The iPhone 17 Air might be too thin for its own good in some countries
Some more information about the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air has been covered in a new report. The device might rely on an embedded SIM card (eSIM) that is found on the motherboard of a device. That's because it appears that with the iPhone 17 Air measuring 6mm thjn or less, the structure of the phone's body will not be thick enough to support the inclusion of a SIM tray. That's what The Information's sources have been saying.
So far, all iPhone 17 Air prototypes have failed to include a sliding SIM tray simply because Apple engineers have been unable to fit such a tray in the body of the ultra-thin device. Another part of the phone that will require engineers to compromise because of the phone's extremely thin build is the camera bump. Only one rear camera is rumored to adorn the rear panel.
In the U.S., the lack of a SIM tray is not a big thing since all U.S. iPhone models since 2022's iPhone 14 line have been sold eSIM only in the States. In other countries, the lack of a SIM tray could matter although not to the extent as it will in China. That's because in China smartphone users must register their phones with their real names which cannot be done to the Chinese government's satisfaction using eSIM. Outside of its use for the Apple Watch and iPad, most Chinese carriers do not support eSIM. The iPhone 17 Air might not go on sale in China unless regulators in the country agree to loosen regulations which is something that they are supposedly discussing now.
Render of the iPhone 17 Air. | Image credit-FPT
The iPhone 17 Air could be one of the first devices to use Apple's in-house 5G modem chip instead of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 5G modem chip which the rest of the iPhone 17 line is expected to utilize. A few months before the iPhone 17 Air is unveiled next September, the in-house 5G modem chip could debut on the budget iPhone SE 4 model. Apple's home-grown 5G modem chip is smaller than Qualcomm's perhaps allowing it to consume less power. However, the Snapdragon 5G modem chip runs at faster clock speeds and is said to be more dependable when it comes to maintaining a cellular connection.
Apple's 5G modem chip also will not support the fastest mmWave spectrum. While these airwaves have the fastest downlink data speeds, the signals travel a small distance which is why most carriers now focus on mid-band 5G spectrum. The latter isn't as fast as mmWave, but does travel longer distances making it much easier for consumers to find and connect to.
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to have a higher starting price than the iPhone 17 Pro Max even though the ultra-thin model is not expected to have the superior specs found on the iPhone 17 Pro series.
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