If you've been trying to get a handle on how thin the rumored iPhone 17 Air is going to wind up being, this has really been your week.
A series of leaks — first videos and now some still photos — show off what looks to be an iPhone 17 Air dummy unit. More importantly, the images shows off that dummy unit next to other iPhones, both current and upcoming.
The verdict: The iPhone 17 Air is going to be really thin.
Just how thin becomes apparent in an Unbox Therapy video containing the leaked iPhone 17 Air dummy unit. Host Lewis Hilsenteger breaks out the calipers to measure the Air model at its thinnest point.
The measurement comes out to be 5.65mm, which is in line with the rumors we've heard so far. It also happens to be more than 3mm thinner than the iPhone 17 Pro Max dummy unit featured in the same video.
If you prefer photos to words to drive home the point, leaker Sonny Dickson took to X to post images in which dummy units for all four rumored iPhone 17 models are stacked up against each other. Let's just say it's not difficult picking out the Air from the crowd.
All of this is good news if you're hoping for an iPhone design this fall that really stands out and represents something truly different from what Apple's being releasing the past several years.
But the same question I've had since it first became apparent that the iPhone 17 Air is likely to happen is still gnawing at me even after seeing the dramatic difference in dummy unit sizes.
Is a thinner design all there is to the Air?
It's a question that Apple will eventually answer, once the iPhone 17 release date rolls around. And the same thing goes with the Galaxy S25 Edge — another ultra thin-phone that seems to be launching even sooner if you believe the reports of the mid-May release for this already previewed device.
Whether we're talking Air or Edge, the issue remains the same — we know we're getting thinner phones, but we don't know what else these devices are bringing to the table.
And the whole thing is giving me the same vibes I've felt about the initial foldable phones that started arriving a few years back.
The trouble with foldable phones
It's been nearly six years since the original Galaxy Z Fold made its debut. Later this year, we should see the Galaxy Z Fold 7 alongside a new foldable flip phone from Samsung. And you've got competitors like OnePlus and Google offering foldable devices of their own.
And yet, as impressive as the best foldable phones are, no one has really made the case for why you should buy one — especially since the book-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 cost twice as much as a flagship phone with a more conventional design.
I mean, there's a basic argument in favor of foldable phones: Look at how the screen folds! And if you use your phone as your primary device, then having a larger screen that folds into something portable can come in handy.
But I don't really see foldable phones taking advantage of their unique designs, apart from a few fledgling efforts at improved multitasking.
Part of this comes down to the apps you run on the phone — while some have been optimized for foldable phones, many more have not. And thus, you have little incentive to switch to a foldable phone if you haven't already been swayed by unusual design and improved portability.
In 2024, the market research firm TrendForce issued a report saying that foldables make up just 1.5% of the overall market. And it predicts that could grow to just 5% by 2028.
Risks for the iPhone 17 Air and Galaxy S25 Edge
I fear that ultra-thin phones like the iPhone 17 Air and Galaxy S25 Edge could find themselves in the same boat if the focus remains entirely on how slim they are. That's especially risky if that thinness comes at the expense of other features like cameras and battery life.
The Air, for example, is likely to be limited to just one rear camera, and who knows if these phones are going to approach the impressive longevity you see from models like the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra, both of which rank highly on our best phone battery life list.
The iPhone 17 Air will reportedly feature a "high-density" battery, which could help with endurance. And Apple's own C1 modem, which is designed to be more efficient that Qualcomm's modem, could help.
Does Motorola have the answer?
Of course, there's another foldable phone that shows ultra-thin phones a way forward — a way of carving out your own niche. And that would be Motorola's lineup of Razr flip phones.
I've been impressed by the last two iterations of the Motorola Razr, and the just unveiled 2025 models look equally impressive based on the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 hands-on that my colleague John Velasco just published.
These are impressively powerful phones — both the Plus and Ultra models feature a high-end Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset — and there's little compromise on cameras, as the Razr Plus (2025) includes a dedicated telephoto lens.
The phones take advantage of their form factor, with a camcorder mode that lets you hold the phone in such a way while capturing video as to turn its cover display into a preview screen.
But just as significantly, Motorola leans into style as well as substance with the Razr lineup. All you have to do is the colors and finishes available for the different Razr models to see that the phones are as much about making a fashion statement as they are about any other feature. That's not going to appeal to everyone looking for a new phone, but there's definitely an audience for that approach.
It also helps that the Razrs are relatively affordable as far as foldable devices go. The most expensive model, the Motorola Razr Ultra, costs $1,299, but you can get a standard Razr for as little as $699.
The iPhone 17 Air is rumored to be a stepping stone for Apple's design team as it seeks to release an iPhone 17 Fold next year. The company reportedly is leveraging the thinness of the Air to make a better foldable.
But this new foldable iPhone is reportedly a book-style design like the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and not a flip phone.
Ultrathin phone outlook
So that's a possible road map to success for slimmer phones like the iPhone 17 Air and Galaxy S25 Edge. You've already got the thinner design to grab attention, but find some other way to hook an audience, whether that's performance, durability or some other feature.
And why you're doing all that, make sure to keep the price in line with what people are willing to pay.
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