TheiPhone 17 Airis go to be the next big smartphone experiment at Apple . With a rumored thickness of just 5.5 millimeter and a eminent - density bombardment , it ’s go to be the case of multiple introduction afterwards this twelvemonth . But Apple ’s plans for slimmer phone down the route sound even more challenging .
According toBloomberg , Apple is planning to make a phone so slim that it will lack any forcible port whatsoever . In fact , the company explored the approximation for the iPhone 17 Air , but decide to await out on those plans for a miscellany of reasons .
“ An even bigger idea was to make the Air equipment Apple ’s first completely port - destitute iPhone , one that omit that charging recess as well as physical SIM tray . That would mean lose the USB - C connector and function all - in on wireless charging and syncing information with the cloud , ” says the report .
One of the reasons Apple killed the port - less design idea for the iPhone 17 Air was regulatory headache , specially in the EU bloc . Apple was the last major stigma to offer a proprietary port on its smartphones , before in conclusion switching to a USB - speed of light port on theiPhone 15series .
The absence seizure of a port would mean the iPhone 17 Air had to rely entirely on the MagSafe wireless charging arrangement . Moreover , the data storage duties would be tightly integrated with the iCloud system , since there is no ironware road for extracting or transmit datum via cable television .
It would have been a cumbersome move for an ordinary buyer , especially from a repairability perspective . However , Apple is apparently serious about the whole idea . As per the Bloomberg report , if the iPhone 17 Air demonstrate to be a succeeder , Apple might again explore the idea of creating a port - free smartphone .
Apple won’t be the first
Apple wo n’t be the first to attempt that moonshot . Back in 2019,Chinese smartphone behemoth Vivo showcased the Apex conception . It was a gadget that lacked a USB embrasure , SIM tray , button , or even verbalizer . In fact , the entire filmdom doubled as one massive fingermark detector on this one .
The same year , fellow Taiwanese brandMeizu revealed the Zero concept . It was a high - end phone idea without a charging port or a headphone seafarer . The company put the earpiece up for crowdfunding but failed to hit its fiscal backup goal .
Meizu later confirmed that the Zero was never intended as a mass - marketplace gadget . But it seems 2025 will see a return to truly minimalist smartphone design . The the like of Samsung , Honor , and Oppo are reportedly working on their own ultra - svelte phones .
Tecno also wowed the crowd at MWC 2025 with aworking sample distribution of the Spark Slim smartphone . Xiaomi is also reportedly working on aphone that will miss any physical button whatsoever , but so far , the brand has remained Chrysanthemum morifolium on any such plan .
