The rumored iPhone 17 Air is a trial run for phones with zero ports

This fall’s much-anticipated iPhone 17 Air launch could be the start of something even bigger, if a new report is to be believed. Apple, it’s claimed, is using the 17 Air as a testbed for far more radical changes in its wider design strategy, and if that device is successful we could see portless and foldable iPhones from as early as next year.

In the latest instalment of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman discusses the slimmer model expected to form part of the 17-series iPhone launch (which he refers to as the 17 Air, but could be called 17 Slim or some other branding), and explains that its current design is a watered-down version of an originally more ambitious plan. At one stage, for example, Apple hoped to release a phone with no physical port, relying entirely on wireless charging and data transfer, but eventually decided against this out of concern it would anger EU regulators. It also wanted to give the 17 Air a 6.9-inch screen, but was worried this could lead to a repeat of 2014’s Bendgate controversy and plumped instead for 6.6 inches.

While this fall’s handset represents a compromise on Apple’s original vision, however, it could lead to more exciting things if it proves successful. The company, Gurman claims, is working on a plan to use the technological developments in the 17 Air to create far more groundbreaking iPhones in future. A foldable iPhone, he says, could arrive as early as 2026 thanks to the 17 Air’s battery, display, modem and silicon breakthroughs. Apple intends to make further attempts at a portless iPhone. And by 2026 or 2027 elements of the Dynamic Island could be moved beneath the screen bring the iPhone closer to a truly all-screen design.

“The iPhone 17 Air represents the beginning of a sea change for Apple,” writes Gurman, “ushering in a new industrial design that accompanies this year’s revamped iOS.” But only if it’s successful. The 17 Air will be used to test consumer appetites for slim phone design and willingness to tolerate compromises in other areas, much as the iPhone 16e is currently being used as a testbed for the C1 modem and its pros (improved power efficiency) and cons (weaker cellular performance).

All the more reason, then, to hope that the slim iPhone is a success. Although the struggles Apple has had selling the mini and Plus models that precede the Air as the fourth model in the line-up, along with the 17 Air’s anticipated $900 price tag and single rear-facing camera lens, suggest it’s hardly a guaranteed hit. We’ll know more in September.

For all the latest news and rumors about this fall’s launches, check out regularly updated iPhone 17 superguide. If you can’t wait that long, bookmark our guide to the best iPhone deals in order to get the best possible price on the current range.