iPhone 16 pre-orders are now open for many countries around the world, meaning people can already make their purchase decisions.
With all that going on, many may be wondering whether it's worth waiting another year or not? This is completely reasonable, especially when looking at the iPhone 17 Air.
Brand new, ultra-thin design
The iPhone 17 Air first appeared as the iPhone 17 Slim because one of its standout features involves being incredibly thin. We don't know exactly how thin it will be, but the change is expected to be significant.
The iPhone 17 Air will be the thinnest iPhone yet.
This year's iPad Pro M4 is the thinnest Apple has ever made. Considering what Apple has done with the iPad and the physical requirements of the USB-C port, we can imagine what the iPhone 17 Air could bring. The all-new iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are both 8.25mm thick, the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be closer to the iPad Pro's 5.1mm size - a significant reduction.
Upgrade camera in all aspects
Apple hasn't changed anything about the front-facing camera on the iPhone 16, which is all on the back of the device. But with the iPhone 17 series, a big upgrade will come to the selfie camera, jumping from 12 MP to 24 MP, and there will certainly be new software features to take advantage of that increase.
Front and rear cameras will have strong upgrades.
On the flip side, the iPhone 17 Air’s rear camera design will be completely new. Instead of a multi-camera system in the upper left corner, Apple will impose a single, powerful camera in the top center. We don’t know much about the new system at this point, but it’s interesting to see what this major design change could mean for the rear camera.
It's a glimpse into the future
Just like the original MacBook Air did for laptops, the iPhone 17 Air is set to change the game when it comes to smartphone design. It won't be as powerful as the iPhone 17 Pro models, but it will certainly represent the future.
If the iPhone 16 doesn’t excite people, next year’s model will. Most iPhones are iterative improvements, but every now and then there’s an iPhone X moment. The iPhone 17 Air will bring that new phone excitement back and might make all the other iPhones seem a little outdated.
Will the iPhone 17 Air be a "moment for the smartphone world" like the MacBook Air did for laptops?
For many users, the iPhone 16 series is their only chance to try out Apple’s AI. The only older iPhone models that support the new AI features are last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
But Apple’s phased rollout of AI features could make the wait for the iPhone 17 Air easier. The full list of features announced for Apple Intelligence will be released gradually, in a slow drip over the course of next year, so waiting until 2025 for an AI-powered iPhone might not be so hard.
