Apple has officially announced that it will hold its fall product launch event at 1:00 AM Beijing time on September 10th. The star attraction will undoubtedly be the all-new iPhone 17 series. The most eye-catching feature is the new iPhone 17 Air, which will be marketed as an extremely thin and light model, completely replacing the previous Plus version.
This is actually Apple's third attempt to establish a fourth flagship product line between the standard and Pro models. Previously, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 14 Plus failed to achieve satisfactory market performance. From a product positioning perspective, the 12 mini is a smaller version of the standard 12, while the 14 Plus is a larger version of the standard 14. This time, Apple's strategy has shifted from "size" to "ultra-thinness."
Supply chain sources indicate that the iPhone 17 Air will feature extreme lightness. At just 5.5mm thick, it's at least 2mm thinner than the Pro version, making it the thinnest iPhone to date. It also weighs a mere 145 grams, almost identical to the 141 grams of the iPhone 13 mini from years ago. Additionally, some of its specifications mirror those of the Pro series, such as a 6.6-inch ProMotion display (supporting a 120Hz refresh rate) and 12GB of RAM.
However, to achieve its ultimate thinness and lightness, the iPhone 17 Air has made significant compromises in hardware configuration. According to CNMO, its battery is only 2.49mm thick and has a capacity of approximately 2800mAh, significantly lower than the 3300mAh+ battery in the 16 Pro series. Regarding the camera system, the iPhone 17 Air only features a single camera, a stark difference from the dual-lens setup of the standard model and the triple-lens setup of the Pro series. This configuration will be particularly out of place in the smartphone market in 2025.
Can the iPhone 17 Air become Apple's new hit, riding the wave of the Plus model?
In terms of the processor, rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Air will use the A19 Pro chip, but with fewer cores than the A19 Pro in the Pro series. It will also be the first to feature Apple's in-house developed baseband, becoming a testing ground for Apple's independent communication chip development.
In terms of price, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to start at $1,099 (estimated to start at 6,999 yuan in China), while the standard and Pro versions of the 17 with the same storage specifications are expected to cost $899 and $1,199, respectively.
Market sentiment is divided: optimism and pessimism coexist.
A survey by price comparison platform SellCell shows that 68.3% of US iPhone users plan to purchase the iPhone 17 series, with 13.5% expressing a clear interest in the Air model. Some foreign media and analysts are also optimistic about the iPhone 17 Air, believing that its slim body and new design will attract tech enthusiasts and young people, potentially recreating the upgrade craze that the iPhone 6's "lightness and thinness" inspired.
Can the iPhone 17 Air become Apple's new hit, riding on the success of the Plus model?
However, US analyst Wamsi Mohan points out that while the iPhone 17 Air's appearance is highly anticipated, the actual market response may be lukewarm. The ultra-thin design compromises battery life and camera specifications, limiting its appeal to power users. Suppliers also appear to be less optimistic about the new product. Currently, only approximately 10% of production capacity is allocated to the iPhone 17 Air, a proportion similar to that of the previous mini and Plus models, indicating that suppliers do not anticipate a breakthrough for the Air. JPMorgan Chase notes that Apple's initial production plan for this model is approximately 10 to 15 million units, indicating a relatively cautious approach.
Some analysts believe that the iPhone 17 Air's pricing may render it a niche product. Compared to the standard 17, the 17 Air offers no significant improvements, only advantages in screen size and thickness, but falls short of the standard version in terms of battery life, image quality, and price. While the 17 Air may be more affordable than the 17 Pro, it falls short in many areas, such as image quality and performance. Overall, this phone is only suitable for those who favor "ultra-thin" phones or those who buy it as a backup device.
Strategic Significance: Paving the Way for Foldable Screens
While market opinion is divided, CNMO has learned that Apple's launch of the iPhone 17 Air serves a broader purpose beyond testing the market. According to Bloomberg's Apple reporter Mark Gurman, the iPhone 17 Air is essentially a transitional product, intended to pave the way for the subsequent launch of a foldable iPhone, rather than to be a sales driver.
Apple hopes to use the Air to experiment with battery packaging, body materials, and internal layout, gaining experience for future foldable iPhone designs. From this perspective, the Air isn't simply a new model, but rather part of Apple's strategic shift in product line. The launch of the iPhone 17 Air further complicates Apple's mobile phone lineup: the standard model balances experience and price, the Pro series continues its push into the high-end, and the Air, a new design-driven experiment, bears the shadow of future foldable screens.
The launch of the iPhone 17 Air signals a strategic shift in Apple's market strategy. As the newest member of the iPhone 17 lineup, it replaces the sluggish Plus model. Its core selling points are its ultra-thin design (5.5mm thickness) and 6.5-6.6-inch high-refresh screen, filling the price and feature gap between the standard and Pro models.
Summary
The launch of the iPhone 17 Air is undoubtedly another attempt by Apple to expand its flagship model portfolio. Unlike the previous two attempts, which simply changed the size, the Air represents a completely new product strategy—targeting a specific market segment through an ultra-thin design and clear performance trade-offs. It not only carries the strategic mission of accumulating technical experience for the foldable iPhone but also reflects Apple's thinking on differentiated competition.
However, market reaction to this model remains largely divided: whether its stunning industrial design can offset compromises in battery and camera performance will directly determine its market success. Regardless of success or failure, the iPhone 17 Air will provide important insights for Apple's future product strategy.
