The iPhone 17 Air is one of the most anticipated phones of the year. And it's easy to see why.
Apple's rumored replacement for the iPhone Plus in its lineup is tipped to be the thinnest iPhone ever at 5.5mm thick. And it will challenge the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge in a new category of ultra sleek handsets.
Now we are getting more info about the iPhone 17 Air specs, and it looks like this handset will have an exclusive feature that could help land it on our best phones list.
Apple C1 Modem for iPhone 17 Air
The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly get a connectivity upgrade that the other iPhone 17 models will not, according to Jeff Pu of GF Securities (via MacRumors).
After debuting its C1 modem in the iPhone 16e, Apple will apparently bring the chip next to the iPhone 17 Air, expected later this year. However, the other iPhone 17 models, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, will apparently still use a Qualcomm 5G modem like previous iPhones.
Apple sells the C1 chip on its efficiency over previous modems, but its use also benefits Apple by meaning it can rely less on third-party components. But Pu reports that Apple and Qualcomm's current modem supply agreement lasts until 2027, so Apple doesn't have to rush to move all its phones to C-series chips just yet.
Just this week, a separate report claimed that the iPhone 17 Air will have comparable battery life to other iPhones despite having a smaller battery. And the C1 modem could have a lot to do with that.
Pu adds that Apple's next-gen C2 modem is still a year off, and will appear first in the iPhone 18 Pro. This modem is tipped to add mmWave support, as well as offer greater speed and efficiency.
Wi-Fi 7 coming to all iPhone 17 models
While three of four iPhone 17 models reportedly won't get a C1 chip, all four iPhone 17 devices should get a connectivity upgrade, again according to Jeff Pu (via MacRumors).
All of this year's new iPhones will reportedly use a new in-house Wi-Fi 7 chip that Apple has had ready since H1, 2024, Pu explains. Similar to the cellular chip situation, you already get Wi-Fi 7 support on the whole iPhone 16 series, but with a Broadcom-made chip.
Going by how Apple announced its C1 modem, an Apple-made Wi-Fi chip should bring similar boosts to power efficiency at a minimum, and hopefully better performance too thanks to tighter integration with the rest of the iPhone.
It's sounding like Apple will have a lot to talk about this September. Stay tuned to our iPhone 17 Air hub, iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max guide and iPhone 17 hub for all the latest rumors and leaks.
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