iPhone 17 Air: we finally know how thick it's 'camera bar' may be - and yikes

Reputable tipster IceUniverse now has something curious to say about the overall thickness of the iPhone 17 Air. The Air, rumored to be Apple's take on super-slim phones, was previously said to be just 5.5mm 'at its thinnest part', and now, the leaker has something to say about its thickest part.

The upcoming iPhone 17 Air is expected to be a marvel of slimness and it's been long talked about to be the thinnest iPhone to date. Recently, reputable leaker IceUniverse confirmed our earlier anticipations of a thin body (without the cameras) of 5.5mm, which is absolutely spectacular if true and would make the iPhone significantly thinner than its potential slim-chic rival, the Galaxy S25 Edge (rumored to be 6.4mm thick).

There are also rumors saying the iPhone 17 Air may be even thinner, at 5.44mm.

A peculiar design change might be on the way, though - much to my reluctance to accept it, no matter how hard I try. A camera bar, a Pixel-esque camera bar, may house the cameras on the iPhone 17 Air. And taking its thickness into account, IceUniverse now tells us how thick the iPhone will be.



IceUniverse claims that the 'camera bar' (although this may not be what Apple ends up calling the peculiar design element) may be 4.0mm thick. Which practically is almost the same thickness as the phone itself. This means that at this part of the phone (the top part), its thickness would be 9.5mm.

However, this shouldn't make you think the iPhone 17 Air may drop out of the runway for failing to show up slim. If the rumors and renders about the design are accurate, the 'camera bar' or camera island of this iPhone will be a relatively narrow section on the back. But still, it's there.

Nevertheless, most of the phone's body will stay as slim as needed to claim the title of the thinnest iPhone ever. And you can bet Apple will make sure we hear that phrase a lot during the September event when it unveils the iPhone 17 lineup.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Air may solve its potentially terrible battery size situation by employing a new technology with high-density battery cells. The phone may replace the Plus model in the premium lineup, which should also consist of a base iPhone 17 and two Pro models -  the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which are also expected to sport new (and arguably strange) designs.

The iPhone 17 Air is set to go head-to-head with the upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge (assuming it even launches in the US) in the battle for the best slim flagship. The Galaxy S25 Edge might be a bit thicker than the iPhone and is rumored to be priced similarly to the S25 Plus, with a potential weight of 162g. But unlike Apple, Samsung is sticking to its signature Galaxy aesthetic - no bold, love-it-or-hate-it design shake-ups for this one.