iPhone 17 Plus, effectively making the larger screen device more practical and portable. That would also line up with rumors that Apple will discontinue the Plus model in the iPhone lineup entirely in favor of the iPhone Air and that the device will have an A19 chip rather than the higher-end A19 Pro.
As for the concrete grounding for this speculation, well, there isn’t very much currently. Previous rumors from Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that the iPhone Air might also be called the iPhone 17 Slim and that the device will be 6.6 inches diagonally, making it larger than the iPhone 17 but smaller than the Plus model. The screen resolution may be 2740×1260, and the Dynamic Island may still be present.
This was partially contradicted later on by Ice Universe, who tweeted that the iPhone 17 Slim (also called Ultra) would cost $1,299 and come with a 6.65-inch LTPO display, but confirming the A19 chip, dual array rear camera and 8GB of RAM. This would lend more credence to Prosser’s theory that the iPhone Air will be priced lower than expected and act to replace the iPhone 17 Plus.
Of course, we’re still so far out that all of these rumors and speculation should be taken with a grain of salt. The iPhone 17 series isn’t expected to launch until September 2025, so there will be tons of time to gather more information as the year goes on.
