2025 is shaping up to be the year of the super-skinny phone, and there’s no better example of that than the rumored iPhone 17 Air. The brand new design is set to replacement for the iPhone Plus, which reportedly has had fairly limited appeal.
Unfortunately, I have some concerns about the iPhone 17 Air's rumored design. Not the giant camera bar, which has had a lot of attention in recent weeks. Instead I’m worried about the reception to the phone’s lightweight design. And that’s all thanks to the Pixel 9a.
The Pixel 9a’s design seems... off
The first time I picked up the Pixel 9a, something seemed a little... off about it. I couldn’t place it at first, and it wasn’t until I picked up the Pixel 8a that it finally clicked in my brain. The new phone seems considerably lighter than its predecessor, to the point that it’s actually pretty disconcerting.
The crazy thing about this is that this isn’t actually the case. The Pixel 9a is 6.56 ounces (186 grams), while the 8a is 6.63 ounces (188 grams). That difference is minute, and an ordinary person would struggle to register that change.
What is noticeably different is the size of the phone. It’s a small change, we’re only talking a few millimeters difference in the dimensions — and the larger screen is only 0.2 inches bigger on the Pixel 9a. But it’s enough that you can tell the phone is bigger than last year’s model.
It made me realize just how much even the smallest design change can impact how we experience our phones. The Pixel 9a is, honestly, not that different from the Pixel 8a from a hardware perspective. But that’s still enough to completely change my feelings with it.
Imagine how much that could change with a phone like the iPhone 17 Air, which seems set to be unlike any iPhone Apple has released in recent years.
iPhone 17 Air design needs to account for this
Rumors so far paint a very interesting picture for the iPhone 17 Air, and I’m not just talking about the extended camera bar. Word is that it’ll maintain the larger 6.7-inch display we saw on iPhone 16 Plus, but with a much thinner body. it's rumored to be 5.5 mm at its thinnest point, compared to the 16 Plus’s 7.8mm.
Apple really needs to focus on making sure the phone still feels sturdy and durable — despite the super slim design
We don’t know how much the phone weighs right now, but with that much thickness shaved off the phone and the lack of an additional camera lens, we can expect it to come in noticeably lighter than the iPhone 16 Plus’s 199 grams/7 ounces.
You may assume the biggest challenge Apple has is making the iPhone 17 Air quite so thin. But my experience with the Pixel 9a tells me Apple really needs to focus on making sure the phone still feels sturdy and durable — despite the super slim design.
Because if Apple’s not careful, the iPhone 17 Air might seem more like a toy phone than a serious smartphone. Any marketing expert will tell you that expectation and perception are a big part of why people like the things they like, and if someone doesn’t like the way the iPhone 17 Air sits in their hand then they’re going to be immediately turned off.
It reminds me of the Tecno Spark Slim, which I saw at MWC 2025. That phone weighs 5.07-ounces, and it was explained that some of that weight was artificial. It was added because, without it, the phone felt cheap and toy-like.
Apple definitely doesn’t want that, not for a brand that prides itself on premium design.
iPhone 17 Air design: Bottom line
The Pixel 9a has been eye-opening in a lot of ways, because it showed first hand that smartphone design is far more fickle than I imagined. It’s not just about Tetris-ing the parts into the phone to make it all work. Even the most subtle of changes can change how the phone actually feels to use.
The launch of the iPhone 17 series is going to be something unique, considering all the design changes that are allegedly in the cards. But the iPhone 17 Air has the potential to be the star of the show, or the black sheep of the entire lineup. It’s all going to depend on whether Apple can make the design work.
Fortunately, despite some blunders with things like the botched launch of Apple Intelligence, Apple does have a reputation for getting the design side of things right. Let’s just hope it can keep that going for the super-slim iPhone.
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