iPhone 17 Air Production Starts at Foxconn

Apple’s ultra-slim smartphone has reportedly entered a new phase of production where the design is being validated against prototypes. The thinnest iPhone ever is on schedule for release next year.

Foxconn begins production

How Digitimes reports, the iPhone 17 Air has entered the next phase of production. In the so-called New Product Introduction (NPI) phase, a product takes another step towards mass production. At this stage, the design is validated and tests are carried out on prototypes. This is followed by the qualification of suppliers and the development of manufacturing processes.

The information, which supposedly comes from the supply chain of manufacturer Foxconn, would confirm for the very first time the actual existence of the special iPhone model, which is said to be the thinnest iPhone of all time with a presumed thickness of around six millimeters.

Problems due to thinness

Apparently, the previous problems caused by the device’s special form factor have now been solved in Cupertino. There was talk, for example, that Apple was not able to accommodate sufficiently large batteries in its smartphones due to the flat housing. Apparently they haven’t been able to make the necessary progress in increasing battery density.

However, the slim design still requires some sacrifices. For reasons of space, the iPhone 17 Air will probably no longer have a SIM card slot, which would force users to use an eSIM. A second speaker, as all other iPhone models have for playing media or making phone calls using the hands-free system, probably cannot be accommodated.

Form instead of function

Apparently the iPhone 17 Air will not be a high-end model. It is intended to replace the Plus variant, which will probably no longer be available with the iPhone 17. Users would therefore actively choose the design over performance. However, the thin smartphone should also be cheaper than the Pro and Pro Max models. The entire iPhone 17 generation, including the iPhone 17 Air, is scheduled to come onto the market in September 2025.